Yes, Your Sports Bra Really Can Restrict Your Breathing

February 28, 2024

Studies have found that more supportive bras reduce oxygen consumption—a proxy for how much energy you’re burning at a given running pace—by 7 percent, perhaps by enabling subtle changes in your running stride.

In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Shalaya Kipp, a former Olympic steeplechase runner and an exercise scientist at the University of British Columbia specializing in respiratory physiology, and her UBC colleagues share the results of a study testing whether tight sports bras hinder breathing in runners.

The quest for adequate support can make running less efficient by forcing your breathing muscles to work harder, the new research finds. Outside