A garment for increasing resistance to a wearer's body, the garment having a first portion with a fabric of a first resistance characteristic operable to stretch to conform with movement of the wearer's body and at least one second portion of a fabric having a second resistance characteristic, where the second portion conforms to an associated specific body area of the wearer's body such as a muscle or muscle group. Motion of the wearer's body causes the at least one second portion to either apply greater or lesser resistance to the associated specific body area of the wearer's body than the at least first portion applies to the wearer's body to enable targeting of resistance to specific body areas of muscle.

A pelvis exercising system including: a movable seat, sized and shaped to support a user by his pelvis; a vertical supporter which supports the seat above the ground; a flexible connector mounted between the vertical supporter and the seat; wherein, the seat comprises a front portion and a rear portion extending upwardly away from a central arch, each of the rear and front portions comprises a length which is long enough to support a front portion and rear portion of the user's pelvis, while not significantly restricting the abdomen and lower back from bending in relation to a sagittal plane of the seat. A sensor positioned to measure movement of said seat relative to a base, wherein the sensor provides measured values of the seat relative to the base to a processor; and the processor controls a device based on the measured values. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

One embodiment of a resistance band exercise machine (100) for various exercises having a cable-pulley variable resistance system housing (102) with a cable-pulley variable resistance system (104). The cable-pulley variable resistance system has a pair of uprights (110) to insert a pair of safety bars (112) or a joined safety bar (118) into a safety bar hole (114) from the uprights to set starting position of an exercise by placing a top plate (106) from the cable-pulley variable resistance system on the safety bars and increase exercise intensity by performing isometrics against the safety bars and a training partner assistantship cable-pulley system (128) or a training partner assistantship feature from the cable-pulley variable resistance system having an input lifting arm (122) with a handle grip (124) and/or a shoulder padding (126) for a training partner (136) to assist the user. The configuration of the cable-pulley variable resistance system may be in any manner based on the exercise. A user (162) performs an exercise on the resistance band exercise machine to overcome a primary (resistance band 116) and secondary (springs 168) sources of variably increasing resistance from the cable-pulley variable resistance system.

A training device for the human or animal body includes a balance body with a movable centre of mass and a holder with which the balance body can be carried. The holder includes a harness with connectors for connecting to a torso of the body and with a cavity in which the balance body is at least partially received and fixed. The harness particularly includes a first part with connector for attaching to a back of the user and a second part connected releasably to the first part. The first part and the second part adjoin each other so as to form a cavity which is open on both sides and in which the balance part is at least partially received in substantially fitting manner.

In at least one embodiment a resistance training harness is provided having a first upper loop having a front portion and a rear portion, a second upper loop having a front portion and a rear portion, at least one front connector, the first end of the at least one front connector adjoining at least one first upper loop and the second upper loop; a transverse belt component adjoining the second end of the at least one front connector, the first end of the transverse belt component and second end of the transverse belt component having attachment means, a first lower loop having a front portion and a rear portion, a second lower loop having a front portion and a rear portion, and at least one resilient cord adapted to engage with the resistance training harness.

A selectorized dumbbell includes a horizontal stack of nested left weight plates and a horizontal stack of spaced right weight plates with the stacks being separated by a gap into which a handle may be inserted. A selector is movable into different positions relative to the handle to vary how many nested left and right weight plates from the stacks thereof are coupled to the handle to vary the exercise mass of the handle. Each left weight plate has a counterpart right weight plate counterpart which are coupled together by at least one interconnecting member having a first keyhole slot connection between the left end of the interconnecting member and the left weight plate and a second keyhole slot connection between the right end of the interconnecting member and the right weight plate.

A weight lifting support shirt is used to assist a lifter to perform workouts and includes a chest support portion, a shoulder support portion, an abdominal support portion, and a first and second arm support portions each including a sleeve portion. The chest support portion is configured to extend across a chest portion of the lifter from a first end to a second end. The first and second arm support portions extend from the first and second ends of the chest support portion, respectively. The shoulder support portion abuts and extends across boundaries of the first and second arm support portions, and the chest support portion. The first and second arm support portions are configured to conform around a first and a second arm of the lifter. The abdominal support portion extends below from the chest support portion and is configured to conform and fasten around the lifer's abdomen.

A support shirt including a shirt body and a pair of shirt body sleeves positioned adjacent to an upper shirt body is provided. The sleeves are attached to the shirt body at sleeve body holes, with each of the sleeves including sleeve reinforcement regions extending at least a portion of the distance from the sleeve holes to an outer edge of the sleeves. The sleeve reinforcement regions extend substantially along a centerline extending longitudinally across the sleeves and the upper sleeve body to stabilize and provide support to the shoulders of a wearer during an upward lifting motion.

Systems and methods for exerting forces on a body, including a support structure defining a space and a plurality of surface contacting units that are configured to exert force upon the body, such that the weight is distributed away from the primary weight bearing regions to non-weight bearing regions of the body, or vice versa, without exerting significant shear or frictional forces on surfaces of the body. The systems and methods may be used to exert forces to cause fluid shift in different compartments of the body. Applications include treatment of various disease conditions including pressure ulcers, heart failure, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, osteoporosis, injuries of spine and to slow microgravity-induced bone and muscle loss. The systems and methods may be used to simulate gravity, weightlessness or buoyancy, in rehabilitation medicine. The system may include a chair, bed, a wearable suit or an exoskeleton.