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Elastic Vests as an Alternative to Weight Vests

Image credit: MiR Air Flow weighted vest

Samuel Bello

Samuel Bello Jul 23, 2021

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This innovation proposes the use of light materials with high elastic moduli as opposed to the use of weights in weight vests. The elastic vest lets you work out by resisting your motion such that you have to stretch them when you move. This will produce an effect that is comparable to weight lifting. These vests will be easier to carry around since they have less weight and take up less space than weights that produce similar effects. The distribution of elastic materials on the vest is done so that the strings relevant to building a particular muscle are unstretched when the muscle is relaxed. When the muscle contracts, the elastic material stretches to counter its effect, thereby working out the muscle. The resistance that a string provides can be regulated by adding buttons that limit the stretchable length of the string to produce the effects of varying weights. The vest could have different models that are made to exercise different muscles or as a single vest that can work out many all major muscles at once but can have some of the strings deactivated to focus on building specific muscles. Some form of mechanical calibrations can help you count the number of times you stretched each string. This can be modified with a little automation to show you how much work has been done in total or on each string from mobile devices.

vests gym exercise

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Creative contributions

Full bodysuit with stiff joints

Darko Savic

Darko Savic Jul 25, 2021

I imagine this as a full-body suit with very stiff joints so that you need to exert 20-50% more force to move around. It would be amazing if the joint stiffness was adjustable.

If the joints are made of stiff material, both extensor and flexor muscles have to work without the need for elastics that cancel each other out.

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Samuel Bello

Samuel Bello3 years ago

The stiff joints can be implemented as two parts that are rubbed against each other whenever there is movement in either direction. Here the resisting force is friction instead unlike the elastic materials that were mentioned earlier. The resisting force can be increase by using a screw to press the surfaces against each other with more force in order to generate more friction while loosening the screw makes it easier to move your joint.

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Springs instead of weights

Samuel Bello

Samuel Bello Jul 23, 2021

Carrying weights around in your briefcase or luggage can be stressful and cumbersome. The wearable weights can also occupy a fair amount of space once you want to do some heavy lifting. An alternative that saves space and is to use springs instead. The springs will have bands that can be worn on different body parts and set up so that the compression or stretching of the string opposes the motion of the muscle that the string is meant to work out. In this case, a string that is supposed to work the Bicep Femoris will be placed between the calves and the back of the thighs so that the spring is compressed when the Bicep Femoris contracts. A string that will work the biceps of one's hands can have one end attached to a band worn on the wrist and the other end attached at the lower part of the triceps. Another advantage of using strings over using weights is that the effort required to stretch the strings can be varied by screws that vary the force required to stretch the string by varying the length of the string that is available for stretching as the screws are turned. If weights were used, one might have to manually add the weights or the weights can be turned manually so that the perceived weight varies with the angle that the weight is placed. strings. The strings can be fitted to clothes instead of being attached by bands.  One obvious set back is that one would have to put on the "Gym clothes" everytime they want to work out. 

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General comments

Dragan Otasevic

Dragan Otasevic3 years ago

Hi Samuel Bello
Weight vests, ankle and wrist weights have been in use for decades by people who jog. Army has soldiers run with heavy backpacks and gear. Where is the novelty of this idea?

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