Patent Application
20080194390
The present invention relates to exercise equipment and, in particular, to an exercise device and a method of exercising.
The invention has been developed primarily for use as a general fitness and training exercise device and will be described hereinafter with reference to this particular application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use and is applicable for use in other fields such as rehabilitation.
A large variety of personal exercise equipment is known. Such comes in many shapes and sizes. A particularly common type of exercise equipment is a gymnasium machine that includes a weight stack mounted for vertical movement. The number of weights in the stack is selectable, and the stack is connected to one end of a cable. The cable is passed over one or more pulleys and extends adjacent to the machine at about the shoulder height of a person and is connected to one or more handles.
In use, a person is disposed adjacent the machine with their front pointing away from it. The person clasps the handle(s) from over their shoulder and extends their arms. This pulls the cable away from the machine resulting in the weight stack being moved vertically providing resistance to the pulling of the cable. It will be appreciated that these known types of exercise machines are capable of exercising a particular muscle group.
However, the conventional exercise machines are typically large and fixed to a floor. The machines therefore are best suited to a gymnasium or a large personal gym. Unfortunately, the use of the machines in a home environment is relatively prohibitive due to the significant cost of the machines. Furthermore, such machines are generally only configured to exercise a single muscle group, for example, the latissimus or shoulders can cannot be simply used to exercise other muscle groups.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable exercise device that can be used to exercise a plurality of muscle groups and that can be used in a plurality of environments, or to provide a useful alternative.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed an exercise device including:
Preferably, the belt includes a fastener disposed at each end such that when secured around the person the belt length can be selectively adjusted. More preferably, the belt is formed from two pieces wherein ends of a back belt piece are configured to be releasably mounted to the ends of a front belt piece.
In preferred embodiments, the elastomeric cords are mounted to a left-hand side and a right-hand side of the front portion of the belt, and cords are movable a predetermined distance along the length of the belt. More preferably, the elastomeric cords are looped at one end to allow their length to be adjusted and the cords are detachably mounted to the belt.
Preferably, the grip at the end of each elastomeric cord includes a stirrup or a glove.
According to second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of exercising using the device according to the first aspect or any one of its preferments, the method including the steps of:
According to another aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of exercising using the device according to the first aspect or any one of its preferments, the method including the steps of:
It can therefore be seen that there is advantageously provided an exercise device and a method of exercising that
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to the drawings generally, it is noted that like reference numerals are used to denote like components. In
The belt 2 includes a front portion 3 that is configured to be disposed adjacent the front of a person when secured about them. The belt 2 also includes a back portion 4 configured to be disposed adjacent the back of a person when secured to them.
The belt 2 includes a fastener 5 in the form of a buckle. The buckle 5 is disposed at one end 6 of the belt 2 such that the other end 7 of the belt 2 can be fastened thereto to secure the belt 2 about a person with a preferred degree of “tightness”.
A pair of spaced apart elastomeric cords 8 and 9 are mounted to the front portion 3 of the belt 2. The cords 8 and 9 are mounted to the front portion 3 at a proximal end of the cords and are disposed such that one cord 8 is disposed on a left hand side of the front portion 3 and the other cord 9 is disposed on a right hand side of the front portion 3.
Both of the elastomeric cords 8 and 9 are mounted to the front portion 3 of the belt 2. In
The distal end of each cord 8 and 9 includes a grip 12 in the form of a glove. Each glove 12 is in the form of a sheet having a thumb aperture 13 such that the glove 12 is wrapped around the hand of a person. The glove 12 is secured to a hand with Velcro tabs 14 that engage with each other to secure the glove 12 on a hand.
Referring to
The belt back portion 4 includes a buckle 15 at each end, however, only one buckle is visible in
As with the embodiment of
The cords 8 and 9 are each looped around one of the loops on the belt front portion 3. These cord loops 16 are secured by a clamp 17 that can be selectively loosened to allow the loops 16 to be increased in size and thereby reduce the length of the cords 8 and 9, or the loops 16 decreased in size and thereby increase the length of the cords 8 and 9. In this way, the clamps 17 can be used to release the cords 8 and 9 from the belt front portion 3.
In the embodiment of
The elastomeric cords 8 and 9 are fixedly mounted to the front portion 3 of the belt 2. The elastomeric cords 8 and 9 each include a handle 12 mounted to a free end.
Reference is now made to
Shoulder press exercises are performed by securing the belt 2 about the torso of the person 19 and extending both arms above their head. A delta fly exercise can be performed by securing the belt about the torso of the person 19 and having them raise their arms laterally or move them forward. Triceps extension exercises can be performed by securing the belt 2 about the torso of the person 19 such that the person leans forward by bending at the waist and then extending and bending their arms.
In the bicep curl exercise shown in
Lower body exercises can also be used with the belt 2 by securing the grips 12 to the ankles of the person 19. For example, a leg extension exercise can be performed by securing the belt 2 about the waist of the person 19 where the person sits down and bends and flexes their knees. Likewise, squat exercises can be performed by securing the belt 1 about the waist of the person 19 where the person stands and bends and flexes both legs. In another lower body exercise, the belt one is disposed about the waist of the person and the grips 12 secured to be ankles of the person wherein the person thrusts their leg forward in a kicking manner.
In another form of exercise using the exercise device 1, the device 1 is placed on the floor with the front portion 3 of the belt facing upward. The person 19 stands on the belt and secures the grips to their hands. The person then bends slightly forward with their arms being pulled up in a rolling like manner.
The next exercise shown in
Although not illustrated, it will also be appreciated that other exercises can be performed with the device 1. For example, the belt 2 can be disposed about, or otherwise secured to, a fixed object that is on or adjacent a floor. In this way, the person can lay on their back or side with their head adjacent the belt 2 so that the cords 8 and 9 extend over their shoulder(s) to provide resistance against a forward or sideways sit-up movement.
The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005904094 | Jul 2005 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2006/001070 | 7/28/2006 | WO | 00 | 2/7/2008 |
