초록 ▼

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 therei

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'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.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An atmospherically open tight fitting weight lifter's shirt comprising; a torso section sized and adapted to fit snugly about the torso of a weight lifter when worn and a pair of sleeves sized and adapted to fit snugly about the arms of a weight lifter when worn projecting from the torso section

1. An atmospherically open tight fitting weight lifter's shirt comprising; a torso section sized and adapted to fit snugly about the torso of a weight lifter when worn and a pair of sleeves sized and adapted to fit snugly about the arms of a weight lifter when worn projecting from the torso section and defining shoulders and armpits, the sleeves and a front of the torso section between the armpits being made wholly of a non-elastic fabric which cannot stretch substantially, each sleeve having only one layer of material having a proximal edge, a distal edge and a pair of juxtaposed edges, said juxtaposed edges sewn together with inelastic thread defining a seam thereby forming said sleeve into a tubular formation with said seam extending from said proximal edge to said distal edge, said juxtaposed edges having a curvature such that the seam bends around the sleeve for at least about 90°, said torso section in its relaxed flattened state defining a front section, all of which faces in a first direction, and a back section, all of which faces in a second direction opposite to the first direction, said front section defining arm holes, said proximal edges of said sleeves being attached solely to said front section about said arm holes with at least a proximal section of said sleeves projecting away from said front section, whereby when said shirt is worn by a weight lifter lying in a supine position and said weight lifter flexes said sleeves such as by lowering a set of weights from a position above the torso to a position adjacent the torso causing said sleeves to twist, energy is stored in the shirt upon twisting of the fabric of the sleeves, wherein such energy aids the weight lifter to raise the set of weights back to the position above the torso. 2. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 1 wherein the seams are of corkscrew shape. 3. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 2 wherein the seams bend in a corkscrew manner for at least 1800 around the sleeve. 4. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 1 wherein the seams are on the inside of the sleeves. 5. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 1 wherein the seams are on the outside of the sleeves. 6. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 1 wherein each sleeve, when said torso section is in a relaxed flattened condition, comprise a proximal section adjacent the torso section extending perpendicularly away from the torso section, the proximal sections of the sleeves being parallel. 7. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 6 wherein the proximal sections extend perpendicularly away from the torso section to an intermediate location and further comprising each sleeve having a distal section extending from said intermediate location to said distal edge and converging toward each other. 8. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 1 wherein said fabric has a maximum stretch of not more than a few percent. 9. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 1 wherein the torso section is made wholly of a non-elastic fabric which cannot stretch substantially. 10. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 1 wherein the seams curve smoothly around the sleeves. 11. An atmospherically open tight fitting weight lifter's shirt as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sleeve has a length that approximately extends from the torso section to about the elbow of the weight lifter when worn. 12. An atmospherically open tight fitting weight lifter's shirt comprising; a torso section sized and adapted to fit snugly about the torso of a weight lifter when worn and a pair of sleeves sized and adapted to fit snugly about the arms of a weight lifter when worn projecting from the torso section and defining shoulders and armpits, the sleeves and a front of the torso section between the armpits being made wholly of a non-elastic fabric which cannot stretch substantially, each sleeve comprising a tubular structure having only one layer of material having a proximal edge, a distal edge and a pair of juxtaposed edges, said juxtaposed edges sewn together with inelastic thread defining a seam thereby forming said sleeve into said tubular structure with said seam extending from said proximal edge to said distal edge, said juxtaposed edges having a curvature such that the seam bends around the sleeve, said torso section in its relaxed flattened state defining a front section, all of which faces in a first direction, and a back section, all of which faces in a second direction opposite to the first direction, said front section defining arm holes, said proximal edges of said sleeves being attached solely to said front section about said arm holes with at least a proximal section of said sleeves projecting away from said front section, whereby when said shirt is worn by a weight lifter lying in a supine position and said weight lifter flexes said sleeves such as by lowering a set of weights from a position above the torso to a position adjacent the torso causing said sleeves to twist, energy is stored in the shirt upon twisting of the fabric of the sleeves, wherein such energy aids the weight lifter to raise the set of weights back to the position above the torso. 13. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 12 wherein the seams bend in a corkscrew manner around the sleeve for at least about 200. 14. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 12 wherein the seams bend in a corkscrew manner around the sleeve for at least about 900. 15. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 12 wherein the seams bend in a corkscrew manner around the sleeve for at least 1800. 16. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 12 wherein said fabric has a maximum stretch of not more than a few percent. 17. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 12 wherein the torso section is made wholly of a non-elastic fabric which cannot stretch substantially. 18. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 12 wherein the seams curve smoothly around the sleeves. 19. An atmospherically open tight fitting weight lifter's shirt as claimed in claim 12, wherein each sleeve has a length that approximately extends from the torso section to about the elbow of the weight lifter when worn. 20. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 12 wherein each sleeve, when said torso section is in a relaxed flattened condition, comprise a proximal section adjacent the torso section extending perpendicularly away from the torso section, the proximal sections of the sleeves being parallel. 21. A method of lifting weights in a bench press comprising: wearing a tight fitting atmospherically open lifter's shirt comprising a torso section sized and adapted to fit snugly about the torso of a weight lifter when worn and a pair of sleeves sized and adapted to fit snugly about the arms of a weight lifter when worn projecting from the torso section and defining shoulders and armpits, the sleeves and a front of the torso section between the armpits being made wholly of a non-elastic fabric which cannot stretch substantially, each sleeve having only one layer of material having a proximal edge, a distal edge and a pair of juxtaposed edges, said juxtaposed edges sewn together with inelastic thread defining a seam thereby forming said sleeve into a tubular formation with said seam extending from said proximal edge to said distal edge, said juxtaposed edges having a curvature such that the seam bends around the sleeve for at least about 90°, said torso section in its relaxed flattened state defining a front section, all of which faces in a first direction, and a back section, all of which faces in a second direction opposite to the first direction, said front section defining arm holes, said proximal edges of said sleeves being attached solely to said front section about said arm holes with at least a proximal section of said sleeves projecting away from said front section; lying in a supine position on an underlying surface;grasping a bar of a barbell with each hand;lowering the barbell from a first position substantially parallel perpendicular to the underlying surface above the torso to a second position substantially parallel to the underlying surface adjacent the torso;said lowering comprises flexing and twisting said sleeves to store energy in the shirt upon twisting of the fabric of the sleeves;raising said barbell to the first position above the torso;said raising comprises employing the stored energy to aid in raising the barbell back to the first position above the torso. 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of raising comprises positioning the axes of the sleeves in parallel first second planes extending along opposite sides of the torso section, the first second planes being generally perpendicular to an underlying surface when the a wearer is lying on an underlying surface, and positioning the axes of the sleeves in a second third plane defining an angle between 65-80° to the underlying surface and perpendicular to the first second planes wherein, in a bench press, the movement through from said second third plane to said first parallel planes plane allows a back arching movement by a lifter to place the sleeve axes perpendicular to the underlying surface in an essentially unstressed condition of the sleeves, whereby said lowering and raising steps comprises a bench press movement. 23. An atmospherically open tight fitting weight lifter's shirt as claimed in claim 21, wherein each sleeve has a length that approximately extends from the torso section to about the elbow of the weight lifter when worn. 24. The weight lifter's shirt of claim 21 wherein each sleeve, when said torso section is in a relaxed flattened condition, comprise a proximal section adjacent the torso section extending perpendicularly away from the torso section, the proximal sections of the sleeves being parallel.