Freya Active Epic Molded Plus Size Exercise Bra

Freya’s best plus size exercise bra offerings

Sports bras have come a long way from the days when I first started wearing them. Back in the day, I would put on two bras and just hope for the best. These days, bustier women are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a good plus size exercise bra.

Freya Crop Exercise BRAFreya soft cup exercise braFreya underwire bra
Freya Active Epic Molded Sports Bra Crop TopFreya Women’s Active Soft Cup Sports BraFreya Women’s Active Underwire Sports Bra
Underwire: YesUnderwire: NoUnderwire: Yes
Reduces Bounce: ExcellentReduces Bounce: GoodReduces Bounce: Fair
Uniboob: NoUniboob: A littleUniboob: No
Compression: Medium-HighCompression: MediumCompression: Medium-High
Shape: NaturalShape: A little pointyShape: A little pointy
Overall : 5/5Overall : 3.5/5Overall : 3/5
View on AmazonView on AmazonView on Amazon

Why invest in a good sports bra?

If you’ve ever sprinted to catch public transport in your normal bra, you already know the answer to this one.

Big boobs bounce. Bouncing is embarrassing and uncomfortable, and unfortunately, if something you do makes you feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, you are less likely to do it. Lack of proper support from a good plus size exercise bra should never be a reason not to partake in physical activity, but unfortunately for many of us it is.

A good exercise bra can reduce bounce (and inversely increase confidence) as well as reduce the physical strain that can be involved in high-impact movement, such as running.

Here are three Freya offerings that have seen me through HIIT, circuit work, elliptical workouts and yoga.

Freya Active Epic Molded Sports Bra Crop Top

Freya Active Epic Molded Plus Size Exercise Bra
The Active Epic Molded Sports Bra Crop Top, available in select sizes B-H, band sizes 28-40

The newest of my bras, I love the versatility it offers. You can go from a conventional strap look to racerback (and anything in between) with the help of a very solid hook on the back, meaning you can wear different styles of exercise tops without worrying about having the straps show.

Crop Racerback Exercise Bra
The back strap can be adjusted to racerback

The cup itself is molded, and covers you well from top to bottom. The bra definitely compresses your breasts, creating the look of smaller cleavage. The underwire ensures that you are spared from having the dreaded uniboob, while providing essential support.

The straps are adjustable, although not all way. Like most of Freya’s exercise bras, you will find that you can only adjust the part of the strap that sits on your back.

In terms of closure on the band, this bra has four hooks, alloThe best bra for my shape - Freya Rio backwing for very sturdy support.

This bra is made of polyester, nylon and elastane, and boasts odour-free technology—apparently reducing the growth of odor-causing bacteria. I wash my sports bras pretty regularly (hand wash, of course) so I can’t really say how effective this benefit is.

Overall, I’d give this bra a 5/5. It cost a pretty penny, but the benefits are worth it. Check out the pricing and range of colors on Amazon.

 

 

Freya Women’s Active Soft Cup Sports Bra

Freya Active Soft Cup Plus Size Exercise Bra
The Women’s Active Underwire Sports Bra, available in select sizes D-JJ, band sizes 28-38

I bought this bra back in 2015 by accident. I owned its counterpart, which had an underwire, and thought I was buying another underwire bra, but apparently I was not paying attention. It ended up working out, because I actually ended up liking this bra quite a bit.

I was a bit nervous when I opened the box and didn’t see an underwire, but this ended up not being an issue once I actually put this thing to work.

The fit of the band on this bra in combination with its partially lined cups means that you still get some definition when you wear it, although not to the extent that you would with an underwire.

Because this bra is soft cup, and not completely lined, it’s a very light bra that’s easy to wear. Though I wouldn’t recommend it, its shape is comfortable enough that you could wear it all day if you had to. The bra is constructed in such a way that it does have a sort of minimizing effect, although I’m not a fan of the shape it gives my breasts, as it looks a little on the conical side.

Again, with this one you’ve got four eye-hooks on the back, complementing the solid band. Straps are not fully adjustable, although the padded front half of the strap is quite comfortable.

This bra does reduce bounce, and the fact that the cup is full coverage and sits well on the chest means that I don’t have to worry about anything popping out.

Overall, I’d give this bra a 3.5/5.

Freya Women’s Active Underwire Sports Bra

Freya Active Underwire Exercise Bra
The Women’s Active Underwire Sports Bra, available in select sizes D-JJ, band sizes 28-38

This was actually my first Freya sports bra, and my first actual plus size exercise bra.

I won’t spend too long on this one, because Freya actually discontinued this particular bra, however you can definitely still find stores that stock it. This bra is made of the same material as its under-wire free counterpart, and is quite soft, with breathable Coolmax fabric.

A lot of the features are the same as the soft cup bra, including the half-adjustable padded strap, and the eye-hook closure.

The cup of the bra, unlike the other two bras previously mentioned is not full coverage. There have been times when I’ve been doing jumping jacks and other big up/down motions that I’ve noticed my breasts slipping a bit out of the top of the bra. Though I still have this bra in my rotation, because of this issue, I only wear it on low-impact days, or if I really haven’t had time to do laundry.

Largely because of the fact that the seam for this bra is sewn in the middle of the cup, this bra does make my chest look a bit conical when I wear it.

I find underwire in sports bras general a good thing, but I find this underwire in this particular plus size exercise bra tends to dig into my sides, making it uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.

Overall, I’d give this bra a 3/5.

THE TL;DR

Go with the Active Epic Crop Top Sports bra. It’s the one that I’ve felt the best in, and provides an excellent balance of coverage, style and comfort, making it my go to plus size exercise bra. Don’t believe me? Here’s what other people are saying.