Patent Application
20110275489
This invention disclosure concerns an exercise machine for training watersports athletes, and particularly one that combines exercise training for a number of watersports movements such as surf paddling, swimming, rowing, paddleboarding, and canoe paddling together in a single compact system.
Conventional exercise machines are commonly designed to have the user pull or lift against a selectable weight resistance in one or only a few types of athletic movements of the arms, shoulders, abdomen or legs. As a result, exercise gyms typically have a large number of exercise machines installed on the gym floor occupying a lot of floor space, thereby incurring high equipment and space rental costs. Additionally, few machines are designed for training watersports athletes, and none are known to accurately simulate the stroke resistance that watersports athletes will encounter in outdoor conditions in water. A conventional type of rowing machine has a user on a sliding seat pull on a rowing bar attached by cable to a spinning flywheel.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an exercise machine that combines exercise training for a number of training movements for watersports athletes, such as for surf paddling, swimming, rowing, paddleboarding, and canoe paddling, together in a single compact system. It would be particularly desirable to provide an exercise machine which can accurately simulate the movements or weight resistance that watersports athletes will encounter in outdoor conditions in water.
In accordance with the present invention, an exercise machine adapted for training watersports athletes comprises:
In a preferred embodiment of the exercise machine of the present invention, the water-resistance simulating mechanism is provided with an air channel that is fed by an air-through valve at one end and a channel output end which is coupled to an air-coupling end of the vertical column. The plunger has a given weight and is designed to be movable in reciprocation in the tubular body of the vertical column and is fitted and sealed therein in an airtight manner. When the plunger is pulled by the attached cable upward in the tubular body, the suction vacuum created by the upwardly moving plunger sucks air into the vertical column through the air-coupling end which is fed through the air-through valve into the air channel of the water-resistance simulating mechanism.
The air-through valve is constructed and dimensioned to allow air to be sucked through under a pulling force that approximates the water resistance to a power stroke of an oar, paddle or arm in the water. When the plunger is released during the recovery movement to move back downward under gravity, it pushes air out from the vertical column into the air channel and out through an upper release opening which is controlled by a displaceable hollow ball that is lifted upward from the release opening by the force of the pushed air. The movement of the weight of the plunger under gravity approximately balances the force required to push the air from the air channel through the release opening such that the release movement approximates the feeling when an oar, paddle or arm is lifted from the water on a return stroke.
The exercise machine can be used in exercise training for a number of training movements for watersports athletes. For surf paddling or swimming, the user can lie prone on the bench facing the vertical columns and practice swimming stroke movements using hand grips coupled to the proximal ends of the exercise cables. For rowing, the user can sit straddling the bench facing the vertical columns and use a double-handed oar to practice oaring stroke movements. For paddleboarding, the user can stand straddling the bench and use a long paddle instrument to practice paddleboard stroke movements. For canoe paddling, the user can sit straddling the bench and practice paddle stroke movements using a short paddle instrument on one side (canoe paddling) or a double-sided paddle instrument (kayak paddling). Other exercise training movements may also be devised for use on the exercise machine.
The suction-and-release air channel coupled to the reciprocation movement of the air-sealed plunger in each of the vertical columns of the exercise machine provides the simulated water-resistance for all watersports training movements of watersports athletes on a single, compact exercise machine. The bench may also be folded on stood on end to collapse the machine for storage or when not in use. Therefore, the compact machine is suitable for installation even in a home or office.
The exercise machine of the present invention enables watersports athletes to practice a number of training exercises for a wide range of watersports, including surf paddling, swimming, rowing, paddleboarding, and canoe paddling, using a single compact machine. The water-resistance simulating mechanisms are designed to generate a weight resistance approximating water resistance to an oar, paddle or arm in the water during a power stroke and lifting the oar, paddle, or arm out of the water during a recovery stroke. Watersports athletes of various types can practice training exercises on one machine installed on the gym floor, thereby greatly saving on equipment and space rental costs. The exercise machine is compact enough to be used in a home or office.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be explained in the following detailed description with reference to the appended drawings.
In the following detailed description of the invention, certain preferred embodiments are illustrated providing certain specific details of their implementation. However, it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that many other variations and modifications may be made given the disclosed principles of the invention.
Referring to the several views in
A bench 17, with a seat 17a and hinged end stand 17b, is positioned along a perpendicular axis PP normal to the pair of spaced-apart vertical columns, on which a user of the exercise machine can sit, stand, straddle or lie to perform watersports training exercises on the exercise machine. The pair of exercise cables 13, 15 are entrained on upper pulleys 18a, 18b and lower pulleys 19a, 19b on respective sides of the vertical columns, each having a distal end 13a, 15a attached to the plunger in a respective one of the vertical columns and a proximal end 13b, 15b to be coupled to an instrument that the user uses to perform watersports training exercises while seated, standing, straddling or lying on the bench.
For providing a rigid structure, the exercise machine can have a lower base 20 to which the bottoms of the vertical columns are affixed and which has an upright swivel stand 20a to which one side of the bench is hinged. The hinged side allows the bench to be folded upright for storage or when not in use. Front pedestals 21a, 21b are coupled to the lower base 20 to provide rigidity at the front of the machine. The base has upright side arms 22a, 22b extending to a transverse lower bracket 23, which in turn has upright posts 24a, 24b extending to a transverse intermediate bracket 25 and a transverse upper bracket 26. The vertical columns are attached to the upright posts 24a, 24b by metal band straps. The upper pulleys 18a, 18b are mounted on opposite ends of the upper bracket 26, and the lower pulleys 19a, 19b are mounted on opposite ends of the upper bracket 26. An optional seat back 27 may be provided for use of the bench 17 with the seated user's back toward the machine.
The air-through valve 42 is constructed and dimensioned to allow air to be sucked through at a controlled rate determined by the dimensions of the valve opening. The precise valve opening can be set by the position of the valve cover 42a threaded to the outer wall of the air channel so that it can be advanced to close or retracted to open the size of the valve opening. When the valve cover is set in a desired position, then a pulling force by the user on the cable will pull the plunger 40 upward, causing air to be sucked through the valve opening by the hydraulic coupling of the air channel. A high-speed pulling movement will require more force to suck the requisite amount of air into the vertical vacuum space generated by the plunger's upward movement. However, due to the compressibility of air, a high-speed pulling stroke will require a somewhat greater pulling force by the user but much less than an arithmetic multiple of the pulling speed. This characteristic of the air-through valve feed to the suction vacuum approximates the water resistance to a power stroke of an oar, paddle or arm in the water, and therefore gives training strokes executed on the exercise machine a feel similar to swimming, paddling, or rowing through water.
When the plunger 40 is released during the recovery movement to move back downward under gravity, it pushes air out from the vertical column into the air channel 42 and out through not only the air-through valve but also an upper release opening 42b which is covered by a displaceable hollow (plastic) ball 45 that is lifted upward from the release opening 42b by the force of the pushed air. The movement of the weight of the plunger under gravity approximately balances the force required to push the air from the air channel through the release opening 42b. As a result, the feel to the user of the release movement approximates the feeling when an oar, paddle or arm is lifted from the water on a return stroke.
As a specific example of construction, the vertical column structure may be comprised of a 3 inch pulley attached to a pulley casing. A 3½ inch end cap with a rectangular opening is attached in the center at the top to stabilize the cable feed into the pulley casing. A plastic sheet membrane, for example, one made from chlorinated polyethylene, is used to line the wall of the pulley casing. The plunger can be a cylindrically shaped weight or a carrier for heavy washers or weights with annular bearings which act as air-tight seals with the walls of the tubular casing as the plunger moves in reciprocation. The air channel has the release opening at its top end provided with a hard plastic ball that is hollow inside so that it has a light weight. A metal or plastic cage is provided around the top end of the release opening to capture the ball when it is lifted by air pressure on the release stroke so that it can float and fall freely. On the power stroke the suction force in the air channel holds the ball as a tight closure of the release opening, so that air is drawn in only through the air-through valve.
The air valve cover is adjusted to size the air valve opening so that the pulling force action is set to the force level the user desires to train with. By turning the threaded housing of the air valve cover to retract it downward, the air valve opening is increased, while turning it in the opposite direction decreases it.
The exercise machine of the present invention enables watersports athletes to practice a wide range of training exercises for watersports on a single compact machine. The water-resistance simulating mechanisms are uniquely designed to generate a weight resistance approximating water resistance to an oar, paddle or arm in the water. The exercise machine may also be folded for storage or when not in use. The use of a single machine to service a wide range of watersports athletes can greatly save on equipment and gym space rental costs. The exercise machine is also compact enough to be used in a home or office.
It is to be understood that many modifications and variations may be devised given the above description of the general principles of the invention. It is intended that all such modifications and variations be considered as within the spirit and scope of this invention, as defined in the following claims.
