13 of the Best Amazon Sports Bras for Any Size Bust, According to a Personal Trainer

Whether you're a AA or a DDD, you can probably agree on one thing: A proper sports bra can make or break your workout. There's no shortage of them on the market after the past few years, during which athleisure took center stage over...well, just about everything, so you pretty much have your pick when it comes to brands, materials, features and price points. Rather than trying to track them down across the web, however, we're taking the fast-track to comfort with the best Amazon sports bras across all categories.

As a certified personal trainer and a workout enthusiast, I happen to know a thing or two about what to look for among the site's hundreds (actually, make that thousands) of options, including how they should fit and what types will suit you best. From compression models to padded ones that promise to keep you feeling secure, supported and looking fly as heck while you run, jump and everything in between, you can find my picks for the cream of the crop below—along with some pro advice about how to choose between them.

Types of Sports Bras

First thing's first: You'll need to know what it is you're looking for as far as the type of sports bra you're after.

  • Compression sports bra: This type of sports bra pushes your breasts against your body to reduce movement. They tend to work best for those with smaller cup sizes.

  • Encapsulation sports bra: These have a separate cup for each breast that's designed to hold them in place and keep them apart. They're also usually lined with an underwire.

  • Encapsulation-compression sports bra: A combination of a compression and an encapsulation sports bra, this offers separate cups in addition to added pressure to keep everything firmly in place, making it a great choice for those with larger cup sizes.

  • Longline sports bra: These bras have slightly more fabric than your average ones, coming down below the bustline and ending at the waist.

How Should a Sports Bra Fit?

As with a regular bra, while you want your sports bra to fit snugly, it shouldn't be so tight that it smashes the girls down uncomfortably or digs into your back. You also want the straps to sit flush and closely against your shoulders. This way, they'll pick up some of the slack or sag that will be inherent in the cups (unless you’re wearing a chest binder, the soft material of a sports bra cup won’t support you on its own).

When looking for the right sports bra size, it's best to start with your regular size in tops (oftentimes, sports bras will adopt the sizing system of traditional apparel, with options like small, medium, large). You'll know it's too big if the band rides up or the cups are creasing or wrinkling as a result of having too much room between your chest and the material. Another quick test? If or you can fit more than two fingers under the bust band, you probably want to go down a size.

You'll want to in mind, however, that when you heat up during a workout, your skin is likely to swell and accumulate sweat, so it's best to factor that in when you try a sports bra on. To make sure you've got it right, you can mimic a few quick movements that you plan to perform during your workout, such as high knees, skipping or jogging or even a downward dog or wheel pose for yoga. This way, you'll get a better sense of how your sports bra will fit for its intended purpose.

Where to Buy a Sports Bra

In addition to specialized athleisure retailers, such as lululemon, Alo Yoga or Sweaty Betty, you can find sports bras at big box retailers, such as Nordstrom, Target, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, or sporting goods stores, like Dick's, Nike, adidas and Under Armour. Or, you could head to Amazon and shop tons of options with Prime two-day shipping to your heart's content—I've given you a pretty good headstart below.

The Best Amazon Sports Bras at a Glance

RELATED: The 10 Best Plus-Size Sports Bras for a Hassle-Free Workout

PureWow may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from PureWow's editorial and sales departments.