Catalyst Sports Bra from Knix
What It Is: Sports bras from body-positive brand Knix are seamless with no underwire, and they’re created by women.
What You Might Not Know: The Knix Catalyst sports bra for high-impact activity fits most sizes, from 32A to 42G! It took three years to develop, with 23 rounds of design sketches and 42 prototype iterations. The Catalyst sports bra was tested at three different universities and found to provide a greater reduction in breast movement during high-impact activity compared to 800 other sports bras (wow, that’s a lot of sweaty bras).
Feelin’ the Love: I’ve been wearing Knix’s athletic thong underwear for ages, so I was already on board when the brand branched out into bras. I own both the Racerback Evolution Bra and Knix’s newest sports bra called Catalyst. They are both very comfortable and perform exceptionally well for wicking away moisture.
The Catalyst in particular is quite high-tech in its design, with adjustable straps and ventilation holes in that space between cups. Thanks to the seamless design and molded cups (with removable foam in the Evolution bra only), both bras create a nice silhouette under close-fitting workout tops.
Post-workout, the Evolution bra has to be pulled over your head to remove it (there are no clasps), but the Catalyst bra unhooks easily with three back clasps. Any woman who’s ever struggled to remove a sweaty sports bra will appreciate Catalyst’s fuss-free design.
Overall, I’d call the Catalyst my go-to sports bra for running—everything feels secure but never squished. After all, it is made for high-impact exercise like running. I’d easily wear my Catalyst for every workout except for one little snag, which I’ll get to in a minute.
Catalyst Sports Bra 
Evolution Sports Bra
As a heads up, I’d recommend being diligent about getting the right size before ordering. I was really surprised that I had to size up in the Evolution bra (never have I been a medium in anything related to my bust!). And the Catalyst is sized differently than other bras (Knix goes by numbers 1 through 8); be sure to complete the “Find Your Bra Size” questions on the Knix website.
Racerback Evolution Sports Bra from Knix
If I Could Change One Thing: As I mentioned, the Catalyst bra went through numerous iterations to arrive at just the right-fitting, best-performing bra. And I love the final result.
But when I came to the realization that all my workout tops are racerback style and the Catalyst bra is not a racerback, I was bummed. The bra and it’s thickish side straps just don’t look right paired with a racerback tank, which is the style I prefer to wear to the gym. I am wishing really hard that Knix comes out with a racerback Catalyst because I’d love to reach for this bra more often. 🤞
Should You Buy It? If the whole racerback thing doesn’t bother you, then I highly recommend the Catalyst sports bra. At $98 CND ($89 USD), it’s an incredibly well-made, well-thought-out bra for high-impact activity—plus I absolutely love that it’s inclusive to various body shapes and sizes. As for the Racerback Evolution Bra, it’s comfy but nothing revolutionary. In fact, I see some colors are on clearance over at knix.com.
