1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of exercising and to exercise apparatuses for carrying out those methods.
2. Description of Related Art
One of the consistent challenges in the fitness industry is devising exercise methods and apparatuses that allow the user to achieve maximum, diverse fitness effects by performing exercises in comfortable positions. For example, a type or set of exercises may be particularly attractive and beneficial to the user if it provides strengthening, toning and cardiovascular benefits. Exercise equipment used to perform fitness exercises should ideally be relatively simple in construction, flexible in the types of exercises allowed, and adaptable to a wide range of resistances and levels of exertion.
A popular type of exercise equipment provides a pair of generally parallel tracks, on which a carriage is mounted for sliding or rolling movement along the tracks. Depending on the particular variation, the carriage may be connected to a resistance system including one or more resilient members, such as springs or bungee cords, which bias the carriage towards a particular position. The carriage may also be connected to pull cords that are trained over a pulley system, allowing the user to move the carriage by pulling the pull lines. The user exercises with such an apparatus by using the arms or legs to move the carriage along the tracks.
Sliding-carriage multi-function exercise equipment of this type also typically includes a foot rest or foot bar which extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the rails. The foot rest or foot bar is operationally fixed in position, and allows a user to control the movement of the carriage by exerting his or her leg muscles against it. A foot rest typically includes a set of frame members or frame portions that are adapted to connect at a first end to either the rails of the apparatus or other appropriate structures provided for that purpose. At their respective second ends, the frame members are attached to a rigid member, such as a board. The board is typically covered with a layer of foam or other cushioning material, which may be enclosed in a layer of outer material, such as vinyl. The foam and outer material cushion the user's feet to some degree and provide traction.
A foot bar is a generally U-shaped and typically hollow bar that is adapted to be connected to the exercise apparatus at its ends. The top portion of the foot bar is covered with a traction/cushioning material. The user typically places his or her hands or feet on the cushioned portion of the foot bar to control the movement of the carriage.
One variation of the above-described type of exercise apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,955, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The disclosed apparatus includes a movable carriage mounted on generally parallel tracks and a foot rest of the type described above. The apparatus does not use resilient members to provide resistance; instead, resistive bias is provided by inclining the tracks at one of a number of angular orientations, thereby allowing the user to move the carriage by working against a corresponding fraction of his or her own weight bias under the influence of gravity using a pulley system that is coupled to the carriage. As the angular orientation of the carriage changes, the fraction of the user's weight bias changes correspondingly, such that at greater inclinations, the weight bias that the user works against is greater.
Another variation of the above-described type of exercise apparatus is that sold under the general name Pilates Performer™ (Stamina Products, Inc., Springfield, Mo., United States) for use with the Pilates exercise system. An apparatus of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. D. 382,319 to Gerschefske et al., the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The apparatus includes a frame having a pair of generally parallel tracks that support a movable carriage which is mounted on the tracks with rollers for rolling horizontal movement along the tracks. A set of tensile resilient resistance elements is connected to the frame at one end and to the carriage at the other, thereby biasing the carriage towards a particular position. A pulley system and associated pull lines are coupled to the carriage, such that the carriage may be moved by application of force to the pull lines. A foot bar is provided at one end of the frame, and shoulder blocks are provided at one end of the carriage, allowing the user to position him or herself in a supine position to move the carriage against the resilient bias provided by the tensile resilient resistance elements using the muscles of either the legs or the arms.
There have been proposed in the prior art other types of exercisers that provide support for the user in a fixed seated position with a movable back support. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,215,511 and 5,897,459. Still others provide for fixed support of the user while on his or her back. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,206,809 and 6,500,099. U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,583 discloses two different exercisers. The
The present invention relates to a combination of method steps and exerciser components which co-act together to enable a user to perform cardiovascular friendly aerobic exercises while movably supported in a supine position. The exercises can be said to simulate running in soft sand.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a method of enabling a person to exercise comprising the following steps. Providing a movable body support for the exercising person which supports the seat and back of an exercising person in a supine position which allows the body of the exercising person while in supported relation to move with the movable body support with the feet of the exercising person free to be moved with respect to the movable body support. Providing a movable foot assembly separate from said body support in a position to be engaged by the feet of the exercising person supported on the movable body support. Providing for the absorption of the energy of the movement of the movable body support in a first direction away from the movable foot assembly by the exercising person supported thereon and the conversion of the absorbed energy to a movement of the movable body support with the exercising person supported thereon in a second direction toward the movable foot assembly. Providing for the damped resiliently resisted movement of the movable foot assembly caused by the engagement thereof by the feet of an exercising person moving with the movable body support in said second direction. Establishing as a result of the damped resiliently resisted movement of the movable foot assembly in said second direction, a damped resilient return movement by the movable foot assembly in the first direction, which the exercising person can translate into a movement of the movable body support in the first direction, the arrangement being such that the exercising person can control the repetition and magnitude of the movements of the movable body support by flexure of the legs at the knees.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to an exerciser comprising the following combination of components. A frame assembly. A movable body support disposed on the frame assembly and constructed and arranged to support the seat and back of an exercising person in a supine position which allows the body of the exercising person while in supported relation to move with the movable body support with the feet of the exercising person free to be moved with respect to said movable body support. A movable foot assembly coupled to the frame assembly and constructed and arranged to be engaged by the feet of the exercising person supported on said movable body support. The movable body support being mounted on said frame assembly for movement in a first direction away from said movable foot support and a second direction toward said movable foot support and being constructed and arranged to absorb the energy of a movement thereof in the first direction by a user supported thereon and to convert the absorbed energy into a movement thereof with the user supported thereon in the second direction. The movable foot assembly being constructed and arranged to yield resiliently with a damping action in response to the engagement of the feet of the exercising person moving with the movable body support in the second direction and to establish, as a result of the damped resilient yielding, a resiliently damped movement return by the movable foot assembly in the first direction which can be translated by the exercising person into a movement of the movable body support in the first direction.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description.
The invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which like numerals represent like features throughout the figures, and in which:
The frame assembly 12 includes a frame 18, which is adapted to support the movable body support 14, with the user supported thereon. The frame 18 also includes a stand 20, which is adapted to connect to the frame 18 to hold the frame 18 in a generally horizontal plane above floor level. As is shown in
Depending on the embodiment, the frame 18 and stand 20 may be separable, so that the exerciser 10 can be stored easily. Additionally, the stand 20 may be omitted or sold separately, particularly if the height provided by the stand 20 is not required for the exercises that are to be performed. Moreover, it may be desirable to construct the stand 20 such that one end is wider than the other. A stand 20 with one wider end and one narrower end may be desirable if one end of the exerciser 10 requires a broader base of support to prevent lateral tipping, or if the exerciser 10 is constructed such that the stand 20 will only mate with the frame 18 if the frame 18 is in a particular orientation.
The frame 18 is comprised of two generally parallel support tracks 30, connected and braced by a number of cross members. Each of the support tracks 30 has a generally C-shaped cross-section, such that each support track 30 defines an interior track 32, in the shape of a channel, which is adapted to receive engaging portions of the movable body support 14. The engaging portions of the movable body support 14 in this embodiment are rollers 33 (shown in phantom in
Although rollers 33 are used in the illustrated embodiment, a number of bearings and other movement support structures are known in the art, and any one of these known types of bearings may be used in place of the rollers. For example, instead of rollers, blocks of low-friction material may be used, and the inside tracks 32 in the support tracks 30 may be lubricated in order to facilitate sliding movement with reduced friction.
The support tracks 30 may be continuous bars that run the length of the exerciser, or they may be comprised of sets of shorter bars which are secured together by welds or fasteners. As shown in
In alternative embodiments of the invention, the support tracks may have a substantially rectangular cross section, and a movable body support with rollers or other movement support structures may be configured so as to rest on top of the support tracks, rather than engaging inside tracks defined within them. The precise manner of engagement of the movable body support and the support tracks is not critical.
Several body-engaging components are mounted on the movable body support 14 so as to facilitate the body positioning of the user. Two padded shoulder blocks 44, one on each side of the body support 14, extend vertically, and are positioned so as to engage the upper portion of the user's torso (i.e., at the collarbone or shoulder region) when the user is lying prone or supine on the movable body support 14, so as to prevent the user from sliding relative to the movable body support 14 in a direction away from the foot support 16. The shoulder blocks 44 may be removably attached to the movable body support 14, for example, by a threaded connection.
A padded head rest 46 is also mounted on the movable body support 14. In the position illustrated in
When the user is lying on the movable body support 14 in a supine position with his or her head on the head rest, the user's feet are free from the movable body support 14, and extend in a direction toward the movable foot assembly 16. As can be seen in
The movable foot assembly 16 and movable foot assembly 402 are both in a position to be engaged by the feet of an exercising person supported on the movable body support 14. The body support 14 is mounted so as to absorb the energy of the movement of the movable body support 14 in a first direction away from the movable foot assembly 16, 402 by the exercising person supported thereon and to convert the absorbed energy to a movement of the movable body support 14 with the exercising person supported thereon in a second direction toward the movable foot assembly 16, 402. The movable foot support 16, 402 provides for the damped resiliently resisted movement of the movable foot assembly 16, 402 caused by the engagement thereof by the feet of an exercising person moving with the movable body support 14 in the second direction and establishes as a result of the damped resiliently resisted movement of the movable foot assembly 16, 402 in the second direction; a damped resilient return movement by the movable foot assembly 16, 402 in the first direction. The exercising person can translate this movement into a movement of the movable body support 14 in the first direction, enabling the exercising person to control the repetition and magnitude of the movements of the movable body support 14 by flexure of the legs at the knees. The movable foot assembly 16 is intended to be moved by both feet whereas the movable foot assembly 402 can be moved by either foot acting alone or both together.
Toward the front crossmember 506, an intermediate crossmember 518 extends between the two parallel frame members 504 and limits the motion of the movable body support 512 by acting as a motion stop. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a movable foot assembly generally indicated at 520, is mounted between the two parallel frame members 504 and includes a mounting member in the form of a bolt 522 extending through each of the tracks 510 and secured in place by a nut.
The movable foot assembly 520 also includes left and right support posts 524 pivotally mounted on the bolt 522 so as to rotate about a pivotal axis extending in a transverse horizontal direction. Typically, the support posts 524 would include apertures of sufficient size to allow the bolt 522 to pass through them such that the support posts 524 are mounted for rotation about the bolt 522.
Each of the support posts 524 includes an upper transversely-extending portion 526, which would typically be welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the rest of the support post 524. Pivotally mounted on the transversely-extending portions 526 are the individual left and right foot support pieces 528, which rotate about pivotal axes defined by the transversely-extending portions 526.
The exerciser 500 is of the type that provides one foot support piece 528 for each foot, which would allow the user to exercise each one of his or her legs individually or in combination, in synchronized, alternating, or random fashion. A shift in weight or pressure from one leg to the other is possible during the exercising motions. Because the individual support pieces 528 are pivotally mounted on the transversely-extending portions 526, they can assume whatever angle is required to establish or maintain contact with the user's feet.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the movable foot assembly 520 provides for the movement of the foot support pieces 528 to be yieldingly resisted with a damping action capable of effecting a resiliently damped return movement when the moving pressure is released by the user. The resiliency is provided by two torsion coil springs 530, each of which is mounted on the bolt 522 adjacent to one of the support posts 524. As best shown in
The exerciser 500 is supported on a horizontal surface such that it can be inclined at a plurality of angles. Arcuate rocker feet 542 extend on the underside of the frame 502 between the front crossmember 506 and the intermediate crossmember 518. Each rocker foot 542 can provide good contact with a horizontal surface, such as the floor or a mat, at a plurality of angles. Typically, the rocker feet 542 would be covered with a non-skid material, such as a rubber, to prevent the exerciser 500 from skidding or sliding along the horizontal surface while in use.
Two pivotable frame supports 544 support the frame 502 proximate to the rear crossmember 508. Each frame support 544 is essentially triangular with a rounded bottom portion 546 that is adapted to contact the horizontal surface. The frame supports 544 and rocker feet 542 can be seen more clearly in the side elevational view of
As shown in
The exerciser 500 also includes a set of wheels 554 rotatably mounted on wheel extensions 556 that extend forwardly from the front crossmember 506. In the positions illustrated in
The angle between the frame 502 and the horizontal surface on which it rests determines the degrees to which the energy of the user movement of the movable body support 512 in a direction away from the movable foot assembly 520 is absorbed and then converted into a movement of the movable body support 512 in the opposite direction toward the movable foot assembly 520. The angle adjustment system described provides for two different absorption and conversion levels. Other adjusting systems may be provided instead which provide for a multiplicity of adjusted positions within a range of positions. In the two level system described, the energy of user movement is absorbed and converted into a return movement by gravity acting on the users weight supported by the movable body support 512. Preferably, this gravitational action is supplemented by a resilient multiple removable bungee cord system of the type well known in pilates exercisers. Such a system is shown in
As was noted above, the resiliency of the foot supports of exercisers according to the present invention may be created in a variety of ways.
The primary difference between the exerciser 500 and the exerciser 600 is in the resilient damping system connected to the support posts 624. Instead of torsion springs 530 and damper units 541, the exerciser 600 uses two combination spring and damper units 630 mounted on the underside of the front crossmember 606.
With the units 630 connected to the lever arms 632 below the foot support mount member 520 (about which the support posts 624 pivot), the overall arrangement is such that a movement of the support posts 624 forward (clockwise with respect to
As those of skill in the art will appreciate, spring and shock absorber units 630 could also be attached to points on the support posts 624 that are above the foot support mount member 520, in which case the “sense” of the motion would be reversed and the shaft of the unit would need to retract upon forward motion of the support post 624 and resiliently extend to return the support post 624 to its original position. Other types of connections between the support posts 624 and the units 630 may also necessitate motion of the “sense” opposite that illustrated in
The particular type and internal arrangement of the units 630 is not critical to the invention. Many types of spring and shock absorber units are known in the art and may be used or adapted for use in exercisers according to the present invention. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,622,527 and 5,071,115 disclose exemplary types of hydraulic cylinders that may be used as shocks in exercisers according to the present invention, and the disclosure in those two references that pertains to hydraulic cylinders is hereby incorporated by reference.
The units 630 of the exerciser 600 would generally comprise a damper (i.e., hydraulic or gas cylinder with restricted orifices to control the flow between chambers in the cylinder or across the piston) in parallel with a conventional compression or tension spring. The spring may be placed inside or outside of the cylinder. If the spring is outside of the cylinder, it may be axially coextensive with the cylinder.
Piston 636 is shown as having a peripheral shoulder 642 within which spring 634 is registered to maintain its alignment within cylinder 640. The piston 636 includes a peripheral O-ring 644 for sealing the piston within the cylinder 640. The piston 636 is shown fixed to a threaded 646 reduced diameter portion 648 of shaft 631 by a locknut 650. A collar 652 is fitted on reduced diameter portion 652, and retains a check valve spring 654 on the reduced end 656. The spring 654 holds washer 656 against the piston 636 to overcover the orifices 658, preventing oil flow through the orifices 658 when the pressure on the washer side 660 of the piston is higher than the pressure on the opposite side 662. Orifices 664 permit fluid flow in both directions.
Cylinder end piece 666 is attached to the cylinder 640 as by welding. The end piece 666 is shown with a circular slot 668 in its exterior face into which seal spring 670 fits. Seal spring 670 maintains pressure on shaft seal 672 to prevent leakage from the outer chamber 674. An orifice 676 in the end piece 638 permits pressure equalization across the end piece 638 so that seal 672 does not become overpressurized. An orifice 678 in cylinder 640 permits pressure equalization between the cylinder 640 and chamber 674.
The exercisers 500, 600 illustrated in
The exercisers according to the present invention provide several advantages. First, the user can perform exercises in a supine or prone position, which is usually at least perceived to be more comfortable by the user. Second, the type of exercises that can be performed on exercisers according to the invention may have cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility benefits. Third, as was described above, certain known types of exercises, such as Pilates exercises, may be performed on exercisers according to the invention, if desired by the user.
Although the invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.
This application is based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/668,970 filed Apr. 7, 2005, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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