A riety of weighted exercise bands and garments are known, for enabling a wearer to develop muscle strength and fitness through exercising whilst wearing the bands or garment. The bands and garments are generally of of a flexible and/or elasticated fabric or. padded foam material so as to conform comfortably to the wearer's relevant-body part.

'Weighted ankle and wrist bands are known that may be secured by straps or flaps provided with fasteners such aErVelcroO-or buckle-type fasteners. In weighted bands of this. type, the weights are generally contained in a plurality of pockets of flexible fabric material stitched. on or otherwise supported on or in the band or garment. The wearer may adjust the overall weight by removing or inserting. one or more weights from or into. the pockets, as. desired.. Each pocket may be provided with a fastenable flap over the pocket entrance, so'as to enclose and secure the. weight within the pocket and prevent escape of the weights during use.

A problem with these types of weighted bands is that the weights may undergo movement within the pockets during exercise, possibly causing discomfort to the wearer, or possibly causing stretching, rubbing, wearing and/or tearing of the pocket or supporting material. The repeated movement of the weights within the pockets may also increase the likelihood of the band loosening or shifting over or around the limb of the wearer when exercising. Alternatively, if the pockets are provided in a snug, tight fit around the weights, to prevent movement, it may be difficult to remove or insert the weights due to the flexibility of the support band and pocket materials.

The present invention solves these problems associated with known types of weighted bands by employing rigid pockets and a rigid support for the pockets.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a muscle builder weight pad, comprising: a cushion pad; a rigid shell over the cushion pad ; a rigid pocket casing supported on the rigid shell, for retaining a weight ; a strap attached to the weight pad, for retairling the wèight pad in place ågainst a wearer's limb.

The provision of a rigid support shell and of rigid pocket casings ensures that the weights can be so shaped as to fit snugly in the pockets, in a sliding fit, so as to 'minimise or prevent any movement of the weights within the pockets, during exercise by the wearer. At the same time, the wearer can easily remove or insert a weight from or into a pocket, by sliding the weight within the corresponding pocket cavity'defined by the rigid pocket casing and the rigid shell : Furthenhore, the rigid shell, which will be shaped and sized to correspond to only a circumferential portion of a limb, provides a rigid support for the pocket casings and the weights.. contained. within the pockets, and ensures that the supported weight. is held "securelytd'the wearer's'Iimb over a relatively large area, and thus thatmeweigRtis faithfully transferred without significant moveinemt or shifting of the pad that might otherwise be suffered by the use of flexible support materials according to known weight bands.

The rigid shell is curved so as to correspond at least approximately to an intended limb part of an. intended user. It will be appreciated that the rigid shell, and the weight pad as a whole, can be shaped and sized according to body part, e.g. lower leg or lower arm, and body shape or size, e.g. male or female, adult or child. Thus, the provision of a rigid shell advantageously permits the weight pad to be tailored to its intended body . attachment site, so as to ensure faithful transfer of weight to the wearer's limb, and so as to further minimise shifting of the pad during exercise by the wearer.

It will be appreciated that the rigid shell need not be completely inflexible, and that it may include a degree of resilience, provided that the shell affords substantial rigidity to the weight pad to support the pocket casings and the weights contained in the pockets and to faithfully transfer the supported weight over the area of the weight pad to the wearer's limb, without shifting during exercise. Suitable materials for the rigid shell include fibreglass, polyurethane or polycarbonate, preferably fibreglass. Other materials suitable for the purpose will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and may be used accordingly. Similar, or the same, materials may be used for the rigid pocket casings.

A cushion pad backs the rigid shell to provide a comfortable interface between the wearer and the rigid shell. The cushion pad preferably extends over the entire area covered by the shell, but could be shaped to extend over only a portion of the shell, e. g. the marginal region of the shell only, or contain cut-outs, provided that the weighted pad can be comfortably retained in place against the wearer's limb through the cushion pad. Preferably, the cushion pad'extends beyond the peripheral edge of the shell, so as to prevent the rigid edge from coming into contact with the wearer's limb. Suitable materials for the cushion pad include conventional foamed backing materials such as polyurethane foam. Other suitable materials are known to those skilled in the art, and may be used accordingly. Preferably, a lining of a fabric material, preferably cotton sheet, is provided over the cushion pad surface facing the wearer's limb, for additional comfort.

The rigid shell, pocket casings, cushion pad, straps, and any other components such as fabric lining, if present, can be assembled and secured together in known manner, by stitching and/or adhesive, preferably using a combinauon of stitching and adhesive for maximum strength Each pocket casing may be formed from a folded sheet of suitable rigid material, so as to provide a unitary pocket that covers substantially the whole front and side surfaces of a weight, when filled. Alternatively, each pocket may be formed as a plurality of separate ho. ops that retain the weight against the shell and define a composite pocket in

which parts of the retained weights are exposed to view between the hoped pocket portions.

The pocket casings may, according-to one embodiment, be formed integrally with the rigid shell, for example using conventional moulding techniques or by welding or fusing individual pocket casings or hooped pocket portions to. the shell so as to form an integral part with the shell. In this embodiment, preferably the pocket is a composite of separated hoped pocket portions each integrally formed from the shell material.

In another embodiment, the individual pocket casings are attached to the shell by stitching and/or using adhesive. In this embodiment, preferably the pocket casing comprise a plurality of tabs for insertion through corresponding slits or cut-outs in the shell and for folding flat against the shell, so that the folded tabs can be attached to the shell by stitching and/or adhesive. These tabs extend at intervals along the longitudinal sides of the pocket casings and at the bottom of the pocket casings, and the tabs are preferably folded outwards. Thus, the folded tabs will be disposed between the shell and the cushion pad, and not exposed, for added security.

Each or. some of the pockets preferably have a flap for closing the pocket and thus retaining the weight securely within. the pocket until such time as it is desired to remove the weight. The flaps are preferably inserted through a corresponding slit or cutout in the shell and folded against the shell, with the folded portion of the flap being attached to the shell by stitching and/or adhesive. The extended end of the flap may be fastened to pocket front to close off the pocket cavity by appropriate cooperating fastening means provided on or in the flap and pocket. Preferably, the flap and pocket front are provided with cooperating Velcro@ fastening means.

Since the cushion pad and overlying shell is shaped and sized so as to cover only a circumferential portion of a wearer's limb, means are provided for strapping the pad to the wearer's limb, with the strap means extending from one side of the weightedpad around the remaining circumferential portion to the other side of the pad. Preferably, one. or more pairs of straps extend from both sides of the weight pad, each one member of a pair extending from one side and provided with fastening means for fastening to the

other member of the pair extending from the other side and provided with cooperating fastening means. Alternatively, one or more straps extend from one side of the weight pad and are provided with fastening means for fastening to the other side of the weight pad that is provided with cooperating fastening means.

It will be appreciated that the number, position, length and width of the straps can be varied according to its intended attachment site on the body The straps may be formed of any suitable material, and are preferably formed of elasticated fabric material.

Preferably, Velcro (g)-type fastening means are employed to fasten the straps to each other or to the pad. However, other known fastening means are also envisaged, for example buckle-type. Furthermore, preferably the straps and fasteners are such as to allow the wearer to adjust the length of the fastened straps in order to tailor the fitting to a wearer's particular limb shape and size and to vary the tightness of the fit.

If desired, the pads according to the invention can be so configured and adjustable as to allow the same pad to be fitted to different limb parts, for example to lower leg and thigh, or to different limbs, for example leg and arm. Preferably, however, a pad is configured for optimal fitting to one specific limb part, for example lower leg. If desired, the pads may be configured to fit both left and right part, for example left and right lower leg, or may be tailored to one side only, for example left lower leg.

It will be appreciated that a single pocket casing or several pocket casings may be provided on the rigid shell. Preferably, at least two, more preferably three to six, for example four, pocket casings are provided. Preferably, the pocket casings and corresponding weights are straight and elongate, and arranged to extend substantially in the axial direction of the limb to which the pad will be strapped. Preferably, the pocket casings are further arranged substantially symmetrically on the pad to permit a balanced weight distribution but, if desired, non-symmetrical pocket arrangements can be provided. It will be appreciated that specific muscles or muscle groups may be targeted for development by weighting selected pocket casings according to their position on the pad.

Each pocket preferably can contain one correspondingly shaped weight. If desired, weights having a shorter length that the pocket length can he contained within a pocket, so as to enable a proportional weight adjustment by the wearer. In that case, preferably one or more essentially-weightless spacers are also introduced to fill the pocket, in order to prevent unwanted sliding of the short weight within the pocket during exercise by the wearer. It will be appreciated that preformed weights of different weight but of the same length and size corresponding to the pocket cavities can be provided, for example by making weight bars of different materials having different densities, or by prefabricating the weight bars with different proportions of same density weight materials and'weightless'spacer materials. Any suitably dense materials may be used ibr the weight material, i. e. metal or non-metal, preferably a metal.

Preferably, the weights are in the shape of an elongated bar and each comprises a groove or notch at one or both ends thereof to facilitate removal of the weight from its corresponding pocket casing.

The weight pad according to the invention may be shaped and sized for wearing on any limb on any longitudinal portion thereof, including on arms or legs, preferably on the lower leg, in particular against the shin, or on the lower arm, in particular against the fore-arm. As will be appreciated, the weight pad is useful for increasing muscle strength of, for example, biceps, thighs, calves, and may be used, for example, in sports rehabilitation, physiotherapy and weight training.

For illustrative purposes, the invention is further described by reference to the embodiments shown in the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 represents a front perspective view of weighted wearable weight pad with integrally formed composite pocket casings according to one embodiment ; Figure 2 represents an expanded view of the embodiment-shown in Figure 1 (weights not shown) ; Figure 3 represents a cut-away back view of a top portion of the embodiment shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 represents a side perspective view of a weight bar for use in an embodiment of the invention ;

Figure 5 represents a side perspective view of the weight bar shown in Figure 4 retained within a composite pocket casing of hooped pocket portions; Figure 6 represents a front perspective view of weighted wearable weight pad with tabbed pocket casings according to another embodiment; Figure 7 represents an expanded view of the embodiment shown in Figure 6 (weights not shown); and Figure 8 represents a cut-away back view of a top portion of the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, in one embodiment the weighted shin pad comprises a rigid shell 1 offibreglass material, stitched to a 0.5 cm thick cushion pad 2 of foamed polyurethane. A lining sheet 3 of soft cotton fabric is stitched to the back of the cushion pad 2. An upper and a lower pair of straps 5 provided with Velcro@ fasteners, the members of each pair being fastenable by the wearer around the calf muscle in order to secure the weighted pad against the shin. Weights 9 of an elongated bar shape are insertable in three composite pocket casings 6a formed integrally with shell 1 as a series of four hooped portions. The lowermost hooped portion further comprises a bottom side serving as an end stop for the metal weight 9 when fully inserted into the pocket casing 6a. The weights 9 are thus exposed to view between the hooped portions forming the composite pockets casings 6a. The uppermost hooped portion is provided with a Velcro@ fastener 7 that cooperates with flap 8 of elasticated fabric material that extends through and is stitched to the back face of shell l As shown in Figures 4 and 5, metal weight 9 of elongate bar shape, having a generally rectangular cross-section is provided with a finger groove 10 to enable the wearer to engage and easily slide out the weight 9 from its pocket casing 6. A corresponding cutout is present in the top edge of the pocket casing 6, above Velcro@ fastener 7, in order to provide access to the finger groove 10.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, in another embodiment the weighted shin pad comprises a rigid shell 1 of fibreglass material, stitched to a 0. 5 cm thick cushion pad 2 of foamed polyurethane. A lining sheet 3 of. soft cotton fabric is stitched to the back of the cushion pad 2. An upper and a lower pair of straps 5 is provided with Velcro@ fasteners 4, the

members of each pair being fastenable by the wearer around the calf muscle in order to. secure the weighted pad against the shin. Weights 9 of an elongated bar shape are inserLabie L each of four elongated pocket casings 6b. The upper portion of pocket each pocket casing is provided with a Velcros fastener 7 that cooperates with flap 8 made of elasticated fabric material that extends through a slit 11 and is stitched to the back face of shell 1. Each pocket casing 6b is an individual part having a row of four tabs 12 along each longitudinal side and a tab at its bottom side, for inserting into slits 11 in shell 1. As best seen in Figure 8, the inserted tabs 12 are folded outwards and flat against the back face of the shell 1, and stitched to the shell 1. Thus, the weights 9 are covered from view when retained within the pocket casings 6b.