Weightlifting belt

A weightlifting belt made of nylon webbing is disclosed, wherein the belt body is of heavy duty material subject to stretching. Backing strips of regular duty material of a construction that is not stretchable and a holding strap are sewn to the belt body using a plurality of stitching lines that defeat the stretchability of the belt body. Elongate hook-and-loop strips are sewn in the combination with the backing strips, one sewn to the body combination and the other to the loose end of the holding strap. A buckle is also held into the body combination by a looped and sewn end of the holding strap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention pertains to belts employed by weightlifters to protect the 
lower torso against kidney and lower back damage. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Serious body builders and weightlifting competitors are well aware that the 
lower torso should be supported by a belt when working out with heavy 
weights and during competition with heavy weights. Not only are the 
muscles in that area of the body subject to possible strain but the kidney 
must be supported against damage resulting from the internal pressures 
that build up in that area of the body with the lifting of very heavy 
weights. 
Protective gear used in competition is regulated by such associations as 
the Power Lift Association, the AAU, the NCAA and others. Generally, the 
standards designate a belt limited to four inches in width and a belt that 
does not significantly stretch with the bulging of the muscles during 
workouts and competitions. In addition, it is highly desirable that the 
edges of the belt do not curl. It should be further noted that although a 
4-inch wide belt is generally standard for competition, wider belts are 
sometimes preferred by users during workouts on the theory that by 
supporting a wider body area, the risks attendant to being not adequately 
supported are reduced. 
The material that has heretofore been used to satisfy all of the 
requirements of weightlifting belts for competition and in practice is 
leather. That is, leather is available in heavy duty thicknesses to resist 
stretching. A leather belt does flex enough, however, to readily 
accommodate to the waist. Moreover, heavy duty leather will not 
substantially curl. 
The main drawback of leather is that it is relatively expensive when 
compared to some artificial heavy duty materials, such as nylon webbing. 
Moreover, leather comes in two rather drab colors, namely, brown and 
black. In addition, leather does discolor or stain with sweat and does not 
become clean when washed. In fact, leather deteriorates when washed and 
hence washing is not recommended. Finally, leather does age and crack and 
becomes worn out rather quickly when used and put under strain on a daily 
basis. 
Therefore, it is a feature of the present invention to provide an improved 
weightlifter's belt made of a cloth material, rather than leather. 
It is another feature of the present invention to provide a weightlifter's 
belt what is durable, readily washable and which can be offered in a 
variety of colors or designs. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A weightlifting belt in accordance with the present invention comprises a 
belt body of heavy duty material webbing, preferably nylon, connected by 
appropriate stitching to suitable backing and holding strips or straps to 
regidify the belt body against stretching. Suitable hook-and-loop or 
Velcro.RTM. strips are provided to the holding strap and the belt body and 
a suitable buckle is provided for the holding strap to slip through. 
The backing strips and the holding strap are preferably provided in 
desirable color. The color can be coordinated with the color employed on 
other belts to designate size, the weight classification of the competitor 
using the belt, an achievement level of the user or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Now referring to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, an exploded view of a 
preferred embodiment of the weightlifting belt is shown. A wide belt body 
10 is shown, which has a length less than the distance around the user's 
waist. The preferred material is a heavy duty nylon webbing used in such 
applications as slings for lifting heavy articles and as tie-down straps 
for fastening loads to flat bed trucks. One heavy duty webbing of this 
type has tested to loads up to 7500 psi. The preferred width of belt body 
10 is four inches, since this is the width of belts sanctioned for 
competition. However, webbing of the type just described is available in 
1-inch increments. Therefore, a 1-inch narrower or a 1-inch wider belt 
body is readily available from standard webbing supply. 
A webbing of the type just described includes a ribbed construction that 
allows it to stretch under loads without breaking. This feature is highly 
desirable for the prior art uses of this webbing material mentioned above. 
For purposes of making the belt body, each of four corners 12 are angle cut 
and subsequently heat or chemically melted to prevent fraying. 
Alternatively, these corners can be suitably bound for the same purpose. 
Backing strips 14 and 16 of regular duty nylon webbing material is then 
cut, such webbing being readily available from stock used for seat belts 
and the like. This webbing material is not ribbed and, therefore, does not 
stretch. It is tested typically to restrain loads of about 1100 psi. Strip 
14 is trimmed at its ends to correspond with the cut ends along the top 
edge of belt body 10 and strip 16 is trimmed at its ends to correspond 
with the cut ends along the bottom edge of belt body 10. The widths of 
each strip 14 and 16 are preferably equal. The length of the strips are 
the same as belt body 10 and the combined widths of the strips is slightly 
less than belt body 10. Hence, for use with a 4-inch wide belt body 10, 
each strip 14 and 16 are typically 17/8 inches wide. 
Another strip 18 to be employed as the holding strap is made from the same 
webbing stock as strips 14 and 16. Preferably, the length of this strip is 
about twice the length of the belt body, although any length is acceptable 
that is suitable to perform the various functions of the strap. A first 
end 20 of strap 18 is folded over to a length of about 4-5 inches after 
being folded around a suitable rectangularly shaped buckle 22. If the 
strap is 17/8 inches wide, the dimension of the opening of the buckle is 
slightly larger, for example, two inches. A sleeve 24 encloses the leg of 
buckle 22 opposite that covered by belt 18 in folding end 24 thereover. 
Sleeve 24 acts as a roller for receiving loose end 26 of strap 18. 
A hook, loop-and-hook or Velcro.RTM. strip 28 that is slightly less than 
one-half the length of belt body 10 is cut for sewing onto holding strap 
18. This strip is equal in width to the holding strap. A loop, 
loop-and-hook or Velcro.RTM. strip 30 of equal size is positioned for 
sewing to loose end 26 of strap 18 starting at a point behind the tip of 
end 26. This leaves an unbacked tip end of the strap. 
The sewing together of the parts is by nylon thread. Typically strips 14 
and 16 are first sewed to body belt 10 along their respective edges by 
stitched lines 32 and 34. Strap 20 with buckle 22 enclosed in end 20 is 
centered and connected by stitching 36 in a "box X" pattern. That is, the 
stitching is in a rectangle and then from corner to corner. The remainder 
of strap 18 aligned along belt body 10 is stitched along its outer edges 
at lines 38 and 40, these latter stitches also attaching strip 28 into the 
combination. Appropriate end stitching 42 and 44 on strip 28 completes the 
stitching pattern in the belt body portion. 
Loop strip 30 is secured to end 26 by rectangular stitching 46, there being 
an end tip that is not covered by strip 30. If desired, both strips 28 and 
30 can have an additional stitching line intermediate the outside 
stitching lines previously described. 
Alternatively to first attaching strips 14 and 16 to belt body 10 before 
subsequently sewing strap 18 thereover, the multiple layers can all be 
stacked at one time and stitched together simultaneously. 
In use, the belt is put around the waist, the loose tip end of strap 18 is 
inserted through the buckle and the belt is tightened so that most of 
strips 28 and 30 match up for holding purposes. 
It is important to note that the ribbed portion of the webbing of belt body 
10 is crosswise to the longitudinal dimension of the belt. The stitching 
of stitches 32, 34, 38 and 40, together with strips 14 and 16 and strap 
18, prevent the webbing from elongating and thereby provide a suitable 
belt for weightlifting purposes. The belt is flexible enough to adjust to 
the waist, while stout enough to provide support. It is suitably 
non-streachable. The nylon material used for strips 14 and 16 and strap 18 
permit the belt to be offered in a variety of colors. Further, it can be 
readily decorated or marked with distinctive designs. A color code can be 
developed for distinguishing between belt sizes, or to distinguish 
achievement levels, or to designate weight categories of competition. 
Also, the nylon construction permits washing of the material when the belt 
becomes soiled through use. 
While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and 
described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited 
thereto. Many modifications maybe made, which will become apparent to 
those skilled in the art. For example, the buckle can be of a nylon 
material, if desired. Also, the loop-and-hook strips can be reversed, if 
desired, the loop strip being included in the combination sewn together 
with the belt body.