A Brief Guide to Free People Sports Bras

As promised, very excited to share a guide to some of the Free People sports bra styles. It’s not the first place you’d expect to go for either true athletic or athleisure wear but it has a surprisingly great selection! A few of the fabrics are incredibly soft and there’s a good mix of loungewear and more supportive bras. I ordered a ton of different options to see what worked for me and now I’m here to share my learnings with you.

Let’s break it down:

Low Impact/Lounging

These bras are not the most supportive but they are very cute. They’d work for pilates but you probably don’t want to go for a run in them. They also fit smaller chests best in my opinion, but not exclusively.

• Happiness Runs (top left): This is my least favorite of the group on myself but it looks great on others. I personally didn’t love the neckline or the washed-out color options. Has a snug fit.
• Black Diamond Crop (top middle): Moving on to one of the cutest, I wouldn’t trust this for any workout, but it’d be perfect for a cute summer hike or an ‘I just came from yoga’ brunch look.
• Strappy Back Tighten Up Tank (top right): I love this one for lounging but wouldn’t necessarily work out in it without something more supportive under it. Previously seen on the blog here.

Low-Medium Impact

I would say this category is best defined by medium-high impact workouts for smaller chests but low-medium impact workouts for larger chests. Since I fall into the latter category, I probably wouldn’t wear these for anything other than pilates, barre or strength training.

• Be First Crop (middle left): This bra has weird proportions. The top is loose and soft but the bottom is snug and much tighter than the top. If it fits, it’s very cute and flattering, but definitely not a fit for everyone.
• Square Neck Good Karma bra (middle right): The Good Karma bras are by far the softest ones made by Free People. The square neck acts almost as a push-up bra, but because it’s soft I could see it riding up as well. Comfortable and a great fit, but not sure how it’ll hold up for harder workouts.

Medium-High Impact

These are the best traditional sports bras and the ones you want to reach for when going for a run or heading to spin class. These ones are the best options for larger chests.

• Lightning Synergy Crop (bottom left): Lightning Synergy is the most traditional sports bra. The material isn’t as soft as the good karma line but between the thick shoulder straps and longer length its a great crop and one you could easily and comfortably wear without a top.
• Scoop Neck Good Karma bra (bottom right): Last but certainly not least, this is one of the most comfortable but versatile styles. I found that the side of the strap didn’t lay completely flat but other than that no complaints – this is a great one.