Posted: May 25, 2005

Multisport: CW-X Support Bra Review

By by Bev Whelan, HDO Sports - Leading Edge Sports Products

I was excited when I first heard that CW-X was coming out with a Pro Top. You can imagine my disappointment when I learned that the top would not be available to women. I love the support and feel of my CW-X tights, and liked the idea of a similar product for the upper body.

Fortunately, my spirits were lifted again when I found out that CW-X was coming out with a sports bra. I?ve always had the same problem with sports bras as I used to have with running tights ? I find that they compress rather than support. A sports bra, like a pair of tights, is not going to do me much good if it treats all of my muscle groups in the same way. I love that CW-X targets the muscle groups and body parts that most need support. I was intrigued about whether my new CW-X Support Bra would live up to its name, and the precedent its manufacturer has set for its products.

5 Point Suspension - How it Works

The CW-X Bra differs from other Sports Bras in one main way ? it supports by cupping each breast separately rather than pressing down on the breasts as a single entity. I am surprised it took this long for a sports company to realize such an important and seemingly obvious feature about women as their having two breasts each.

There is no stress put on any one spot of each breast because the load is dispersed to 5 areas (the shoulder strap, the underarm area, the outer rib area, the sacrum, and towards the throat). Imagine an asterisk with its center in the middle part of the breast. Each arm of the asterisk pulls in its own direction, such that no one part of the bra is pulled hard at all.

"..This bra is perfect for long, sweaty exercise sessions, as it won't chafe"

I have found the material to be among the most breathable of all other Sports Bras I?ve worn ? and I?ve worn pretty much all possible brands. It is made of CW-X?s famous “4 way stretch Coolmax fabric”, and as such dries easily and whisks the sweat away from your body. This bra is perfect for long, sweaty exercise sessions, as it won?t chafe like cotton sports bras, and it won?t make you overheat.

CW-X designed its sports bra, like its tights, to fit snugly. The philosophy behind it?s four way stretch fabric is that for an article of clothing to support your body parts, it has to have a firm hold on those parts to do any good. The bra may feel a bit tighter than you?re used to at first, but you?ll quickly get used to it and you?ll be reluctant to take it off.

This bra works very well with a heart rate monitor strap ? I?ve tried it with both a Nike and a soft Polar chest strap - and as I said earlier, its material makes it ideal for hot days or sweaty indoor workouts. There?s nothing worse than realizing midway through a long run that your sports bra is chafing you, and with the CW-X support bra, it?s a safe bet you won?t run into this problem.

But Don't Just Take My Word For It

I obviously like this support bra a lot and recommend it to all other active women with my body type. A long distance runner, however, I am built such that I can choose a Sports Bra based on its looks over its supportiveness. Larger breasted women may want to first try on the bra and jump up and down in it a few times to ensure that it gives them adequate support. But as I said earlier, I have tried many Sports Bras of varying support by many manufacturers, and find this to be among the most supportive as well as comfortable.

One thing I?d like CW-X to change about this bra is its color. It comes in two styles, but both are black based, and they only differ by the color of the lining. It would be great to see them branch out as they did with their tights to a red or a blue.

Where to begin... Store.RunnersWeb.com.