I Used To Weight Lift 5 Days A Week—These Affordable Sports Bras Are The GOAT
Years spent weightlifting five days a week taught me that a workout is as only as good as your sports bra. Whether you're hitting the elliptical or gearing up for a session of HIIT, nothing can subvert the promise of a great sweat more than feeling like your assets aren't fully supported. Even if your workouts tilt more towards weight lifting than cardio, a sports bra that can handle the demand of movement while keeping everything in place is a fitness essential.
Although your home may serve as the backdrop to most of your workouts as of late, a sports bra should still rise to the occasion no matter your environment. I'm always on the hunt for the perfect one to add to my line up and through years of trial and error, I've discovered a few brands and styles that have become my favorites. While luxury activewear has certainly become a saturated market, I found that you really don't have to shell out big bucks for a sports bra that's simultaneously cute and capable. Below, is the culmination of my research. I've rounded up the best budget-friendly sports bras under $50 that offer medium to full sport–no matter your bust size. Keep reading to find your new workout buddy.
Heavy sweat is really no match for Nike's Dri-FIT bra. The material is not only moisture-wicking but will also keep you cooler during intense workouts.
Don't sleep on Target for sports bras; their athletic ranges have some of the best product offerings and prices I've seen on the market.
The brand all of my friends can't stop raving about. The Tommy is one of the label's more supportive bra styles and features a stylish square neckline. We also love its inclusive sizing– available in sizes XXS to 6XL.
The plethora of 5-star reviews don't lie: reviewers love its full coverage support for bigger busts.
If you're truly serious about your activewear, the British retailer is one you shouldn't miss. One of the more affordable bras within their lineup, it's great quality.
Buy the matching leggings for a 1, 2 performance punch.
Sometimes all you want is a no-frills option that's reasonably cheap. At only $16, we'll take it.
I've been a huge fan of Joylab for years. One of my favorite sports bras of all time–a cobalt blue one that's supportive to a fault and surprisingly sexy, and also sadly out of stock–comes from the label and even surpasses those I've tried that are three times the price.
Jockey isn't really a brand I immediately think of when activewear comes to mind, but this bra surpassed expectations once put to the test. I love the comfortable feel of the molded cups.
A sports bra I don't mind wearing in public when my workout spills into running errands.
What's an activewear round-up without Outdoor Voices? The softness and comfort of this bra is ideal for strength training days.
My go-to weekend outfit. It can also stand up to sprints on the treadmill.
From the racerback shape to the material this vaguely reminds me of my favorite Lululemon sports bra, the Enlite, making this a noteworthy dupe.
For my larger chested friends beyond a D-cup, this one comes out on top.
H&M is like the dark horse of affordable, luxe-looking sportswear. I'm tempted to buy more bra and leggings sets for my more low impact workouts.
During my big box gym days I loved this sports bra for its modest, low-key silhouette.
Zella carries fun, interesting prints should you want a bra to show off.
Next up, 27 of This Week's Best New Arrivals.
Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.
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