Weighted training vest

A weighted vest capable of comfortably conforming to the body of the wearer. A top loaded vest is provided which extends over the wearer's thorax but terminates entirely above the wearer's abdomen so that full body movement is permitted and breathing is not restricted. Stretchable shoulder harnesses, or straps, are utilized so that the vest is supported comfortable on the shoulders of the wearer and so that the vest can conform to the body during various full range body movements. A pair of securement straps gird the wearer's chest to ensure that the weights and vest do not bounce or shift during exercise.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a vest which can be worn by an individual 
during weight resistance training, and more particularly, the present 
invention relates to a weighted training vest which is comfortable to wear 
and which permits a full range of body movements. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Vests capable of securing weights to a person's torso during an exercise 
workout are known in the art. The typical vest fits around the torso of 
the wearer and is supported by the wearer's shoulders. Such a vest 
includes means for securing the vest to the wearer and means for securing 
weights, or weight packets, to the vest. For example, see the weighted 
vests disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,382,302 issued to Watson; 4,394,012 
issued to Egbert et al.; 4,602,387 issued to Zakrzewski; 4,658,442 issued 
to Tomlinson et al.; and 5,144,694 issued to Conrad. 
Weighted vests are particularly useful if they can be comfortably worn for 
extending periods of time during various types of exercise, for example, 
running, aerobics, exercising on a treadmill or stair-stepper, or 
participating in sports. However, if the weighted vest is not comfortable, 
or if restricts movement, significant use of the weighted vest may be 
limited to only a few types of exercises requiring only a minimum of 
movement for a short duration. For example, vests which extend to about 
the waistline of the wearer tend to interfere with the full movement of 
the wearer's abdomen and may prevent normal breathing. Weights carried by 
the vests which are not tightly secured to the wearer tend to experience a 
bouncing, or shifting, affect which provides discomfort to the wearer and 
prevents normal movement of the wearer. Additionally, since the vests are 
supported by the shoulders of the wearer, the shoulder harnesses of the 
vest which engage the shoulder can gauge or rub the wearer's shoulder 
causing discomfort and limiting frequency and duration of use of the vest. 
Although various ones of the aforementioned and known weighted training 
vests may be satisfactory for their intended purposes, there is a need for 
an improved weighted training vest which provides optimal comfort to the 
wearer and which permits full body movement so that the vest can be 
frequently worn for extended periods of various exercises which require 
unrestricted movement of the wearer's abdomen, neck, shoulder and arms. In 
addition, the vest should be fully adjustable so that a single vest size 
can comfortably fit a range of male and female body sizes. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
With the foregoing in mind, a primary object of the present invention is to 
provide a weighted training vest which is comfortable to wear and which 
permits a full range of body movements. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a weighted training 
vest which can be securely fastened to the wearer's chest and which does 
not inhibit movement of the abdomen or restrict normal breathing. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a weighted training 
vest having shoulder harnesses, or straps, which engage the wearer's 
shoulder in a comfortable manner permitting frequent and prolonged use of 
the weighted vest. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a weighted training 
vest which permits full body workouts for conditioning the upper body 
along with the legs. 
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a weighted 
training vest which is readily put on, adjusted by, and removed from the 
wearer in a minimum of time requiring a minimum of effort. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
More specifically, the present invention provides a vest which is for use 
by a wearer during weight resistance training and which includes a front 
vest panel connected to a rear vest panel by a pair of separate 
spaced-apart shoulder straps. The shoulder straps are made of a different 
material than the front and rear vest panels, are stretchable, and are 
shaped to comfortably engage the wearer's shoulder. Each of the front and 
rear vest panels have a lower end opposite the shoulder straps and at 
least one upwardly opening pocket for holding at least one weight. The 
lower ends of the front and rear vest panels are adjustably securable 
around the wearer's chest such that, when the vest is worn by the wearer, 
the lower ends terminate a spaced vertical distance above the wearer's 
abdomen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the vest 10 of the present invention is intended 
to be worn on the chest of the wearer 12. Unlike many other known vests 
which extend over at least a portion of the wearer's abdomen 14, the vest 
10 is specifically designed to extend over only the wearer's thorax and 
terminate a spaced vertical distance above the wearer's abdomen. Thus, the 
vest 10 permits full bending and twisting movement of the wearer's abdomen 
during weight resistance training and does not interfere with the wearer's 
ability to breath. 
The vest 10 includes separate front and rear vest panels, 16 and 116, 
respectively. As best illustrated in FIG. 1, the perimeter of the front 
vest panel 16 is defined by an upper end 20, two opposite side edges 22 
and 24, and a lower end 26. The upper end 20 includes a neck contour edge 
28 and a pair of shoulder strap connecting portions 30 and 32. The rear 
vest panel 116 is substantially identical to the front vest panel 16 and 
has: an upper end 120, two opposite side edges 122 and 124, a lower end 
126, a neck contour edge 128, and a pair of shoulder strap connecting 
portions 130 and 132. Each of the front and rear vest panels, 16 and 116, 
is essentially continuous between upper and lower ends and between side 
edges; thus, as illustrated, the front and rear panels 16 and 116 provide 
a flap-jacket type of vest. 
Each of the vest panels, 16 and 116, are capable of holding various 
combinations of weight packets 18 in a secure manner so that when the vest 
10 is worn, a pre-determined amount of weight resistance is provided to 
the wearer. To this end, each of the vest panels 16 and 116, has a pocket, 
34 and 134, respectively, which preferably extends substantially the 
entire horizontal extent of the respective vest panel, 16 or 116, between 
the opposite side edges, 22 and 24, or 122 and 124. As best illustrated in 
FIG. 3, the pockets, 34 and 134, have three varying-sized, separate, 
upwardly-opening compartments, 34a, 34b and 34c, and, 134a, 134b and 134c, 
respectively, for holding separate weight packets 18. Preferably, the 
middle located compartments, 34b and 134b, are sized to receive two five 
pound weight packets, while the remaining compartments are sized to each 
hold one five pound weight packet. 
A single closure flap 36 extends substantially the entire horizontal extent 
of the front vest panel 16 and is used to securely lock the weight packets 
18 in the pocket compartments 34a, 34b and 34c. Likewise, a single closure 
flap 136 extends substantially the entire horizontal extent of the rear 
vest panel 116 and is used to securely lock the weight packets 18 in the 
pocket compartments 134a, 134b and 134c. As best illustrated in FIG. 2, 
the closure flap 36 extends from the front vest panel 16 directly above 
the pocket 34 and can be extended over the pocket 34 to secure the weight 
packets 18 within the pocket 34. Likewise, the closure flap 136 extends 
from the rear vest panel 116 directly above the pocket 134 and can be 
extended over the pocket 134 to secure the weight packets 18 within the 
pocket 134. The confronting surfaces of the pockets, 34 and 134, and the 
closure flaps 36 and 136, are preferably provided with cooperating hook 
and loop type VELCRO fasteners 38 to ensure closure of the pockets and to 
prevent movement of the weights during exercise. 
Both the front and rear vest panels, 16 and 116, can be provided with 
additional pockets, 40 and 140, so that additional weight packets 18 can 
be affixed to the vest 10. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the 
front vest panel 16 has a pair of spaced-apart upper pockets 40 located 
between the pocket 34 and each shoulder strap connection portion 30 and 
32. Each of the pockets 40 and 140 have individual closure flaps, 44 and 
144, with cooperating hook and loop type VELCRO fasteners 46 to secure the 
weight packets in the pockets, 40 and 140. Also, as illustrated in FIGS. 
2-4, both the front and rear vest panels have an enclosed layer of 
padding, 42 and 142, so that the weight packets 18 do not provide 
discomfort to the wearer. The padding 42 and 142 are stitched to the 
shoulder strap connecting portions, 30, 32, 130 and 132 at the upper ends 
of the vest panels by stitches 62 illustrated in FIG. 5 so that the 
padding remains evenly distributed throughout the vest panels. 
The front and rear vest panels 16 and 116 are permanently connected by a 
pair of spaced-apart shoulder straps, or harnesses, 48 and 50. Shoulder 
strap 48 extends between and is preferably stitched to the shoulder strap 
connecting portion 30 of the front vest panel 16 and the shoulder strap 
connecting portion 130 of the rear vest panel 116, and the shoulder strap 
50 extends between and is preferably stitched to the shoulder strap 
connecting portion 32 of the front vest panel 16 and the shoulder strap 
connecting portion 132 of the rear vest panel 116. 
The shoulder straps 48 and 50 are specifically designed to comfortably 
engage the shoulders of the wearer while permitting a full range of body 
motion. To this end, the shoulder straps, 48 and 50, are made from a 
different material than the remaining vest in that the shoulder straps are 
made from a stretchable fabric material, for instance, multi-ply nylon. 
Preferably, the shoulder straps are stretchable in a direction "A", 
illustrated in FIG. 5, extending from one vest panel to the other vest 
panel so that the vest 10 can continuously conform to the shape of the 
body of the wearer during various movements of the shoulders, arms and 
neck of the wearer. 
The specific shape of the identical shoulder straps, 48 and 50, between the 
front and rear vest panels, 16 and 116, is also important in providing 
comfort and in permitting a wide range of movement. To this end, as 
illustrated in FIG. 5, shoulder strap 50 has an inner edge 52 parallel to 
an outer edge 54, a front edge 56 defined by said shoulder strap 
connecting portion 32, and a rear edge 58 defined by said shoulder strap 
connecting portion 132. Preferably, the inner edge 52 is longer than the 
outer edge 54, and the front and rear edges, 56 and 58, are mirror images 
of one another and taper toward one another adjacent the inner edge 52 and 
the outer edge 54 toward an intermediate location 60. Preferably, the 
location 60 is closer to the outer edge 54 than to the inner edge 52. The 
resulting skewed hour glass shape of the stretchable shoulder strap 
closely follows the natural contour of the wearer's shoulder so that the 
shoulder straps conform to the shoulders in a comfortable manner and 
evenly distribute and support the load created by the weights 18. 
The front and rear vest panels, 16 and 116, are adjustably secured to the 
wearer preferably by a pair of securement straps, 64 and 66, which both 
substantially gird the wearer's chest below the wearer's armpits. As best 
illustrated in FIG. 3, securement strap 64 is capable of extending across 
the pockets 34 and 134 and the closure flaps 36 and 136 to hold the weight 
packets 18 within the pockets, 34 and 134, snug to the body of the wearer. 
As best illustrated in FIG. 4, securement strap 66 extends below the 
pockets 34 and 134 and secures the lower ends, 26 and 126, of the front 
and rear vest panels, 16 and 116, to the chest of the wearer. The 
combination and specific locations of the two securement straps, 64 and 
66, prevent bouncing and shifting of the weight packets 18 and the vest 10 
relative to the chest of the wearer. 
As illustrated in FIG. 3, securement strap 64 is permanently attached along 
the entire horizontal length of the closure flap 136 located on the rear 
vest panel 116 and has a pair of free ends 68 and 70. The ends 68 and 70 
can be extended in a forward direction around the wearer's chest and 
releasably connect to a pair of fasteners 72 and 74 located on the closure 
flap 36 on the front vest panel 16. Each end, 68 and 70, have a clasp 76 
which, preferably, snap fits into engagement with the fasteners 72 and 74 
and which permits adjustment of the length of the securement strap 64. 
Accordingly, the strap ends 68 and 70 can extend through the clasps 76 and 
be reversely turned a needed extent in order for the securement strap 64 
to tightly secure the vest 10 to the wearer's chest. In addition, both 
sides of the securement strap 64 can have cooperating hook and loop type 
VELCRO fasteners 78 so that the reversely turned portions of the ends 68 
and 70 are secured to the forward extending portions of the ends 68 and 
70. The closure flap 36 also has cooperating hook and loop type VELCRO 
fasteners 80 which secure the forward extending portions of the ends 68 
and 70 to the closure flap 36 adjacent the fasteners 72 and 74. 
As illustrated in FIG. 4, securement strap 66 is permanently attached along 
the entire horizontal length of the lower end 126 of the rear vest panel 
116 below the pocket 134 and has a pair of free ends 82 and 84. The ends 
82 and 84 can be extended in a forward direction around the wearer's chest 
and releasably connect to a pair of fasteners 86 and 88 located on the 
lower end 26 of the front vest panel 16 below the pocket 34. Each end, 82 
and 84, have a clasp 90 which, preferably, snap fits into engagement with 
the fasteners 86 and 88 and which permits adjustment of the length of the 
securement strap 66. Accordingly, the strap ends 82 and 84 can extend 
through the clasps 90 and be reversely turned a needed extent in order for 
the securement strap 66 to tightly secure the vest 10 to the wearer's 
chest. In addition, both sides of the securement strap 66 can have 
cooperating hook and loop type VELCRO fasteners 92 so that the reversely 
turned portions of the ends 82 and 84 are secured to the forward extending 
portions of the ends 82 and 84. The lower end 26 also has cooperating hook 
and loop type VELCRO fasteners 94 which secure the forward extending 
portions of the ends 82 and 84 to the lower end 26 adjacent the fasteners 
86 and 88. 
The vest 10 is also provided with a pair of outwardly extending metal loops 
96 and 98 which are intended for use in certain exercises so that 
additional weight resistance apparatus can be hooked to the vest. For 
instance, stretchable cording (not shown) can be hooked to the vest via 
one, or both, of the metal loops, 96 and 98, and the wearer can exercise 
by running toward the direction of pull generated by the stretchable 
cording, or by running away from, or by running lateral to the direction 
of pull. As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the loops, 96 and 98, are secured 
to the lower ends, 26 and 126, of the front and rear vest panels, 16 and 
116 below the pockets 34 and 134. The loops 96 and 98 are permanently 
stitched to the vest, and the stitching is reinforced by reinforcement 
straps, 200 and 202, which are located internally of the vest panels 
adjacent the locations of the loops 96 and 98. See FIG. 4. 
In use, the pockets of the vest can be inserted with any combination of 
weight packets desired. After the weight packets are in place, the closure 
flaps are positioned to close the pockets, and the vest is placed over the 
head of the wearer so that the front vest panel 16 extends over the chest 
of the wearer, the rear vest panel 116 extends over the back of the 
wearer, and the shoulder straps, 48 and 50, engage the shoulders of the 
wearer. The clasps 76 of the ends 68 and 70 of the securement strap 64 are 
extended forward around the chest of the wearer and are locked into the 
fasteners 72 and 74. The ends 68 and 70 are reversely turned a sufficient 
distance until the vest is snug against the wearer. The clasps 90 of the 
ends 82 and 84 of the securement strap 66 are extended forward around the 
chest of the wearer and are locked into the fasteners 86 and 88. The ends 
82 and 84 are reversely turned a sufficient distance until the vest is 
snug against the wearer. The combination of the snap-fitting fasteners and 
hook and loop type VELCRO fasteners ensure that the securement straps 64 
and 66 will remain in place even during a vigorous workout. 
Many alternatives to the vest construction could be utilized. For instance, 
the size, shape and location of the pockets can be modified and can be 
adapted to receive weights of different size and weight. The weight 
packets can be solid weights or sealed bags of heavy particle material, 
such as lead. The shoulder straps can be made of different types of 
stretchable material, and the securement straps can be fastened using 
different types of fasteners. 
While a preferred vest configuration has been described in detail, various 
modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from 
the spirit and scope of the weighted training vest according to the 
present invention as defined in the appended claims.