Training apparatus for athletes and others

Abstract

A training apparatus particularly suited for ice skaters. The training apparatus includes a cover, typically formed as shorts sized to be worn over traditional hockey pants or a hockey girdle, and one or more connectors. The connectors are attached to the cover in fixed positions around the upper leg and buttocks of the user of the training apparatus, and slidably and releasably receive through looped parts at least one elongate, flexible, elastic resistive member to provide resistance against the motion of a user while engaging in physical activities, such as skating. The connectors are mounted on both the front and back of the cover and include upper connectors mounted on an upper tubular section of the cover and lower connectors mounted on the front of leg sections of the cover.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A training apparatus for a skater comprising:
 a cover made of flexible fabric for wearing over pants or shorts, said cover having a front and a back and including an upper tubular section adapted for extending around a lower body and attached left and right leg sections extending from a bottom end of the upper tubular section and adapted for covering at least upper portions of the skater's legs;   connectors mounted on both the front and the back of said cover, said connectors including upper connectors mounted on said upper tubular section and lower connectors mounted on a front side of both the left and right leg sections; each connector including means for forming an aperture for passage of an elongate, flexible resistive member;   two separate elongate, flexible, elastic resistive members adapted for attachment to said cover by means of said connectors, each resistive member being mountable on a respective one of left and right halves of the cover so that, during use of said cover, sections of the respective resistive member extend along opposite sides of a respective leg of the skater to a skate worn by the skater; and fastener means for securing each resistive member to a respective one of the two skates worn by the skater.   
     
     
         2 . The training apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the connectors are flexible patches and said aperture means are provided by each of said patches in the form of a loop part slidably and releasably receiving its respective one of the resistive members. 
     
     
         3 . The training apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each resistive member is a stretchable tube member having two opposite ends and said fastener means includes a mechanical fastener secured to each of said opposite ends, said mechanical fastener being adapted to secure its respective tube member to its respective skate. 
     
     
         4 . The training apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said cover includes an adjustable waistband extending along a top edge of the cover. 
     
     
         5 . The training apparatus according to  claim 4 , including a buckle and a strap attached to said buckle and mounted along said waistband, wherein said waistband has a circumference that is adjustable by means of said buckle. 
     
     
         6 . The training apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein two of said upper connectors are mounted on opposite sides of the front of said cover and a further two of said upper connectors are mounted on the back of said cover on opposite sides of a midline of the cover extending between the left and right leg sections and spaced from said midline. 
     
     
         7 . The training apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein two of said lower connectors are mounted on each of said left and right leg sections adjacent a bottom edge of their respective leg section. 
     
     
         8 . The training apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said fastener means further includes a foot strap connector for each of said two skates, each mechanical fastener is a snap-on clip, and each snap-on clip is connectable to a respective clip receiving member on the foot strap connector when the latter is secured around its respective skate. 
     
     
         9 . A training apparatus for a skater comprising:
 a flexible fabric cover adapted for wearing over pants or shorts and having a front, a back, a top end, and a bottom end, said cover including a main body section and left and right leg sections extending from and connected to said main body section and capable of covering at least upper portions of the skater's legs,   loop-forming connectors mounted on both the front and the back of said cover, said connectors including upper connectors mounted on the front and back of said main body section and lower connectors mounted on the front side of both the left and right leg sections, each of said connectors in use forming a loop; and   elongate elastomeric resistive members attachable to said cover by means of said loops formed by said connectors, at least one of said resistive members being mounted on each of left and right halves of the cover so that, during use of the training apparatus, sections of the at least one resistive member extend along opposite sides of a respective one of the legs of the skater to a skate worn by the skater and are attached to a fastening mechanism on said skate.   
     
     
         10 . The training apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein said connectors are fabric patches and the loop formed by each connector slidably and releasably receives its respective resistive member. 
     
     
         11 . The training apparatus of  claim 10  wherein said resistive member is a stretchable tube member having two opposite ends and a mechanical fastener is secured to each of said opposite ends and is usable for attaching its resistive member to the fastening mechanism on a respective one of the skates of the skater. 
     
     
         12 . The training apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein said cover includes an adjustable waistband extending around the top end of the cover. 
     
     
         13 . The training apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said adjustable waistband includes a releasable buckle on the front of the cover and a strap attached to said buckle and mounted on the cover. 
     
     
         14 . The training apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said fastening mechanism is a foot strap connector which, during use of the training apparatus, is secured around its respective skate. 
     
     
         15 . The training apparatus of  claim 9  including two strap connectors each providing said fastening mechanism and connectible to a respective one of two skates and each having at least one connecting device for attaching at least one of said resistive members to the strap connector. 
     
     
         16 . A wearable cover for use with elongate, elastomeric resistive members, said cover comprising:
 a cover member made of strong, flexible fabric for wearing on a person's lower body, said cover member including an upper tubular section wearable over a lower trunk region of a user's body and left and right leg sections attached to and extending from a bottom end of the upper tubular section and adapted to cover at least upper portions of the user's legs; and   a plurality of loop-forming connectors for mounting said resistive members on the cover member, said connectors including at least four upper connectors mounted on both front and back sides of the upper tubular section and four lower connectors mounted on or adjacent a front side of said left and right leg sections,   wherein, during use of said cover, said resistive members can be mounted on an exterior of said cover member and attached to footwear of the user in order to enhance exercise of the legs of the user.   
     
     
         17 . The wearable cover according to  claim 16 , wherein said connectors are flexible fabric patches each having an end section capable of forming a loop to extend around a respective one of said resistive members. 
     
     
         18 . The wearable cover according to  claim 16 , wherein said cover member includes an adjustable waistband extending along a top edge of the cover member. 
     
     
         19 . The wearable cover according to  claim 16 , wherein there are six of said upper connectors with two of said upper connectors mounted on a front side of the cover member and four of said upper connectors mounted on a rear side of the cover member. 
     
     
         20 . The wearable cover according to  claim 16 , wherein said four lower connectors are each mounted at a bottom end of their respective leg section.