Athletic garment

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'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.

1 . An atmospherically open weight lifter's shirt comprising a torso section and a pair of sleeves projecting from the torso section, the sleeves comprising an inelastic fabric having juxtaposed edges sewn with inelastic thread into seams extending from a proximal sleeve section adjacent the torso section to a distal section, the seams curving around the sleeve and having the property of twisting the fabric when the sleeves are flexed by a weight lifter and storing energy in the shirt.  
   
   
       2 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the seams are of corkscrew shape.  
   
   
       3 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the seams are on the inside of the sleeves.  
   
   
       4 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the seams are on the outside of the sleeves.  
   
   
       5 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the sleeves, in an unstressed condition of the shirt, are perpendicular to the torso section.  
   
   
       6 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the sleeves, in an unstressed condition of the shirt, extend perpendicularly away from the torso to an intermediate location and then converge.  
   
   
       7 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the seams curve for at least 25° around the sleeve.  
   
   
       8 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the seams curve for at least 90° around the sleeve.  
   
   
       9 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the seams curve for at least 180° around the sleeve.  
   
   
       10 . An atmospherically open weight lifter's shirt comprising a torso section and a pair of sleeves projecting generally perpendicularly away from the torso section from a proximal section adjacent the torso section to an intermediate section, the sleeves converging from the intermediate section to a distal section.  
   
   
       11 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 10  wherein the sleeves comprise an inelastic fabric having juxtaposed edges sewn with inelastic thread into seams extending from the proximal section to the distal section, the seams curving around the sleeve and having the property of twisting the fabric when the sleeves are flexed by a weight lifter and storing energy therein.  
   
   
       12 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 11  wherein the seams curve for at least 25° around the sleeve.  
   
   
       13 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the seams curve for at least 90° around the sleeve.  
   
   
       14 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 1  wherein the curved seams are concave in one direction.  
   
   
       15 . A weight lifter's suit comprising front and back torso sections and leg sections terminating above the knee, the sections being of an inelastic fabric having juxtaposed edges sewn with inelastic thread into curved seams extending from an armhole downwardly to a location under buttocks of a lifter, the seams having the property of twisting the fabric when the legs are flexed by a weight lifter and storing energy in the suit.  
   
   
       16 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 15  wherein the seams are sewn with an inelastic thread.  
   
   
       17 . An atmospherically open weight lifter's shirt comprising a torso section and a pair of sleeves projecting away from the torso section, 
 the sleeves lying in parallel first planes extending along opposite sides of the torso section, the first planes being generally perpendicular to an underlying surface when the a wearer is lying on an underlying surface,    the sleeves providing axes defining an angle between 65-80° to a second plane perpendicular to the first plane and to the underlying surface.    
   
   
       18 . The weight lifter's shirt of  claim 17  wherein, in a bench press competition, the angle 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.