One of the toughest things to do when you’re active as a female is: finding a sports bra that not only does the job it’s been bought to do, but is comfortable too.

If it’s not too tight, in the day and age of the 500-strap sports bra, it’s damn near impossible to get on, jabbing an arm through the wrong pattern of straps, sticking your neck through the wrong array, etc…

Or, the clasp backs, but the shoulder straps criss-cross, and you STILL have to pull the bra overhead first, then bend and contort your arms and wrists, hop on one leg, shimmy a bit to finally get it clasped (it’s even worse when the clasp has the 3 small metal hook loops to latch).

A bra that’s marketed as made for high impact that feels like that winter jacket that’s 10 sizes too large, and you’re wondering when you’re going to get jabbed in the jaw just right, you know, that sweet spot – and you’re going to get knocked out by your own breast.

On the opposite end, the ones that, regardless of the size, you feel like you’re being smothered. You feel like you can’t breathe because it’s so restricting.

At this rate, you’re trying to figure out how to run, or lift weights, etc – and hold your hands on your chest because they’d do a better job than any of the bras you’ve tried.

I feel like I do the dance non-stop. It’s even worse when you DO finally find that “just-right” sports bra – and the company STOPS making it. Leaving you stranded.

This is where I found myself recently.

My tried and trues, my favorites, the ones that long withstood not just being worn as active wear – but last summer, many became beach tops (WHY on Earth didn’t I start doing that sooner? They’re really the best beach tops!), all began coming apart.

While I was sad, I was impressed by the lifespan of the bras, and not just how comfortable they were.

Obviously, I went in search for more.

Unable to find them, I hit up some fitness minded groups around the internet and discovered that the companies discontinued the bras I was in search for. And the replacements were not even close to reaching the same bar the previous ones set.

I put the question out to my Instagram followers, given that the majority are women. My inbox was flooded with suggestions for sports bras.

Lululemon and Athleta were the two most common ones with a few hundred women declaring either brand their favorite or go-to.

Comparable price-wise, it was tricky on which brand to start with. Since I own quite a few pairs of the Lulu leggings, it’d seem the obvious choice would be Lulu.

But I went with Athleta first.

I can say this after putting the Hyper Focused bra through the paces, it’s for sure a winner. And I’m ordering more.

It’s a strappy backed bra, but you won’t find yourself poking around the straps to pull it overhead. And the straps are not loose, leaving that bottom band to offer all the support the bra is supposed to offer. There are removable pads to adjust the cup support, and make for easier washing.

The bottom band is averaged size, helping to keep the bottom of the bra close to your body, so there’s no “under escapage” going on. The top is moderate coverage, so they won’t be trying to breakout from their either.

It is marketed as a medium impact bra, but I really tested it out. Did a few Metabolic Conditioning workouts (METCONS), some weightlifting work with jerks and snatches, set out on a 2- and 3-mile run, and even gave a few workouts that had the dreaded BURPEES on the exercise list a go.

Final verdict? It says medium, but for the under D crowd, you’ve got some flexibility to move into the higher impact areas. I do think it could get a bit uncomfortable for the bigger chest sizes though, so be careful!

Added bonus, it’s stylish, so, that’s right, you know where this is going: beach top win!

Sports bra suggestions? Drop them in the comments below, or send me an email!