JP7486797B2 - Sports pants - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to sports pants that have a support function that fits closely to the lower body of the athlete and stabilizes physical movements.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, elastic clothing that fits closely to the body is well known as functional clothing that guides the body's movements and postures to the best possible movements and stable postures when playing sports.
For example, a type of clothing known in the art combines multiple fabrics with different compression and elasticity properties in key areas of pants, which are two-pronged garments worn closely around the lower body in order to stabilize the movement of the lower body of an athlete.

The sports pants (lower body sports clothing) B shown in Figures 5 and 6 have taping lines 10 extending diagonally across the quadriceps of the wearer's left and right legs from the lower outside to the upper inside, made of a material that is less stretchy and more shrinkable than the lower body clothing itself, and further have inverted V-shaped taping lines 11 extending from corresponding positions on the leg tube parts corresponding to the upper ends of the hamstrings of the wearer's left and right legs, spreading along the hamstrings toward both the inside and outside of the back of the knee of the leg tube parts, and further have taping lines 12 extending along the lower edge of the gluteus maximus to the upper ends of the leg tube parts (Patent Document 1).

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, sports pants (lower body sports clothing) C are known that have a first tightening portion 13 on each of the wearer's left and right waist regions as a portion having a higher tightening force than the main body portion, a second tightening portion 14 that extends from the front of the first tightening portion 13 through the front of the wearer's thighs to the inside of the knees, and a third tightening portion 15 that extends from the lower part of the first tightening portion 13 through the back of the thighs to the inside of the knees (Patent Document 2).

JP 2018-35453 A JP 2018-35453 A

However, the lower body sportswear described in Patent Document 1 has taping lines 10 that run diagonally across the wearer's quadriceps from the lower outer side to the upper inner side, but do not follow the quadriceps, and therefore cannot adequately suppress movement of the wearer's thighs.

In addition, although the taping lines 12 along the lower edges of the left and right gluteus maximus muscles are capable of supporting part of the gluteus maximus muscles, the holding power is insufficient, so most of the gluteus maximus muscles tend to shake when running, and this shaking can cause the lower back to shake, making posture unstable.

Furthermore, with the taping line described in Patent Document 1, when the wearer straightens out his/her thighs and relaxes the gluteus maximus and quadriceps, the tension of the taping line 11 easily causes the taping lines 10, 12 holding the gluteus maximus and quadriceps to shift out of position, and the misaligned taping lines 10, 12 do not experience sufficient tension.

In addition, the clothing described in Patent Document 2 does not have any tightening parts or taping lines to adequately hold the gluteus maximus, and the gluteus maximus tends to vibrate to the left and right when relaxed, which hinders proper movement of the trunk and limbs.

The sportswear described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 uses support taping for many muscles, and restricting the movement of those muscles individually can impede the body's specific movements, which are made possible by a series of muscles that work in complex coordination, and can reduce, for example, the height at which the leg can be raised or the length of one's stride.

The object of this invention is to solve the above problems and to create sports pants that can adequately suppress the shaking of the quadriceps and adductor muscles when the wearer is exercising, and also make it difficult for the left and right gluteus maximus muscles to shake, thereby making it difficult for the waist and other parts of the trunk to shake, allowing the wearer to stabilize their posture, move their muscles efficiently, and exercise their trunk and limbs.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides sports pants made of stretchable elastic fabric that are formed to fit the lower body of a wearer from the waist to the thighs,
The stretchable elastic fabric comprises a stretchable elastic fabric covering all or most of the lower body, and a low-stretch fabric having stronger elasticity than the stretchable elastic fabric covering a major part of the lower body,
A side support band made of the low-stretch fabric is provided, which is fastened to the circular belt of the waist portion and extends downward from both sides of the waist portion along the trunk to the same height as the lowest end of the crotch.
A gluteus maximus support belt made of low-stretch fabric is provided, the support belt extending in a band shape on the left and right sides of the lowest end of the crotch on the back side of the waist to wrap the lower part of the gluteus maximus, and both ends of the band shape are connected to the side support belt;
A hamstring support belt made of a low-elasticity fabric is provided, which is attached to the gluteus maximus support belt and extends downward along the left and right hamstrings to reach the crotch area.
A thigh support belt made of a low-elasticity fabric is provided, which is connected to the lower end of the hamstring support belt at the crotch and extends upward along the thigh, diagonally across the adductor muscles and quadriceps muscles,
By connecting the upper ends of the thigh support belt to the side support belts on both sides of the waist, the thigh support belt, the side support belt, and the gluteus maximus support belt are connected in a triangular shape, resulting in sports pants.

When the sports pants of the present invention, configured as described above, receive downward tension on the side support belts, the upper ends of which are fastened to the circular belt, the tensions pulled from three directions are balanced at the trifurcated connection between the gluteus maximus support belt and the thigh support belt at the lower part of the side support belt.

At this time, the gluteus maximus support belt stretches in a strip-like shape from side to side between the connecting parts on both sides of the waist and the lowest point of the crotch, so it is stable in the appropriate position that wraps around the lower part of the gluteus maximus, and always holds the lower part of the gluteus maximus with a stable tension.

In this way, the gluteus maximus support belt fits closely to the gluteus maximus, which stretches and relaxes in conjunction with the movement of the thigh, and its elasticity allows it to increase pressure as needed, so that the left and right gluteus maximus muscles are always kept from shaking.

In addition, because the hamstring support is attached to the gluteus maximus support, which is maintained in a stable position as described above, it exerts a stable tension, especially in the direction of pulling the muscle upward.

For example, when a wearer is running and pulls their thighs upward, the hamstrings become relaxed; however, the hamstring support strap, which is attached to the gluteus maximus support strap that is maintained in a stable position, keeps the relaxed hamstrings from swaying, effectively preventing swaying and vibration of the hamstring muscles.

The upper ends of the thigh support belt are connected to or joined to the side support belts at connectors at specified positions on both sides of the waist. Therefore, when the wearer lands with their legs extended while running, the quadriceps and adductor muscles are relaxed and become slack, but the thigh support belt, which is connected to the connectors at the specified positions, stably holds the relaxed quadriceps and adductor muscles so that they do not sway, adequately preventing these muscles from swaying or vibrating.

In this way, the thigh support belt, side support belt, and gluteus maximus support belt are connected in a trifurcated shape on both sides of the waist, so that the three support belts work together to fully exert their holding power on relaxed muscles.

In addition, the thigh support belt stabilizes the movement of the femur together with the gluteus maximus, which abducts the femur, and therefore helps prevent power loss in these muscles.

In this way, the sports pants of this invention can adequately suppress the movement of the wearer's thighs, and even if the left and right gluteus maximus muscles move separately, they are less likely to shake the waist and other parts of the torso, allowing the wearer to maintain a stable posture and efficiently exercise the torso and limbs.

The above-mentioned effects can be obtained regardless of the shape of the sports pants, as long as they are made of stretchable elastic fabric and are designed to fit the lower body of the wearer from the waist to the thighs. Therefore, the sports pants may be, for example, shorts that cover from the waist to above the knees, spats that cover from the waist to below the knees, leggings that cover from the waist to the ankles, or tights that cover from the waist to the toes.

In particular, if the highly elastic, low-stretch fabric is a mesh-like highly elastic, low-stretch fabric, sports pants can be obtained that have the required elasticity, as well as being lightweight and made of a fabric with good breathability.

This invention has the advantage that by arranging the thigh support belt, side support belt, and gluteus maximus support belt in predetermined positions and connecting them together in predetermined positions, it is possible to sufficiently suppress the shaking of the quadriceps and adductor muscles while the wearer is exercising, and by making it difficult for the left and right gluteus maximus muscles to shake, it is difficult for the waist and other parts of the trunk to shake, and it is possible to create sports pants that allow the wearer to maintain a stable posture and efficiently exercise the trunk and limbs.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which the sports pants of the embodiment are worn; FIG. 1 is a rear view showing a state in which the sports pants according to an embodiment are worn; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the muscles of the lower body of the wearer in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the muscles of the main parts of the lower body of the wearer in FIG. 2 . A front view of the sports lower body clothing described in Patent Document 1 A rear view of the sports lower body garment described in Patent Document 1. A front view of the sports lower body clothing described in Patent Document 2 A rear view of the sports lower body garment described in Patent Document 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1-4, the sports pants A of the embodiment are made of a stretchable elastic fabric and are formed to fit the lower body of the wearer from the waist to the thighs, and are composed of a stretchable elastic fabric _a1 that covers all or most of the lower body, and a low-stretch fabric _a2 that is more elastic than the stretchable elastic fabric _a1 and covers the essential parts of the lower body.

The arrangement of these fabrics will be described below. Side support belts ₃ made of low-stretch fabric a2 are attached to the circular belt 1 at the waist and extend downward from both sides of the waist to the same height as the lowest end of the crotch 2 along the torso.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, a gluteus maximus support belt 4 is provided, which is made of low-stretch fabric a2 and extends in a band-like shape on the left and right sides of the lowest crotch end ₂ on the back side of the waist to wrap around the lower part of the gluteus maximus 4M, with both ends of the band-like shape connected to the lower part of the side support belts 3.

Hamstring supports 5, which are attached to the gluteus maximus support 4 and extend downward along the left and right hamstrings 5M, are also made of low-elasticity fabric _a2 extending to the crotch area.
Also, the thigh support belt 6 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) which is connected to the lower end of the hamstring support belt 5 shown in FIG. 2 at the crotch area is also made of the low-elasticity fabric _a2 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the thigh support belt 6 is disposed along the thigh along the adductor muscles _6M1 and the quadriceps muscles _6M2 , crossing them diagonally at their lower parts and then extending upward.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper ends of the thigh support belt 6 are connected to the lower connecting parts 3C of the side support belt 3 on both sides of the waist, so that the thigh support belt 6, the side support belt 3, and the gluteus maximus support belt 4 are connected in a trifurcated shape at the connecting parts 3C.

The upper ends of the side support belts 3 are fastened to the circular belt 1. Therefore, when the sports pants A are worn and the side support belts 3 are subjected to downward tension, the gluteus maximus support belt 4 and thigh support belt 6, which are connected to the connecting part 3C of the side support belt 3, are pulled from three directions by the trifurcated connecting part 3C, and the trifurcated connecting part 3C is positioned in a fixed position on both sides of the waist.

In this embodiment, the stretchable elastic fabric _a1 that covers all or most of the lower body uses a stretchable elastic fabric as a base material, which is not a fabric made of a particularly limited fiber or a limited knitted or woven structure, but rather can be made by selecting a fiber material that has a well-known elastic restoring force (tensile stress).

For example, yarn spun from nylon or polyester as the main fiber, and polyurethane yarn using polyurethane elastic fiber, can be used to make a knitted or woven fabric such as a plain knit material or tricot material, with the latter accounting for 10 to 15% of the fabric composition. This allows for stretchability of about 1.5 to 2.5 times, has a tensile strength that can withstand use as innerwear, and allows for the use of a stretchable elastic fabric with relatively high stretchability.

On the other hand, the highly elastic low-stretch fabric _a2 can be a stretchable elastic fabric that can stretch about 1.2 to 1.8 times by mixing about 5 to 10% polyurethane elastic fiber with the main fibers described above and weaving them. It is preferable to use a highly elastic low-stretch fabric commonly known as power mesh as this low-stretch fabric in order to make the entire stretchable elastic fabric lightweight and improve breathability.

The stretch elastic fabric that covers all or most of the lower body and the low stretch fabric that covers the essential parts of the lower body can be separated and sewn together like a patchwork, but in order to simplify the manufacturing process as much as possible and to manufacture efficiently, the appropriate manufacturing method is to layer the highly elastic low stretch fabric on the back or front of the stretch elastic fabric.

The circular belt 1 in the waist area is made by forming a fabric with rubber-like elasticity that is as strong as or stronger than the low-stretch fabric into a belt-like shape about 3 to 5 cm wide, and inserting it into a pouch-like belt-like part that is integrally attached to the upper end of the sports pants A. The circular belt 1 can be anything that can be fastened to the waist area, and can be, for example, a belt-like belt with an adjustable length so that it can be fastened to the hip bones or waistband, which correspond to the greater trochanters that protrude outward from both sides of the pelvis.

The side support belts 3 made of the low-stretch fabric _a2 are securely connected or overlapped at their upper ends to the circular belts 1 on both sides of the waist part by sewing or the like, and their lower parts are extended to fit the shape of the waist of the wearer of the sports pants A and extend downward in a band-like manner to the same height as the lowest end 2 of the crotch.

The lowest rise end 2 corresponds to the lowest rise end of pants as lower body clothing such as ordinary trousers, or in other words, the highest end of the crotch.

This part of the crotch bottom 2 corresponds to the boundary between the waist and the thigh, so when the thigh bends relative to the waist, it is located at approximately the same height (height in the direction of the trunk) as the part where the quadriceps and adductor muscles are most likely to relax and bulge.

Therefore, when the thigh support belt 6, which extends up to this portion and is made of low-elasticity fabric _a2 , and further crosses the adductor muscles _6M1 and quadriceps muscles _6M2 diagonally along the thigh, exerts elastic force, the left and right quadriceps muscles _6M2 and adductor muscles _6M1 are held in a relaxed state so as not to move.

On the other hand, the gluteus maximus support belt 4 made of low-stretch fabric _a2 connected to the lower connecting portion 3C of the side support belt 3 on the back side of the waist spreads in a band-like shape on both sides of the lowest end 2 of the crotch and is made wide enough to wrap the lower part of the gluteus maximus 4M so as not to move.

The gluteus maximus support belt 4 is connected by sewing or the like to the lowest end of the crotch 2, which is the part least likely to shift out of position when the sports pants are worn, and both ends are connected to connecting parts 3C, which are also less likely to shift out of position, so it is stably placed in a position that wraps around the lower part of the gluteus maximus 4M and can always exert a stable elastic force.

When the wearer of the sports pants A moves his or her thighs up and down while running, for example, the gluteus maximus and the subcutaneous fat around it relax and sway alternately from left to right; in other words, the gluteus maximus and its surrounding area tend to vibrate in conjunction with the movement of the body. However, the gluteus maximus support belt 4 does not shift position on the back of the waist and holds the lower part of the gluteus maximus 4M with a stable elastic force, so the lower part of the gluteus maximus 4M is always held in a state where it does not sway.

The hamstring support belt 5 extends downward along the left and right hamstrings 5M, but because its upper end is connected by sewing or the like to the gluteus maximus support belt 4, which maintains a stable position as described above, it is particularly easy to exert a stable upward tension.

For example, when the wearer runs and pulls his or her thighs upward, the hamstring support belt 5 tensions the relaxed hamstring 5M, pulling it upward to prevent it from swinging, and its elastic force prevents the hamstring muscles from swinging or vibrating.

The upper ends of the thigh support belts 6 are connected to the side support belts 3 at fixed connecting parts 3C on both sides of the waist.
For this reason, when the wearer lands with his legs stretched out while running, the quadriceps _6M2 and adductor muscles _6M1 are relaxed and become slack, but the thigh support belt 6 tends to pull the relaxed quadriceps _6M2 and adductor muscles _6M1 upward and hold them so as not to sway, adequately preventing these muscles from swaying or vibrating.

In this way, the thigh support belt 6, side support belt 3, gluteus maximus support belt 4, and hamstring support belt 5 are connected and positioned integrally at the specified positions, so that they work together as one, the thigh support belt 6 sufficiently suppresses the movement of the wearer's thighs, and even if the left and right gluteus maximus muscles move individually, the gluteus maximus support belt 4 securely holds them in place, and the hamstring support belt 5 is also engaged with the gluteus maximus support belt 4 to exert a stable holding effect, making it difficult for the waist and other parts of the torso to move, resulting in sports pants that allow the wearer to maintain a stable posture and efficiently exercise the torso and limbs.

In addition, the sports pants A of this embodiment of the invention have a simple structure in which the side support straps 3 connect the thigh support straps 6 and the gluteus maximus support straps 4, and the hamstring support strap 5 is attached to the latter two support straps. This allows the pants to hold specific muscles, namely the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, adductor muscles, and quadriceps, without restricting the movement of other muscles, so they do not interfere with the coordinated movement of the series of muscles required for running, for example, and do not reduce the height of the leg lift or the stride length.

Therefore, the sports pants A of this embodiment of the invention can be expected to provide the effect of efficiently achieving the maximum amount of exercise with minimal support function for specific muscle groups when walking or running, and can also be said to be sports pants that can be used for races such as marathons, race walking, and other competitions.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, a 2x stretch tricot material made by interweaving polyester and polyurethane was used as the base elastic fabric, and a similar tricot material with 1.5x stretch was used as the highly elastic, low-stretch fabric. These were sewn together to produce the sports pants (example) shown in Figures 1 to 4.

The sports pants of this Example or Comparative Example were tried on by Subject A (male, 35 years old, height 168 cm, weight 62 kg) and Subject B (female, 39 years old, height 168 cm, weight 53 kg), and muscle motility was examined by the following measurement tests in a room at 23°C and 50% humidity, and the results are summarized in Table 1. The sports pants of the Comparative Example used had the same base material as the Example, but did not have taping made of low-stretch fabric and only had a compression effect.

<Electromyogram measurement test during exercise>
The myoelectric potential (mV·msec) of the quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles of subjects A and B was measured while they were running on a treadmill driven at a predetermined running speed (male subject A: 6 km/h, female subject B: 4 km/h) to examine the amount of muscle activity.

<Exercise breath metabolism measurement test>
Under the same conditions as above, the exhaled metabolism of subjects A and B was measured using an exhaled gas analyzer while they were running on the treadmill and while they were at rest before running. The degree of fatigue due to muscle exercise was evaluated from the difference in exhaled metabolism (kcal/day) between during exercise and at rest.

<Step length measurement test (analysis of walking movements)>
The movements of subjects A and B walking along a straight course of approximately 7 m were analyzed, and their stride length in the latter half of the course was measured.

As is clear from the test results shown in Table 1, the myoelectric potential of the quadriceps muscles of subjects A and B while running was 0.5 to 4.7% higher when wearing the Example than when wearing the Comparative Example. In addition, secondary effects were observed when wearing the Example, as the myoelectric potential of the gastrocnemius muscle in the "calf," which is not directly supported, was also increased by 1.5 to 8.2%.

In addition, the respiratory metabolic rate of subjects A and B in the same running state was 4.5 to 13.3% lower when wearing the Example than when wearing the Comparative Example, which shows that muscles are used efficiently with fewer calories consumed, and therefore that the sports pants of the Example have a fatigue-reducing effect.

Furthermore, the analysis of walking movements showed that, although wearing the embodiment restricts muscle movement of the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, etc., there is almost no reduction in stride length and walking movements are not hindered.

The sports pants of this invention are effective for track and field races such as running, which is the basic exercise in various sports, but can also be used for other sports such as gymnastics and ball games, and are useful for all ball games such as baseball, football, rugby, American football, cricket, and softball.

1 Circular belt 2 Bottom end of crotch 3 Side support band 3C Connection portion 4 Gluteus maximus support band 4M Lower part of gluteus maximus 5 Hamstring support band 5M Hamstring 6 Thigh support band 6M ₁ Adductor muscle 6M ₂ Quadriceps muscle 10, 11, 12 Taping line 13 First tightening portion 14 Second tightening portion 15 Third tightening portion A, B, C Sports pants a ₁ Elastic elastic fabric a ₂ Low stretch fabric

Claims (4)

In sports pants made of a stretchable elastic fabric that is formed to fit the lower body of a wearer from the waist to the thighs,
The stretchable elastic fabric comprises a stretchable elastic fabric covering all or most of the lower body, and a low-stretch fabric having stronger elasticity than the stretchable elastic fabric covering a major part of the lower body,
A side support band made of the low-stretch fabric is provided, which is fastened to the circular belt of the waist portion and extends downward from both sides of the waist portion along the trunk to the same height as the lowest end of the crotch.
A gluteus maximus support belt made of low-stretch fabric is provided, the support belt extending in a band shape on the left and right sides of the lowest end of the crotch on the back side of the waist to wrap the lower part of the gluteus maximus, and both ends of the band shape are connected to the side support belt;
A hamstring support belt made of a low-elasticity fabric is provided, the support belt being attached to the gluteus maximus support belt and extending downward along the left and right hamstrings,
A thigh support belt made of a low-elasticity fabric is provided, which is connected to the lower end of the hamstring support belt and extends upward along the thigh, diagonally across the adductor muscles and quadriceps muscles,
These sports pants are characterized in that the upper ends of the thigh support belt are connected to the side support belts on both sides of the waist, thereby connecting the thigh support belt, the side support belt, and the gluteus maximus support belt in a trifurcated shape. The sports pants according to claim 1, wherein the sports pants are shorts that cover from the waist to above the knees, spats that cover from the waist to below the knees, leggings that cover from the waist to the ankles, or tights that cover from the waist to the toes. Sports pants according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the highly elastic, low-stretch fabric is a highly elastic, low-stretch fabric that is stretchably layered on the stretch elastic fabric. The sports pants according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the highly elastic, low elongation fabric is a mesh-like highly elastic, low elongation fabric.

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