Abstract:
In several embodiments, an athletic garment is designed to store energy when a weight or load is lowered in order to assist the wearer to subsequently raise the load. In some embodiments, the garment provides seams which are curved in order to twist the garment fabric and thereby store energy therein. In one shirt embodiment, the sleeves extend perpendicularly forward of the torso and then converge toward a centerline of the shirt. In a second shirt embodiment, the sleeves extend perpendicularly forward of the torso for their entire length. In a weight lifter&#39;s suit embodiment, the curved seams extends from an armhole of a torso section to a location under the buttocks of the lifter. In another shirt embodiment, the arms extend forwardly of a vertical plane when the wearer is lying on the back in preparation for an arching bench press movement.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/170,012 filed Jun. 29, 2005. 
     
    
       [0002]    This invention relates to an athletic garment and more particularly to a garment designed for weight lifters to store energy in the garment so the stored energy may be applied to lifting weights. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Weight lifting is a sport, like all sports, where small differences in performance are the difference between winning and losing, especially in top flight competition. The reason, of course, is that competitors are normally very evenly matched. In order to provide a competitive edge, tight fitting weight lifter&#39;s shirts have been designed to store energy when a weight is lowered in order to assist the lifter in raising the weight, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,908. This approach involves angling the sleeves of a lifter&#39;s shirt in a horizontal plane so that the shirt material, across the chest, is stretched on lowering the weight in order to contribute to the lifter&#39;s force in raising the weight. 
         [0004]    Other disclosures of some interest relative to this invention are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,797,818; 5,636,710; 5,638,646; 5,720,363; 5,816,443; 6,473,739 and Printed Application 2002/001-3730A1. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In this invention, a tight fitting weight lifter&#39;s garment is made so that lowering a weight acts to store energy in the garment so that the stored energy can contribute to the force applied by the lifter in raising the weight. In this invention, the energy storing components are sleeves of a shirt or legs of a weight lifting suit. The sleeves and legs include seams that are curved to twist the garment material and thereby store energy in the fabric of the garment. In some shirt embodiments of this invention an energy storing component comprises sleeves extending away from the shirt torso and then converging. 
         [0006]    In the case of curved seams, energy is stored in the garment by twisting the fabric in response to lowering a weight and thereby storing energy in the fabric of the garment. The seams are accordingly curved in a manner to promote twisting of the fabric. In a weight lifting shirt, the seams run in a corkscrew fashion down the sleeves. In a weight lifting suit, the seams run in a curved fashion from adjacent the armhole of the torso covering member to below the buttocks. 
         [0007]    In the case of angled sleeves acting as the energy storing component, lowering a weight in a bench press movement causes the sleeves to diverge. This stretches the fabric of the shirt across the lifter&#39;s chest thereby storing energy in the shirt. 
         [0008]    It will be appreciated that energy storing garments must be carefully designed and executed if they are to be used in weight lifting or other competitions. For example, extraneous material cannot be applied to the interior or exterior of garments. The energy storing components must be incorporated into either the fabric of the garments or the seams of the garment because competition organizers do not allow extraneous materials on competition garments. Similarly, the use of elastic materials in competition garments is prohibited. 
         [0009]    It is an object of this invention to provide an athletic garment that stores energy in such a manner that the garment may be used in an athletic event. 
         [0010]    A further object of this invention is to provide an improved garment for weight lifters that improves performance. 
         [0011]    A more specific object of this invention is to provide an improved weight lifters shirt that stores energy during lowering of a weight to complement the force applied by the lifter. 
         [0012]    Another specific object of this invention is to provide a weight lifter&#39;s shirt that is particularly suitable for bench press competition. 
         [0013]    These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent as this description proceeds, reference being made to the accompanying drawings and appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a weight lifter&#39;s shirt of this invention, illustrating the shirt in an unstressed condition, i.e. before the shirt is worn by a user, showing a curved seam of the sleeves in a dashed line where the seam is exposed and in a dotted line where the seam is under the sleeve; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a lifter wearing the shirt of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 3-6  are patterns of the front, back, left sleeve and right sleeve as cut from fabric in order to make the shirt of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 7 and 8  are top views of the left and right sleeves after sewing assembly; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 9 and 10  are views of the left and right sleeves after sewing assembly and after they are sewn to the shirt front, as viewed from the inside of the sleeves, showing the curved seams; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 11 and 12  are enlarged cross-sectional views of two seam embodiments; 
           [0020]      FIG. 13  is a top view of another embodiment of a weight lifter&#39;s shirt of this invention, illustrating the shirt in an unstressed condition, i.e. before the shirt is worn by a user; 
           [0021]      FIGS. 14-17  are patterns of the front, back, left sleeve and right sleeve as cut from fabric in order to make the shirt of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0022]      FIGS. 18 and 19  show the left and right sleeves after sewing assembly; 
           [0023]      FIGS. 20 and 21  are views of the left and right sleeves of  FIGS. 18 and 19  after sewing assembly and after they are sewn to the shirt front, as viewed from the inside of the sleeves, showing the curved seams; 
           [0024]      FIG. 22  is a top view of a lifter wearing another embodiment of this invention; 
           [0025]      FIGS. 23-26  disclose different view of a weight lifter&#39;s suit in accordance with this invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 27  is a side view of a lifter wearing another shirt of this invention that is particularly suitable for bench press competition; 
           [0027]      FIG. 28  is a side view of the lifter and shirt of  FIG. 27  when the back is arched, preparing for a bench press lift; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 29  is an end view of the shirt of  FIGS. 27 and 28 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0029]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-12 , a weight lifter&#39;s shirt  10  comprises a torso section  12  and a pair of sleeves  14 ,  16  extending away from the torso section  12 . Although the energy storing sleeves of this invention may be incorporated into conventional weight lifting shirts or into weight lifting shirts having diverging sleeves, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,908, the sleeves  14 ,  16  are of unusual design including a proximal segment  18 ,  20  joined to the torso section  12  and a distal segment  22 ,  24 . The proximal segments  18 ,  20  are generally perpendicular to the torso section  12  and the distal segments  22 ,  24  converge toward a centerline  26  and define an angle  28 . The angle  28  may vary considerably but is typically in the range of 20-40° and is ideally about 30°. The sleeves  14 ,  16  are somewhat tapered, meaning that the proximal segments  18 ,  20  are somewhat larger than the distal segments  22 ,  24 , as seen in  FIGS. 5-10 . 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , when a lifter dons the shirt  10 , the lifter&#39;s arms  30  straighten out the sleeves  14 ,  16  as shown in  FIG. 2 . When the lifter lowers a weight  32  in a bench press type movement, the lifter&#39;s arms  30  and the sleeves  14 ,  16  rotate outwardly thereby stressing the fabric in the shirt front  34  across the lifter&#39;s chest and thereby storing energy which is available to assist the lifter in raising the weight  32  thereby increasing the weight that can be raised by the lifter. This component of increased lift is caused by the angle of the sleeves  14 ,  16  and is analogous to the assist provided by the construction shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,908. 
         [0031]    An important feature of the shirt  10  is the ability of the sleeves  14 ,  16  to torque up as the sleeve is stressed, such as in lowering the weight  32  in a bench press motion. To this end, the seams  38 ,  40  joining the edges of the sleeves  14 ,  16  is curved in such a manner as to promote twisting of the sleeve fabric  42 ,  44 . To this end, the seams  38 ,  40  are preferably of a corkscrew shape. Looking axially down the lifter&#39;s arms  30  from the shoulder toward the hand, the seam  38  on the right sleeve  14  is clockwise while the seam  40  on the left sleeve  16  is counterclockwise. The reason for this is the seam helps twist the bias of the fabric to help create more resistance and store more energy. In addition, the user may further torque the sleeves by manually twisting the sleeves in the desired direction. In order to promote this twisting of the fabric, the seams should curve for at least 25° around the sleeve, preferably at least 90-180° around the sleeve and ideally about 270° but may be as much as several revolutions. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the material for the sleeves  14 ,  16  is cut in an unusual manner to produce the curved seams  38 ,  40 . To this end, the edges that will produce the seams  38 ,  40  are not straight but are curved in an unusual manner. 
         [0033]    To assemble the shirt  10 , the sleeves  14 ,  16 , the seams  38 ,  40  are sewn in any conventional manner. One typical seam construction is shown in  FIG. 11  where the edge portions  46  coincide and stitching  48  is applied over the ends of the edge portions  46 . Another typical seam construction is shown in  FIG. 12  where the edge portions  50  overlap and stitching  52  is applied. 
         [0034]    After the sleeves  14 ,  16  are assembled, they are sewn to the torso front  34  in alignment with the arm holes  54  in a conventional manner. Either before or after the sleeves  14 ,  16  are sewn to the front  34 , the front  34  and back  56  are sewn together in a conventional manner. 
         [0035]    The fabric of the shirt  10  is preferably a substantially non-elastic material of a suitable weight. As used herein, non-elastic means that the fabric does not stretch more than a few percent. The fabric is preferably, but not necessarily, a polymer fabric, constructed of a heavy denier yarn configured using a warp knit. This configuration provides great strength and durability with the added benefit of making the fabric run resistant. A run is here defined to mean a series of successive raveled loops along one or more adjacent wales of a knitted fabric. Polymer fabrics have a distinct property whereby they give or stretch before complete failure. This is in contrast to most natural fibers, which fail suddenly when stressed to their maximum. This property makes polymer fabrics more dependable, durable and preferable, although not the only operative fabric. The thread of the stitching  48 ,  50  is of conventional make and is of the same general type material as the polymer of the chosen fabric. 
         [0036]    In order for the shirt  10  to be tight fitting on the lifter, the shirt  10  is made in various sizes. By tight fitting, it is meant that the shirt  10  is in a prestressed state that allows for more resistance and a more efficient storage of energy. 
         [0037]    In use, when the lifter lowers the weight  32 , the shirt  10  undergoes two distinct movements. Because of the orientation of the sleeves  14 ,  16 , the fabric of the shirt front  34  is stretched thereby absorbing energy from lowering of the weight  32 , which energy is expended when the lifter raises the weight  32 . Because of the curved seams  38 ,  40 , the fabric of the sleeves  14 ,  16  twists thereby absorbing energy from lowering of the weight  32 , which energy is expended when the lifter raises the weight  32 . Both of these events contribute to the lifter&#39;s ability to raise the weight  32 . 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIGS. 13-21 , there is illustrated another embodiment of a weight lifting shirt  60  in accordance with this invention. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the shirt  60  includes a torso section  62  and a pair of sleeves  64 ,  66  which extend generally perpendicularly from the torso section  62 . The sleeves  64 ,  66  are somewhat tapered, meaning that the proximal segments  68 ,  70  are somewhat larger than the distal segments  72 ,  74  as seen in  FIGS. 16-19 . As in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-12 , the edges  76 ,  78  of the material  80  are not straight but are curved to produce curved seams  82 ,  84 . 
         [0039]    As in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-12 , the edges  76 ,  78  of the sleeve material  80  of  FIGS. 16-17  are sewn together to form seams  82 ,  84  and the sleeves  64 ,  66  are then sewn to the shirt front  86  and the shirt front  86  and back  88  are sewn together. In use, the shirt  60  functions in a manner similar to the shirt  10 . 
         [0040]    Referring to  FIG. 22 , there is illustrated another weight lifting shirt  90  which, in the unstressed condition, may have the sleeves  92 ,  94  extend perpendicularly to the torso section  96  (as in  FIG. 13 ) or may extend at an angle to the torso section  96  (as in  FIG. 1 ). The shirt  90  differs from the shirts  10 ,  60  in that the seams  98 ,  100  are on the outside of the sleeves  92 ,  94  rather than on the inside. The shirt  90  functions in the same manner as the shirts  10 ,  60  in the sense that the curved seam twists the bias of the fabric to create more resistance and store more energy. 
         [0041]    Referring to  FIGS. 23-26 , there is illustrated a weight lifting suit  110  comprising a front torso section  112 , a back torso section  114  and a pair of straps  116  extending over the shoulders of the lifter and connected to the sections  112 . The front and back torso sections  112 ,  114  are of sufficient length to provide suit legs  118 ,  120  and are seamed up the crotch and along side seams  122 ,  124 . As shown best in  FIG. 25 , the seam  124 , which is a mirror image of the seam  122 , extends downwardly from the forward bottom section of the armhole  126  and then curves rearwardly to the bottom of the legs  118 ,  120 . The curved seams  122 ,  124  torque up when the lifter squats down thereby providing an assist when the lifter goes to rise. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIGS. 27-29 , there is illustrated another embodiment of this invention comprising a 
         [0043]    It will be noted that the curved seams of this invention are generally concave in one direction. This promotes twisting of the fabric of the shirt or suit in contrast to a situation where the seams meander back and forth. 
         [0044]    Referring to  FIGS. 27-29 , there is illustrated a bench press shirt  130  having a tight fitting torso section  132  providing arms  134  which, in an unstressed condition, extend forwardly of a vertical plane  136  and toward a horizontal underlying surface  137 . The angle  138  between an axis  140  of the sleeves  134  and the underlying surface  137  may vary somewhat. Typically, the angle is between 65-80° and is preferably about 75° for reasons more fully apparent hereinafter. Thus, the angle  139  between the axis  140  and the vertical plane  136  is in the range of 10-25° and is preferably about 15°. As shown best in  FIG. 29 , the arms  134  extend in parallel planes  142  perpendicular to the bench on which the lifter is lying. As will be evident, the seams on the sleeve may either be straight or curved, as in previous embodiments. 
         [0045]    One of the techniques of bench press lifting is called arch bending. Rather than the lifter simply lying flat on the bench and raising the weight with the arms, the lifter arches the back as shown by a comparison of  FIGS. 27 and 28 . The purpose of arching the back is to create a short, efficient upward stroke that allows for more effective utilization of major supportive muscle groups. The disadvantage is that the act of arching, often creates its own problems, namely it makes controlling of the weight more difficult when using conventionally designed supportive shirts. 
         [0046]    Control problems become evident when the lifter has to exert substantial effort to keep the bar vertically above its resting place, or as is known in the art, in the groove, as the weight is descending. The type control problem sometimes results in the bar skating off the support, either backward toward the lifter&#39;s head or forward toward the lifter&#39;s torso. It will be evident that the vertical lifting force that can be exerted by the lifter is reduced by any effort of the lifter to control the horizontal position of the bar. Thus, any reduction in control effort will naturally add to the ability of the lifter to vertically raise the bar. 
         [0047]    The problem with prior art lifting shirts, as used in arch bench pressing, is that the lifter must exert effort to counteract the tendency of the sleeves to influence the horizontal position of the bar. In contrast, as shown in  FIG. 28 , when the lifter arches the back, the sleeves  134  rotate to a position perpendicular to the underlying surface, i.e. the axis  140  of the sleeves  134  becomes vertical or coextensive with the vertical plane  136 . Thus, the ideal size of the angle for any particular lifter depends on the extent the lifter can arch the back. Anecdotal evidence is that arch bending lifters are capable of lifting a significantly greater weight using the shirt  130 . 
         [0048]    Although this invention has been disclosed and described in its preferred forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms is only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of operation and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.