"Mature" Women Only!

[Rusty Blades]

Ok, you guys go away, get lost - this is girl talk!

By "mature" I refer to figure, not chronological or psychological age, so read on if you can ante up at least a C cup :roll:

I am thinking I need a better or more appropriate bra for skating but I have no idea what to look for. Before I took up skating a year ago, I never had any problem (well except for "bounce control" on rough roads, horseback, etc.) but now I often end up often feeling a discomfort sort of down each side of the sternum to the bottom of the breast after 1:30 on the ice. My physio says it isn't a muscle. I don't know if it is from getting a bit chilled (working up a sweat and then getting cold) or if it is from lack of control but it can be very painful. (No medical reason for the discomfort.)

I looked at sports bras but it looks like they sort of smoosh everything flat against the rib cage - I don't want to look like Madonna either 8O - fur lined would be nice 8O LOL!

For other "mature" skaters, what style works best for you?

(No point me asking at the local rink - the whole group of young skaters couldn't muster a C cup between the lot of them!)

[flo]

Hi there,
I actually read an article somewhere about this. It suggested that for "mature" figures, that looking for a "uniboob" type sports bra is better than the lift and seperate types.
I'll look for the article.

[doubletoe]

Perhaps "voluptuous" would be a better description than "mature"? LOL!
If this club requires at least a C cup, then I will never be mature. :(

[Isk8NYC]

C'mon - remember Jane Russell and Playtex? Lift and separate?
<< We're called "full-figured" women. (I think Jane called us "gals." :wink: >>

For half a season in my 20's, I had a male coach. He wasn't a great freestyle coach or a choreographer, but he was great for posture and he gently suggested that I get a "minimizer" brassiere. The sports bra uniboob really doesn't control the bounce.

JCPenney's lingerie department sells minimizers. I always buy beige - goes with anything. If you ask for a punch card, they'll punch out how many you've purchased. After you buy six, you get a seventh one free. I buy seven new bras every year this way and toss most of the old ones. Even though you don't notice it, they wear out faster than you realize, especially if you use them for exercise and sport.

[jazzpants]

Perhaps "voluptuous" would be a better description than "mature"? LOL!
If this club requires at least a C cup, then I will never be mature. :(Me neither!!! My cup barely gets filled, never mind runneth over!!! :lol: :P

Yes, "full-figured" gals would be a more appropriate title!!! As for where to buy stuff, I recommend Bare Necessities (http://www.barenecessities.com/) or Victoria's Secret (http://www.victoriassecret.com). (Probably more the former site than the later since you're looking for something for sports...) Type in "Full Figured Sports Bras" and you'll get a whole list! :D (But I would take ISk8NYC at her word since she's "fuller figured" than me.) ;)

[dbny]

Me neither!!! My cup barely gets filled, never mind runneth over!!! :lol: :P

Yup, I'm forever a child. The only time my cup ranneth over was when I was nursing :lol:. It was quite a shock.

[TaBalie]

I am a DD... I have found the best bras at http://www.athleta.com. I like a LOT of support, so though they are great for skating, I feel like I start to suffocate if I wear them all day LOL ;) Here are my favorites...

http://www.athleta.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=2780&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=356&iSubCat=359&iProductID=2780

http://www.athleta.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=3032&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=356&iSubCat=359&iProductID=3032

[sue123]

I like to consider myself "blessed" and my mother blessed me with a large cup size. I'm usually a D or DD, depending. Minimzers work, also if you could find one with a T-strap back, I find that it helps reducing the bounce. Also, Champion makes sports bras that have underwire in them and are made for high impact activities. Unfortunatly, I don't remember the model as I got it a few yaers ago from a Dick's Sporting Goods store, but I'm sure they still make something similar. Sports bras without an underwire do no good for me. What's nice about them is that they are sold by bra size, not S, M, or L like those uniboob ones. I also went to fat camp as a teen (long story, still not quite sure How I ended up there, but that's another time) and the aerobics instructor told us to get sports bras one size smaller than we think we need to keep everything in.

Personally, my faves are the underwire sports bras. They may cost a bit more, but worth every penny.

[sk8er1964]

I use these with good success, for both practice and competiton. They last a long time and are reasonably comfortable. I am a DDD - sports bras are useless for me.

http://www.balicompany.com/styles/detail.asp?styleNumber=3562&displayBy=Silhouette&featureName=Minimizer&styleCategory=bra

[Scarlett]

I'm usually okay in a regular underwire bra when I skate. However when I do any other form of exercise I wear a sports bra. Champion used to make a wonderful underwire bra that I can't find anymore and moving comfort makes great sports bras. They are underwire, really comfortable and don't give you a uniboob. I second the motion that you should buy bras that have actual cup sizes in them. Anything that has S,M,L, XL as sizing is probably not going to work.

p.s. I almost did not reply to this thread because I don't think "mature" describes me at all.

[aussieskater]

DD cup now - when I was nursing, it got to a G cup (!! 8O !!) - do I qualify?? (Swore that if they didn't diminish once I'd weaned, I was in for a reduction pronto - those weren't puppies I was hauling around but full-grown Great Danes!)

I agree with isk8NYC - minimisers are the way to go for me. And not just any minimiser, but one with all the high-rise structural engineering which can possibly be built in to a bra. My theory = squash it flat and small, and it can't bounce. Just another reason - apart from lack of ability - that I don't jump (or run or jog for that matter!) I have found that I need to replace the bras more often now I'm skating - I sweat (sorry, "glow" ;) ), and this does hasten the disintegration process.

[Skate@Delaware]

Ok, the only time I was a "C" cup was when I was breastfeeding (many, many moons ago) but I will pass on a tidbit of information that many of the women I know have used: Wear a nice underwire bra that fits you well and over that wear a sports bra (at least medium support, firm support is better). Endowed women who endure boot camp and physical training beyond do this and it works for most of them without squishing too much.

check out: http://www.championcatalog.com they have all sorts of sports bras! Haven't ordered from them yet....

[newskaker5]

I have barely an A cup - but my sister has always been closer to a D - in all sports she used to wear 2 sports bras on top of each other or she would use an ace bandage to gently "squish the girls" so to speak:lol: and wear a sports bra on top of that. I cant say for sure if this would work in skating, but she said it worked great.

[Rusty Blades]

... I don't think "mature" describes me at all.

That's why I excluded chronological and psychological age!

Up until my mid-20's I didn't even own a bra - why have a double garage for a pair of skateboards! Donno, something happened later on and I had to start sleeping with an extra pillow :roll:

I did a lot of reading and found a really good site (that I SHOULD have bookmarked and didn't) about how the body supports the weight. Also found a lot of information for women in sports (generally) and most recommendations for C size on up is to wear an underwire with good firm support rather than just a sports bra.

Anyway I hit some bra stores after work and bought a couple built like tanks! 8O I'll try one out tomorrow and see if it helps. I wasn't able to find anything fur lined though :cry:

Geez, it's not like I am doing jumps or anything . . . .

Thanks ladies!

[mdvask8r]

Title 9 Sports has a large selection, all graded with 1 to 5 barbells to indicate their "bounce support" score.

http://www.titlenine.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

[icedancer2]

I am thinking I need a better or more appropriate bra for skating but I have no idea what to look for. Before I took up skating a year ago, I never had any problem (well except for "bounce control" on rough roads, horseback, etc.) but now I often end up often feeling a discomfort sort of down each side of the sternum to the bottom of the breast after 1:30 on the ice. My physio says it isn't a muscle. I don't know if it is from getting a bit chilled (working up a sweat and then getting cold) or if it is from lack of control but it can be very painful. (No medical reason for the discomfort.)



Rusty - I'm wondering if you're not experiencing a kind of "rib strain" (most regular docs I've spoken to have never heard of this) - is the pain on and in-between your ribs, or the breasts themselves (there is a lot of muscle that supports breast tissue, BTW) -- I have experienced this for years and especially when I am really working hard to twist and "check" my upper body for turns and mohawks, etc. -- it got really bad about a year ago when I started working with a male dance coach who insisted on very strong checking.

I have gotten to the point where ANY bra is uncomfortable, and I am mostly wearing camisoles, and damn the bounce!! I find that the bras cause even more rib strain!!

Just my 2 cents. Oh, and I'm a C or D cup, depending on who you ask.:roll:

[Rusty Blades]

Interesting ID - thanks.

I have been seeing a physiotherapist this week 'cause I fell 2 weeks ago, on my right side with my right forearm just under the right breast and sort of drove it in on the two or three ribs there. Physio has the ribs feeling a LOT better but she didn't know any way this pain could be related and I have had the pain off and on for most of the winter, long before my fall. My skating has progressed a lot and I do have a turn sequence that I have been working on since fall.

Let's see if I can be specific.... The pain seems to start about the middle of the breast closer to the chest wall than the nipple and curve around to the inside (toward cleavage) and turn up on a line about mid way between the nipple and cleavage and end toward the top of the breast. It does feel very much like a strained muscle, which is why I asked the physio about muscles there. I was, however, reading about the ligaments that support the breast tissue on one of the web sites and it sounded like it could be something like that. Hum, I wonder if I can find anything in Grey's Anatomy?

I am pretty sure the problem is exacerbated by cold and it can get pretty intense until I get warmed up again after skating.

If the firm bra doesn't help, I'll try bra-less. (Good thing I don't spin! That would give new meaning to my original coach's of't heard command "Nipples UP!" 8O )

Only 6 more weeks to my big competition and then the girls can have a rest ;)

[Skate@Delaware]

Maybe you had a little bruising around the ribs/sternum and the intercostals (muscles between the ribs) as well as some of the supporting ligaments on the interior of the chest wall. Then as the inflammation went down, scar tissue built up...which gets inflammed from time to time. This has been known to happen. It does not take much scar tissue (we might even be talking millimeters here and there) in the right areas to be felt. Does this all make sense? (glad I paid attention in my college anatomy classes....)

You are talking a bout an area that gets a lot of movement 24/7 which doesn't get much time to rest for healing. Might take months for the pain/inflammation to diminish....

Stick with it, don't overdo it. Try ice (yeah, yeah aren't we all cold?) over the area if it hurts too much after a session of skating and see if that helps.

[blue111moon]

I have fallen in love with Curvation's Queen Latifa (8O ) line since they're specifically designed formore endowed mature figured women (which is something that back in college, I never imagined that I'd become!). The underwire-less Side Shaper is my favorite for favorite but hard to find.

I generally wear the uni-boob sport bras for practice but last year when I had my new dress designed, Stephanie shook her head and demanded that I find a new bra that "gave some shape" to the chest area before she'd design the stones. It took me two weekends of nothing but bra shopping (and very depressing that was!) to find the Curvation line that made her happy enough to finish the dress.

I went from a non-quite A to a C between ages 43 and 50. Terrific. Now I've got 'em, just when I don't have any use for 'em at all! :)

[Rusty Blades]

I went from a non-quite A to a C between ages 43 and 50. Terrific. Now I've got 'em, just when I don't have any use for 'em at all! :)

Thanks for the great laugh Moon! Oh boy, can I identify with that! (Been single for the past 15 years - ex-hubby missed out LOL!)

Tried the strong support (with underwire) - still some noticeable discomfort so it's either the underwires that are irritating or the cold. Tomorrow I will try the one cast iron model I found without underwires. If that doesn't solve the problem, I am looking for a bra lined with polar bear fur! 8O

[icedancer2]

Interesting ID - thanks.

I have been seeing a physiotherapist this week 'cause I fell 2 weeks ago, on my right side with my right forearm just under the right breast and sort of drove it in on the two or three ribs there. Physio has the ribs feeling a LOT better but she didn't know any way this pain could be related and I have had the pain off and on for most of the winter, long before my fall. My skating has progressed a lot and I do have a turn sequence that I have been working on since fall.


Sounding more and more like a rib strain to me because of this fall you took. I find the older I get the longer it takes to recover from a fall -- I call it "body-lash" (like whiplash in your neck). You might want to try to find someone besides the Physio -- a good chiropractor or osteopath or acupuncturist may be able to help you a lot -- of course, I don't work with people, but I guess I'm pretty aware of all things physical... especially when it comes to this part of the body as I've been dealing with this thing for a while. I'll be curious to know how the bra idea works out as I went through a bra-trying-on period last summer until I found a camisole that holds the whole thing together without bouncing (although I still get the rib strain stuff, especially as the day goes on).

Maybe you had a little bruising around the ribs/sternum and the intercostals (muscles between the ribs) as well as some of the supporting ligaments on the interior of the chest wall. Then as the inflammation went down, scar tissue built up...which gets inflammed from time to time. This has been known to happen. It does not take much scar tissue (we might even be talking millimeters here and there) in the right areas to be felt. Does this all make sense? (glad I paid attention in my college anatomy classes....)

You are talking a bout an area that gets a lot of movement 24/7 which doesn't get much time to rest for healing. Might take months for the pain/inflammation to diminish....

Stick with it, don't overdo it. Try ice (yeah, yeah aren't we all cold?) over the area if it hurts too much after a session of skating and see if that helps.

This is very interesting, about the scar-tissue that builds up after the strain. I am much worse in the very cold weather than in the summer as far as the rib strain/intercostals, etc. goes. Also any extraneous movement, ie., doing dishes, laundry, gardening, etc., lifting, some of the work that I do as a vet, etc., really exacerbates it. I find I have to do a lot of exercises to keep the thing stabilized.

[skateflo]

Anyone want to email Katarina Witt? Sorry I couldn't help myself :) - from a less than A even at 60....

[NCSkater02]

I used to be a DD+ (thank God for United HealthCare and Dr. Carlino) Now I'm a plain 'ole C.

Pre-reduction, I wore a Champion sports bra. They cost about $38 and were pullover with a hook closure and underwires. They worked great for me. I can't remember what they were called, but I'm sure I still have one tucked away for old time's sakes.

Now, I just wear regular bras (VS Body By Victoria) without any problem.

[b viswanathan]

I've always used sports bras and kind of just assumed most women did the same (except for the super skinny ballet girls, who skate in tiny camis and look like little flowerets)... I'm going to go hunting for those minimizers now, so thanks isk8nyc and sue123 and aussieskater.

What do you all do when you wear skating dresses? Built-in support?

Nike now makes these very soft sports bras that are super comfy. They're $$$, but you can sometimes get them on sale at Marshall's or Filene's Basement (in Boston and NYC, not sure about elsewhere) or Century 21 (again, NYC for sure). TJMaxx may carry them, too. When I have my "monthly visitor" I sometimes double up - with the swelling and the cold, I hate to get sore...

Mmm, fur lined bras would be so nice (I might not feel as guilty as I should at a poor critter giving up its skin so my girly parts would be all cozy)!

[jazzpants]

Mmm, fur lined bras would be so nice (I might not feel as guilty as I should at a poor critter giving up its skin so my girly parts would be all cozy)!Would fake fur be just as good for the "girls." (Those who wonder about fur bras???) :??

[Michigansk8er]

Thanks for the link. Looks like a great selection.


Title 9 Sports has a large selection, all graded with 1 to 5 barbells to indicate their "bounce support" score.

http://www.titlenine.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE

[Rusty Blades]

Mmm, fur lined bras would be so nice (I might not feel as guilty as I should at a poor critter giving up its skin so my girly parts would be all cozy)!

OH YEA! If those "poor little critters" would behave themselves, they wouldn't have to give up their skin - I could just stuff one in each side 8O

[Isk8NYC]

I love the feel of real fur, comes from working for a tailoring/fur storage place in hs and college.
I could never wear real fur, though. It would break my heart and I wouldn't take care of it anyway.

Wouldn't fur get itchy and smell bad if you, ahem, "glow"?

How about a bra or camisole with a light shirt over it for warmth? I wear a black tshirt under my turtleneck and other layers when I teach outdoors.

Hmmm. Valentine's Day is coming - I usually get something from the "Lumberjack Lingerie Store." (Flannel jammies.) Maybe I'll try something new this year. I'd love to try LLBean's underwear.

[aussieskater]

I can see the point of fur lining for all you who suffer proper winters, but how on earth would you fit it in??? :D 8O ;) After all, we do have an abundance of cleavage already... :D

On a (slightly!) more serious note: B vis, yes, I save old minimiser bras and stitch the fronts into the front of dresses - across the top and down the side seams. Works a treat, as long as your dress is not backless (illusion fabric works fine, just not bare skin). PM me if you want details.

[Rusty Blades]

. . . After all, we do have an abundance of cleavage already...

I don't have "cleavage" - I'm more "east/west" 8O

I already wear a very warm vest over a long-sleeved T for practice but I "glow" enough the shirt gets wet and then the girls get refrigerated by evaporation - BURRRR!

[b viswanathan]

Y'all are reminding me that a couple of years ago I got the most hideous black bunny vest (honestly) from a very sweet, but maybe misguided, aunt in law. (Rabbit in front, knitted cardie in back.) It's fantastic for wearing when I skate outdoors, with a fleece over it. (But can you imagine it at a real rink?? My friends would love it - total grounds for mockery for life.)

Aussieskater, that is a GREAT idea. I've found a nice Italian tailor in my area who is struggling to find work (other than hemming pants, etc.). He's said he would work with me to make a simple skating dress. I'd love to be able to give him a minimizer to sew into it. I shall get cracking on that (not crazy about backless, as I'm always cold and need coverage).

On (non-bra-related) warmth: the absolute best coverage I've found are these silky light long-johns by Jockey. Not the waffle kind, but the silky and super-light kinds. They're not cheap, around $16 per top and bottom, but they're clingy, thin, and incredibly heat-trapping. You can even wear them under tights if you're skating outdoors or at an ice-locker cold rink; and you can definitely wear the tops under anything, as they have a scoop neck and long sleeves. Highly, highly recommended. I'll check and see if you can order them online; if not, the usual dept. stores carry them I think.

BV

[Mrs Redboots]

I tend to look very silly when trying on bras as I always jump up and down in them - if it hurts, I opt for another model. As I don't jump much, I skate in my ordinary bras, but when bunny hops start hurting, I know it's time to buy a new one!

When I had a dress that I couldn't wear an ordinary bra under, I took it to a specialist fitting service and said "help", which they did! However, that bra finally demised when it became several sizes too big and I tried wearing it without the plastic straps in a competition. Can you say "wardrobe malfunction", anybody?! :oops:

[looplover]

Perhaps "voluptuous" would be a better description than "mature"? LOL!
If this club requires at least a C cup, then I will never be mature. :(


Uh, yeah.

--Barely a B, been criticized more by other women than guys over it (as if I chose it)

[kayskate]

Honestly, I wear cheap sportbras from Wal Mart and am very comfortable. I like to get the wicking kind, not cotton, if possible so they stay dry and comfortable.

Kay

[russiet]

I love the feel of real fur, comes from working for a tailoring/fur storage place in hs and college.
I could never wear real fur, though. It would break my heart and I wouldn't take care of it anyway.

Wouldn't fur get itchy and smell bad if you, ahem, "glow"?

How about a bra or camisole with a light shirt over it for warmth? I wear a black tshirt under my turtleneck and other layers when I teach outdoors.

Hmmm. Valentine's Day is coming - I usually get something from the "Lumberjack Lingerie Store." (Flannel jammies.) Maybe I'll try something new this year. I'd love to try LLBean's underwear.

When the weather gets really bitter, a skating buddy of mine tucks hand warmers in her bra.

[Rusty Blades]

When the weather gets really bitter, a skating buddy of mine tucks hand warmers in her bra.

Nope, I wont even GO THERE! Brings lots of images to mind, but then I am twisted!

(Now where did I see hand warmers in the store?)

[Sessy]

I've got 70D (which is like 32D American as far as conversion charts tell me), do I qualify?

I have a few sport bra's that I fixed... the eh... what are they called? You know the two shoulder pieces that go from the front over the shoulders to the back? Anyway I shortened those on a sewing machine - just took a large bite out of them. That way, it sort of keeps the mellons up instead of sagging down and it also flattens them some, which is more comfortable for jumping I feel.

I also have a few good bra's from a pregnant-women department of a big store and also a few that are like... the cup itself is like, pretty rigid - not just material, but with some sort of filling, and with broad shoulder band thingies (you know the ones I described above that I don't know what they're called).
I put shorten the shoulder bands as much as I can - again, if the melons are raised, they don't bounce around - and I clip the band on the chest tighter (not so tight as to have fat swoop around it though from the sides!) so it stays in position. Of course, those have those iron thingies in them too at the bottom.

My ballroom and latin dancing dresses, mom used to sew bra's into them. I was fatter then and thus had even larger boobs (like DD), it's not strictly neccessary now - one bra suffices me now (back then, I had two, thus). It might be worth a shot too?

[Rusty Blades]

Well I have figured out (by the process of elimination) that my problem is the cold. No idea why but if the girls get too cold it causes pain. So I guess the next task is to find a camisole made of polar bear fur. (Sorry but I am just NOT putting chemical handwarmers THERE!)

[FallDownGoBoom]

Two words, girlies: Wacoal. Underwire.

They cost a fortune but they last forever. And boy, do they do the trick.

[Sessy]

Hmm my girls are always freezing their butts off... To the point of embarassingly pointing through bra's and t-shirt to draw every hockeyer's attention. But bouncing on the jumps is annoying.