I’m a serious runner. This is the best sports bra I’ve ever worn

The Dare Crossback Run Bra from Brooks is the most comfortable thing I’ve ever worn working out. While I don’t have a huge cup size, back issues, or other struggles, I do work out a lot—and I’ve had a lot of sports bras that made working out uncomfortable, whether from squeezing too hard, chafing in weird spots, or feeling like there’s not enough coverage. The Dare Crossback changed that.

First of all, this bra has molded cups made of memory foam, so they’re super soft, squishy, and supportive. This, quite importantly, also means no annoying-as-hell removable pads. The cups fit to my chest, instead of just placing a puffy layer over it and praying for coverage, and the bra makes me feel more supported and secure when I’m running, doing burpees, or even just layering under normal clothes. Plus, it’s pretty amazing to have a high-impact bra that doesn’t feel like it’s squeezing me to death.

The Dare Crossback Run Bra is made of an incredibly luxe-feeling DriLayer polyester, nylon, and spandex blend—which features laser perforations for increased breathability. It’s high quality and made to last. I’ve washed and dried mine dozens of times at this point and it’s no worse for wear.

In the past I’ve had issues with bras chafing me underneath my armpits, thanks to ill-placed stitching. The Dare Crossback has no side seams and the bottom band is woven right into the fabric. In fact, Brooks used high-tech glue where the few seams that are on the bra come together. This ensures that you have zero irritated hot spots.

Brooks made the Run bra collection to enhance women’s range of motion. Its in-house research teams found that popular, traditional sports bras are still so restrictive that they can cause women to lose 1.5 inches of range with every step. That may not seem like a lot, but it adds up to an entire extra mile of support over the course of a marathon. It’s nice to know that the designers of my bra thought of that and actually went about solving the problem, instead of selling cute cuts and superfluous “tech.”

Additionally, I really like the over-the-head construction as well. It keeps my interactions with zippers, hooks, and plastic adjusters to zilch. On long (like ultradistance) days out on trails when I have to carry a pack, it keeps me from having any bad run-ins with hardware. But if that’s not your style, the full lineup of Dare Bras includes the Scoopback, the Racerback, the High-Neck, the Strappy, and the Zip options. No matter which you choose, I feel confident that it will be the best sports bra you own.