Patent ID: 7241252

Claim:
An article of fitness wear comprising: a garment portion configured to completely surround and cover a pelvic region and thighs of a wearer from the back to the front of the wearer, said garment portion comprising material having elasticity in one of a warp or a weft direction of the material, said material formed into a tube surrounding an upper edge of said garment portion; and a back support within said tube, said back support comprising: a tapered body including one or more bands of elastic material connected to extend around the wearer, said body having a rear portion with a maximum height H MAX extending between the sacrum and approximately lumbar vertebra L 3 and tapering from the lower back, around the wearer to a front portion below the navel with a minimum height H MIN , said maximum height H MAX being at least approximately twice said minimum height H MIN , said body having an outside surface and an inside surface, wherein said body rear portion comprises a plurality of stays extending between an upper and lower edge of said rear portion; and means for tightening said body around the wearer, said means for tightening comprising two draw strings, each draw string having at least an upper branch and a lower branch, said upper and lower branches of each draw string being secured to the rear portion of said body against said plurality of stays at spaced apart locations of said outside surface, whereby each drawstring portion wraps around the lower back of the wearer and meets at each side of the wearer to form a central drawstring portion wherein each central drawstring portion includes a free end opposite said upper and lower branches, said free end extending towards the front and through the material of said tube so said free ends are exposed outside said tube, wherein said upper branch is secured at the sacrum and said lower branch is secured at the L 3 lumbar vertebra against the lower back of the wearer so that pressure is applied to the lower back of the wearer to stabilize the lower three lumbar vertebrae L 5 –L 3 during exercise by tying the central drawstring portions together.