Support Shirt Restriction Panels for Controlled Arm Motion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional support shirts fail to effectively restrict the range of motion during weightlifting, leading to potential injury and loss of stored energy due to uneven stretching and lifting away from the chest, which is prohibited in powerlifting organizations.
Innovation Solution
A support shirt design featuring sleeves with compression members and a restriction panel that restricts arm movement beyond a lowered position, combined with a protective pad to distribute weight and store energy, ensuring the bar does not contact the chest.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If traditional support shirts use elastic material to store energy, then weightlifting capacity is improved, but the material stretches unevenly during weightlifting resulting in loss of stored energy
Solution Approach 1:
The support shirt is divided into multiple panels with different elastic properties. The high elasticity panel is located at the chest area to store energy during the bench press movement, while the restriction panel with lower elasticity is positioned at the arms to prevent excessive stretching and energy loss. This segmentation allows each panel to perform its specific function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the support shirt are assigned different elastic qualities based on their functional requirements. The chest area uses high elasticity material to maximize energy storage, while the arm areas use lower elasticity restriction panels to maintain proper form and prevent energy dissipation through uneven stretching.
2Ease of operation
If traditional support shirts allow full range of motion, then comfort and ease of operation are improved, but arm flexion can cause injury and chest area may lift away from the wearer's chest
Solution Approach 1:
The restriction panel is designed to preemptively prevent harmful arm flexion before it can occur. By providing resistance against excessive arm movement, the panel stops the wearer from adopting positions that could lead to injury or chest lifting, while still allowing the necessary range of motion for proper bench press technique.
3Reliability
If restriction panel prevents arm movement beyond lowered position, then injury risk is reduced and powerlifting regulations are met, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The restriction panel is constructed as a flexible fabric panel with specific elastic properties rather than a rigid structure. This flexible panel can dynamically adapt to the wearer's movements, providing restriction when needed while maintaining comfort and ease of wear, thus avoiding the complexity of mechanical restraint systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances weightlifting capacity by storing energy and preventing arm movement beyond a safe position, reducing injury risk and adhering to powerlifting regulations.
Implementation Method 1
each sleeve of the pair of sleeves including an inner surface, an outer surface, and a compression member provided between the inner surface and the outer surface
Implementation Method 2
combined with a protective pad to distribute weight and store energy
Data Source
AI summary
A support member including a body including a front portion, and a pair of sleeves extending outwardly from the front portion, each sleeve of the pair of sleeves including an inner surface, an outer surface, and a compression member provided between the inner surface and the outer surface, each compression member provided on an outer side of a respective sleeve of the pair of sleeves relative to a front vertical centerline of the front portion of the body.