WHY WE LOVE THISListening to your body when you are training and racing can be key to preventing injury and maximizing performance. Training with a heart rate monitor can help you strategically adjust speed or power, maintain pace and prevent overtraining. Instant, real time feedback during a workout can be the difference between burning out and a personal best. Because we love training with a heart rate monitor we designed this Special Edition All Sport Bra with the technology built right in. Sounds like a win win to me!JOANNA - Product Editor

THE BRA

The All Sport Bra *Heart Rate Monitor is compatible with most snap-in heart rate systems. Wanna get your heart racing in the Special Edition Bra? Find it here!

Hi everyone,

it's Alana here from the lululemon online team! I will be helping facilitate tomorrow's chat with Melissa on Facebook and Twitter and making sure we answer as many questions as possible. Thank you to those of you who already asked your question in the comments here or on Facebook. We are excited, too!

Melissa will be answering as many questions as possible, but if your question doesn’t get answered please know that it may be because it requires someone from that specific department to answer. To clarify exactly what kinds of questions Melissa will be best equipped to answer, keep on readin’!

questions melissa can't answer

Anything involving secret sauce. Also: whether specific products will be coming back, future store locations, and/or enhancements to specific current products. This is because each product has its very own department within lululemon, and only someone from that specific department would be able to answer those specific questions. So if you're aching to ask a question about our run shorts, let us know! If we get enough run questions we will bring a run designer online for our next chat.

questions melissa can answer

As we mentioned in our introduction, Melissa worked on the product team for three years between production and design as lululemon's full-support, high-impact bra designer and will be able to answer most bra-specific questions. Have a question about how your bra fits or what tank to pair with it? Ask Melissa. Also feel free to ask her about our bra line, her experience as a designer, or what it's like to work on the design/production team. Do you love the Ta Ta Tamer? Guess what, she invented it!

Melissa now manages the lululemon lab - a unique retail/design space based in Vancouver. The lab designs, creates and produces lululemon pieces that you can't buy in regular lululemon locations. Are you wondering if the lab has plans for expansion, what they make, if they plan to sell it online? Come online and ask!

And finally, Melissa is a super friendly and creative person with lots of interesting goals. Read some of her blog posts to get to know her better here.

She's yours for 60 minutes, and very excited to hear from you!

See you tomorrow at 6:30 pm PST!

Alana

Exercise breakthrough moment: I can run in just a sports bra.

I never run in just a sports bra. On a rare occasion, I will whip off my tank top mid-run, but only if I’m really hot and sweaty. It doesn’t matter if I’m in peak condition or playing around with a few extra pounds. It may sound silly, but it’s been a life long hang-up.

Yesterday was hot and humid. My plan was to run outside on my favorite trail along the railroad tracks. I had brand new, beautiful running shoes to road-test as motivation to run. At the last minute I decided to go sans shirt right out of the gate. I had a moment of elation and liberation – a sneaking out after curfew when you’re 16 kind of feeling. Onlookers didn’t stop and gasp, no snickers from my neighbors. I was optimistic.

It was one of the worst runs I can remember. I was dehydrated from my morning coffee, immediately over-heated and I kept tripping over my new shoes. Oddly enough, my sports bra attire was the least of my running issues. So while my first time out of the gate wasn’t a success, I wasn’t overly preoccupied by what passing cars, surfers crossing the railroad tracks or other runners on the path were thinking.

Today, after a tough spin class, I left feeling motivated and determined. I had some juice left so I decided to try another sports bra run, this time with my trusty trail shoes. I put on my ipod and went for it. It was one of the best runs I’ve had in a long time! My sports bra/shorts combo kept me comfortably cool, I felt energetic and I worked up a great sweat. I was so inspired that I immediately sat down and cranked out this blog post.

My lesson: my workout is for me. No one cares, no one is judging so do what feels best!

What was your exercise breakthrough moment?

After receiving feedback from lots of athletes in the fit rooms about the Ta Ta Tamer II, I wanted to share a blog post about its fit and function. However, since my tatas are pretty tame to begin with, I turned to fellow educator, Caroline, for her expertise on the matter. Here’s what Caroline had to say about her experience:

As a tata-blessed athlete, I've grown used to double-layering my sports bras in order to adequately support and cover my favorite ladies. When the Ta Ta Tamer II hit Evanston, I had my doubts about the ability of this single sports bra to overcome the power of two sports bras. However, since I am committed to doing one thing a day that scares me, I agreed to put the Ta Ta Tamer II to the ultimate test.

Above: Caroline, wearing her usual sports bra combination.

After hardcore workouts with two of my favorite Evanston trainers, I am delighted to report that not only did the Ta Ta Tamer II work its magic, but it actually outperformed my (now retired) regimen of layering my sports bras.

Above: Practicing yoga in a Cool Racerback, thanks to the TT2’s new cross-back strap option.

Why I Love This: Ta Ta Tamer II

• Without compromising support, the TT2 creates shape instead of smashing down my chest. I do have two of them, after all.
• Thanks to luxtreme and a mesh panel in the front, the TT2 has inherent moisture wicking properties, keeping me cool and dry in the areas where I sweat the most.
• The option to criss-cross the straps in back gives added support, takes the weight off my shoulders, and makes it possible to wear the TT2 under racerback-style tanks.
• I never thought I’d be able to say it, but there was a moment doing my boxing workout that I actually forgot I had boobs!

Above: Caroline practicing a few combinations with Bo from UltFit in Evanston.

Finally. Comfort, coverage, and support from a single sports bra!

TaTa for now,
Caroline

*Please note: Criss-crossing the straps is a new feature on the newer Ta Ta Tamers that will be hitting your local stores later this season.

To learn more about the TTT, pop into your local store or take a peek at our online one: http://shop.lululemon.com/store/productdetails

For many of us, we keep the cups in. For others, we can’t wait to take them out! But then what do you do? In the spirit of fun and sustainability, what other creative ways can we use these cups? Here are a few suggestions from my colleagues and I to lighten up your midday coffee break:

1. Candy dishes.

2. Extra “oomph” in the gluteus maximus.

3. Earmuffs: for those of us that live where it’s really chilly!

4. Princess Leia costume at ComiCon.

5. Lend it to your male counterparts to protect those family jewels (be SURE to double up on those)

What do you use your removable bra cups for?

Above: Melissa, the designer of the Ta Ta Tamer and author of this blog post, at her desk in our head office in Vancouver, BC. 

How exciting that the Ta Ta Tamer is making it’s online debut! I couldn’t be more excited to share this product with our online guests.

Let me tell you a little about this bad boy; The Ta Ta Tamer is lululemon’s very first Full Support Sports bra – honest to goodness ladies, Full Support! I’m on the small end of the big boob girls out there but I have enough that I used to wear 2 bras to be comfortable when running. So naturally when I was asked where I saw myself on the Design Team (I was working as a Product Developer, always with goals to move into Design) I couldn’t help but suggest I design Full Support bras for us. The Ta Ta Tamer is my first ‘baby’ and we’ve had such great response from the guests in our stores that I just couldn’t wait to be able to share this with everyone.

We receive regular emails from stores/guests/online community about women no longer needing to wear multiple bras to go for a run – these are the things that make my life and the stories that give me chills I print out and put on my cork board for daily inspiration.

The goal with the TTT was to have a bra geared at larger cup sizes C-DD’s (eventually going up to E cups online only – stay tuned!) specifically for high impact sports like running. One of my pet peeves with most sports bras available today is that they smoosh, I’m a girl and a curvy one and I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t look like a girl when I’m running. The cups maintain your shape – say goodbye to uni-boob! The Ta Ta Tamer is available in regular bra sizes that fit true to size – if you don’t know your size you may want to go to a specialty bra store to get properly fitted, or if you are close to a lululemon athletica location we have fit experts there that would be happy to help you.  

Keep in mind this is designed specifically for full support – which means a snug fit – that’s how it works.

• Try to fit the bra on the middle row of hook & eye loops and a comfortable strap length for regular gym workouts and medium impact activities.
• Specific non stretch areas under the bust and under the arms take a lot of the weight off of your shoulders and keep it around the band – which is where it should be.
• Stabilized shoulder straps help control movement.
• The shoulder straps are also  lightly padded and a little wider to help distribute weight and be as comfortable as possible.
• Mesh around the cup areas not only helps with stability and motion control but also ventilation.
• Tighten up the shoulder straps and hook & eye closure for maximum support during your run

You know your bra is fitting you properly when:

• everything is feeling snug and secure
• there is no spillage out the armholes or top of the cups
• you can breathe
• your girls are front & centre – out of the way of your arms
• the rib cage band sits straight all the way around your torso – if your band is riding up your back then it’s too big and you likely need to go down a band size (*note* if the cups fit you well but the band is riding up, when you go down a band size you need to go up a cup size – so a 36C that is riding up the back may need to try a 34D)
• Jump up and down and make sure your bounce is minimal – adjust straps accordingly

Enjoy! And please send feedback! The Fall 09 colors (hitting stores somewhere close to August) will have adjustable straps in the back so you can easily hide the straps under your racerback tanks (you can see I like to colour coordinate my bras with my outfits).

Here's a peek at what we currently have available online:

In Black or Aruba: http://shop.lululemon.com/Ta_Ta_Tamer_II/
In Alarming: http://shop.lululemon.com/Ta_Ta_Tamer_II/

Or, as always, pop into your local lululemon and do the jump-up-and-down-in-the-change-room test.

Enjoy in good health!

Nothing gets me more excited than when I'm working in our stores and I hear about guests falling in love with the TaTa Tamer. It may seem a little self-serving to name the TTT as my favourite piece of lululemon, but how can I not?

Any girl who's ever had to wear two bras just to go for a run knows exactly where I'm coming from. It's of course a lot more than that for me, being my first (read: more gorgeous supportive bras to come!) major contribution to lululemon in the world of full support sports bras.

I'm passionate about what I do: bras and underwear are fun and shouldn't be boring! I believe they should be a part of your outfit; they should look great and function for you no matter what you're doing.

I love solving problems in creative ways. Whether it's educators telling me about guest experiences or it's getting the opportunity to fit someone properly in the perfect sports bra for their needs, it makes my day. It's one thing to love what you do, another to do what you love, and it's something close to incredible when doing what you love changes the lives of women in the best possible way.

I wear my TTT all the time, co-coordinating of course with whatever outfit/activity I'm up to - working, running, jumping, dodgeballin'...(yes, I have specific outfits for these activities!). I've got various colours to work with my various outfits.

I love love love being a woman, I love being active, and I don’t believe that women should ever have to compromise one for the other. I'm proud of my shape, I like my curves and I want to still look feminine while running. No more uni-boob, AND I get the support I need! What else could I ask for? It's a fun, cute garment that functions. How could the TaTa Tamer not be my favourite piece of lululemon?

Melissa is our bra and swimwear designer. Her big, hairy, ambitious goal is to have Oprah talk about one of her bras on air.

In the photo above, Melissa and MelEesa (both on our design team) are wearing the Movement Tank over top of their TaTa Tamers. To try on and fall in love with a TaTa Tamer yourself, please visit your local lululemon store.