Exercise System

Abstract

The present invention may include a base frame assembly, which may include a base frame and a wall support. The wall support may include a wall support base coupled to the base frame and a grip shaft movably coupled to, and biased away from, the wall support base. A wall grip may be coupled to a distal end of the grip shaft. A swing arm may include a handle bar on a first end and a pivot sleeve on a second end. The pivot sleeve may be pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly. Thereby, a user may releasably secure the base frame assembly to a door frame by way of the wall grip, grasp the handle bar of the swing arm and perform a supported squat movement.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to exercise devices and more specifically to exercise systems that coach, guide or assist a user to perform a squat exercise.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The benefits of exercise are well documented. One of the most basic and fundamental of all exercises is the squat. There are numerous variations to the squat, but all require flexion of the knee and hip joints to lower the upper body toward the user's feet and then extend to an upright position. This movement uses the largest muscle groups of the body and therefore allows the user to perform a greater work capacity, utilizing more calories and, done correctly, strengthen all of the muscles of the lower body. This increases the user's muscular strength in all activities of virtually every sport as well as daily activities in life.

One of the criticisms of the squat exercise is the potential for injury of the user. This may include falling over while performing the movement, especially when additional weight is supported on the upper back of the user. To combat the fear of falling, exercise devices have been created that guide the user in a set plane or specific path of movement. Still more devices exist that put the user in a seated position and provide resistance against the user's feet or lower legs to press or extend, thereby exercising the leg muscles. These may work fine as supplementary exercises, but in training for a sport or the activity of life, it is considered most beneficial to train how you want to perform. A football lineman exploding up from a low stance up into a 300-pound opponent, or someone standing up out of a chair, both have their feet positioned on the ground and simultaneously extend their hip and knee joints. Neither are sitting down and then just extending their knee joints as performing a leg extension exercise. It is true that standing up from a seated position and doing a leg extension exercise both activate the quadriceps (knee extensor muscles) of the upper legs. That, though, is where the similarity ends.

Standing up from a seated or lower squat position not only activates the knee extensor muscles, but also the biceps femoris (knee flexors) for stability, gluteus maximus (hip extensor) muscles, calf muscles of the lower leg, and numerous other stabilizing muscles of the lower back, abdominals and hips. Not only is the muscle activation much greater in the squatting/standing movement, the neurological stimulation is greater in that this movement requires simultaneous contraction for movement and stabilization of these many muscle groups.

As with any exercise, more is only better up to a point, after which it may be detrimental. One of these areas of potential concern is the knee joint. The knee joint is a modified hinge joint, which allows for some internal and external rotation as well as adduction and abduction, but by far the primary rotational movement is flexion and extension. Within the knee joint, the head of the femur sits on the top of the tibia and much of the stability is provided by a series of connective tissues in the form of tendons, ligaments and menisci. The primary extensor muscles, the quadriceps muscles, connect the tibia of the lower leg through a leverage system which includes a floating bone called the patella.

The patella increases the perpendicular distance of the quadriceps tendon and thereby increases the torque to extend the lower leg about the knee joint. A cartilage acts as lubrication and a cushion between the patella and the head of the femur. When the knee is extended, the compressive force between the patella and the femur is minimal. As the knee flexes, this force increases as the force against the femur is the vector sum of a component normal to the patella generated by the tension in the quadriceps tendon (above the patella) and the patella ligament (below the patella). At 90° of knee flexion, this patellofemoral force may be 20-25% greater than the tension in the quadriceps tendon. At 135° of knee flexion (full flexion) this patellofemoral force can be nearly twice the tension in the quadriceps tendon.

In addition, up to 90° in knee flexion, there is maximal contact between the patella and the intercondylar groove, thus providing maximal contact area between the patella and the femur. This means more area to distribute the compressive load. At 135° of knee flexion, the patella contacts the femur with its superior pole and rests below the intercondylar groove. This reduced contact area between the patella and the femur increases the pressure applied by the patella to the femur even if the compressive force did not change with excessive knee flexion. As the compressive force does increase with excessive knee flexion, estimations are a deep squat (beyond 90° knee flexion) suggest the pressure between the patella and the femur are three times greater than seen with a squat to 90° of knee flexion. Greater pressure means greater wear on the cartilage between the patella and the femur, which may eventually lead to joint pain and knee replacement. Poor form in performing a squat exercise may result in one or more of a variety of injuries. By contrast proper squat form may help strengthen the body to prevent injuries.

It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a need for a guided squat machine that allows the user to perform a full squat but does so while allowing the user to restrict the knee movement to around 90° of knee flexion. The guided squat machine may also help stabilize the upper body of the user so that they may perform a variety of squat movements while minimizing the risk of injury, particularly to the lower back, hips, knees and ankle joints. The present invention fulfills this need and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may include a base frame assembly with a base frame and a wall support. The wall support may include a wall support base coupled to the base frame and a grip shaft movably coupled to, and biased away from, the wall support base. A wall grip may be coupled to a distal end of the grip shaft. A swing arm may be provided with a handle bar on a first end, and a pivot sleeve on a second end of the swing arm. The pivot sleeve may be pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly, whereby a user may releasably secure the base frame assembly to a door frame by way of the wall grip, grasp the handle bar of the swing arm and perform a supported squat movement.

The wall grip may be comprised of a stop and a lip positioned substantially perpendicular to, and adjacent to, the stop. The stop of the wall grip may be a substantially flat surface adapted to contact, and be supported by, an inside surface of a building doorway or similar structure. The wall grip may include a grip cushion made of a pliable material, thereby providing a cushioned contact surface of the stop against the building doorway. The lip of the wall grip may be a substantially flat surface adapted to contact, and be supported by, a back side of a building doorway or similar structure.

The base frame assembly may further comprise a pivot shaft, wherein the pivot sleeve of the swing arm may be pivotally coupled to the pivot shaft. The pivot shaft may include a plurality of annular grooves. A portion of the pivot sleeve may be received by at least one of the plurality of annular grooves, thereby the swing arm may be free to rotate about the pivot shaft while at least one of the plurality of annular grooves may restrict lateral movement of the swing arm when a load is applied to the handle bar of the swing arm. The smallest inside diameter of the pivot sleeve may be greater than the largest diameter of the pivot shaft, whereby the pivot sleeve of the swing arm may be selectively positioned in more than one location on the pivot shaft. This may provide for an adjustable side to side positioning of the handle bar while also providing a stable support for the user during use.

The grip shaft of the wall support may be biased away from the wall support base by way of a compression spring received by the wall support base. A grip pin may be releasably secured to the grip shaft, and received by, a pin slot in the wall support base of the wall support. Thus, the grip pin in the pin slot may define a specific range of motion of the grip shaft relative to the wall support base.

The wherein the swing arm may also be comprised of a pivot member, including a receiver tube and a locking pin on the receiver tube. The pivot member may be pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly. A handle member with a handle bar and an extension may be provided as being selectively secured to the receiver tube of the pivot member in more than one position and releasably secured to the pivot member by the locking pin.

The present invention may include a single movable grip shaft on one side of the wall support. It may be considered the preferred embodiment to include a first grip shaft on one side and a second grip shaft on the opposite side of the wall support. Both the first and the second grip shafts may be movably coupled to, and biased away from, the wall support base. The first grip shaft and the second grip shaft may each be biased away from the wall support base by a respective spring housed within the wall support base. Both the first grip shaft and the second grip shaft may include a wall grip coupled to a distal end of each of the first grip shaft and the second grip shaft.

The current invention may also include a method of exercise including providing the elements as previously presented, positioning the exercise device in a doorway of building, placing the wall grip against the doorway of the building and thereby securing the exercise device to the building. Then providing a user with hands, hips and feet, the user facing the exercise device and grasping the handle bar of the swing arm with the hands of the user and lowering the hips of the user while holding the handle bar of the swing arm, thereby allowing the center of gravity of the user to extend behind the heels of the feet of the user at the bottom of the squat position while being supported by the exercise device by way of the swing arm.

The method may also include providing a resistance plate including a pair of resistance arms biased in a lower position. Then attaching a portion of the user to at least one of the resistance arms by way of a belt or harness while the user in in a lowered position. Then having the user stand up, thereby overcoming the resistance of gravity by the weight of the user and additionally to overcome the bias against movement of the resistance arms.

For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages can be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments and drawings, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment(s) disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a side view of a user performing a traditional squat showing the relative forces and knee angle, the movement done without the aid of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a side view of a user performing a squat showing the relative forces and knee angle, the movement done as may be provided with the aid of the present invention

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of one embodiment of an exercise device shown alone and in a relaxed position, the exercise device presented in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of the exercise device as presented in FIG. 2 shown along the detail line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the exercise device as presented in FIG. 3 shown along the detail line 4-4. The detail including a cut out showing the interior of the pivot sleeve.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the exercise device of FIG. 2 with a user is a squat position, the exercise device supported in a doorway of a structure.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the exercise device of FIG. 2 with a user is an upright or standing position, the exercise device supported in a doorway of a structure.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the wall support base of the exercise device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectioned view of the wall support base of FIG. 7, cut along section line 8-8.

FIG. 9 is a detail view of a portion of the wall support of the present invention cut along line 9-9 as shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a right front exploded isometric view of the grip shaft, wall grip and grip cushion of the invention as shown FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is a left front isometric view of the exercise device of FIG. 2, shown with an alternative handle in a raised position, as would be during use.

FIG. 12 is a left front isometric view of the exercise device of FIG. 2, shown with the preferred handle in a raised position, as would be during use.

FIG. 13 is a left front isometric view of a resistance plate which may be used in conjunction with the exercise device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the exercise device shown in FIG. 11 including the resistance plate of FIG. 13, shown with a user in a lower squat position.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the exercise device shown in FIG. 14, shown with a user in an upright or standing position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the illustrative drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there is shown a schematic of a side view illustrating a user 20 performing a traditional squat (FIG. 1A) and supported squat (FIG. 1B) movements. In a traditional squat (FIG. 1A), the user 20 must maintain their center of gravity 22 above the foot 24 of the user 20. If that does not happen, and there is no stabilizing force applied to the user 20, the user will fall over. Due to the mechanics of the body, in order to get the upper leg 26 into a position that is near parallel to the floor, the knee flexion angle (θ₁) must be greater than 90° because the lower leg 28 must rotate forward so the upper leg 26 can move forward enough to allow the center of gravity 22 of the user 20 to be positioned in front of the heal 30 of the user 20.

By contrast, with the supported squat movement, as shown in FIG. 1B, the user 20 may use their hands 32 to grasp a handle (not shown) and thereby apply a substantially horizontal hand force FH to the user 20. By doing so, the user 20 may allow their upper body 34, and therefore their center of gravity 22, to be positioned further back, behind the foot 24. Thereby, the lower leg 28 does not need to angle as far forward and this knee flexion angle (θ₂) may maintain a lesser value than seen in the knee flexion angle (θ₁) in the traditional squat (FIG. 1A). To establish equilibrium, this hand force F_H multiplied by the perpendicular distance from the ground (Y), may equal to the product of the force of the body weight (F_BW) of the user 20 times the horizontal distance (X) the center of gravity 22 is behind the ground reaction force vector (F_G). In practical terms, if the value of (Y) is five times that of (X), the hand force (F_H) need only be ⅕ of the body weight (F_BW). So, a 150-pound person would only need to apply a hand force (F_H) of thirty pounds, or fifteen pounds per hand, in order to stabilize the user 20 to perform a supported squat movement. The result of which may be a greatly reduced knee flexion angle (θ₂) that may be near 90° at the bottom of the supported squat movement, as shown in FIG. 1B with the upper leg 26 in the same orientation relative to the ground as with the traditional squat (FIG. 1A) which has a much greater knee flexion angle (θ₁).

An embodiment of an exercise device 36, which allows the user 20 performing a supported squat movement is shown in FIGS. 2-4. A base frame assembly 38 may include a base frame 40 with two legs 42 positioned adjacent to each other. The bottom of each leg 42 may include a bumper 44 to help provide a stable support on the floor of a home or other structure. At the top of the base frame assembly 38, a pivot shaft 46 may be provided that may be releasably secured to the base frame 40. A swing arm 48 may be provided that may include a handle bar 50 on one end and a pivot sleeve 52 on an opposite end. The pivot sleeve 52 may be received by the pivot shaft 46, thereby enabling pivotal movement of the swing arm 48 relative to the base frame 40.

The base frame assembly 38 alone may need at least three legs to stand on its own. Even then, the base frame assembly 38 could potentially tip over if a force was applied to the swing arm 48. As such, a wall support 54 may be coupled to the base frame assembly 38. The wall support 54 may include a wall support base 56, which may be physically coupled to the base frame assembly 38. A grip shaft 58 may be movably received by the wall support base 56. On the end of the grip shaft 58 may be a wall grip 60. The wall grip 60 may include a stop 62, which may be used to press against the inside of a door frame and a lip 64, which may be positioned against a back side of a door frame. This will be shown in more detail later in the disclosure.

In this, a preferred embodiment, there may be two grip shafts 58, one on each side of the wall support base 56, each grip shaft 58 may include a wall grip 60 on its distal end. The grip shafts 58 may be biased away from the wall support base 56 by way of a spring, thereby when the wall grips 60 on each side may adjust to any number of door opening widths. It is understood that having only one movable grip shaft 58 on one side only would allow the wall support 54 to adjust to different door opening widths. However, the applicant has determined a preferred embodiment includes a grip shaft 58 on each end of the wall support base 56 and that each grip shaft 58 includes a wall grip 60 and each grip shaft 58 is movable relative to the wall support base 56, as is detailed in this disclosure. This better allows for more adjustment to better accommodate a wider or narrower door opening.

It is also possible for the pivot sleeve 52 of the swing arm 48 to be pivotally coupled to the wall support base 56. In some ways this may simplify the design by making the pivot shaft 46 and the wall support base 56 the same physical element. It is understood that the wall support base 56 may also act as a pivot shaft 46. For the purposes of illustration and ease of assembly, the applicant has determined it beneficial to make the pivot shaft 46 and the support base 56 independent elements, as shown here.

It may be desirable to have the swing arm 48 be able to adjust to different positions to the right or left of the base frame 40, and not just be located in the center of the base frame 40. It may also be desirable for the swing arm 48 to not move to the right or left when the exercise device 36 is in use, meaning tension is applied to the swing arm 48 and it is moving. The swing arm 48 may be used to partially support the user 20 during use, so it may be important that the swing arm 48 be stable against moving side to side unless it is intentionally being adjusted to the side. A solution to this is shown in FIGS. 3-4.

In this embodiment the pivot shaft 46 may include a plurality of grooves 62. The pivot sleeve 52 may include one or more bushings 64 which may be pressed into the pivot sleeve 52, thereby securing the bushings 64 to the pivot sleeve 52 in a set location. The inside diameter of the bushings 64 may be slightly larger in diameter than the largest diameter of the pivot shaft 46. In this way the pivot sleeve 52 and the rest of the swingarm 48 may be moved to any number of positions along the length of the pivot shaft 52. The bushings 64 of the pivot sleeve 52 may be received by one or more of the corresponding grooves 62 in the pivot shaft 46. The ridges in the pivot shaft 46 that define the lateral aspects of the grooves 62 may provide a restriction to lateral movement of the pivot sleeve 52 when tension is placed on the swing arm 48, such as when the swing arm 48 is being used by the user 20. In this embodiment there are shown two bushings 64 which are linearly spaced apart and housed in the pivot sleeve 52. The linear spacing of the two bushings may correspond to the spacing of the grooves 62 in the pivot shaft 46. It is understood that having two bushings 64 spaced apart may provide greater stability for the swing arm 48, but a single bushing 64 in the center of the pivot sleeve 52 may also fulfill the needs as presented.

A suggested use of the exercise device 36 is shown in FIGS. 5-6 with the user 20 performing a supported squat movement. Here the user 20 is shown in a squatting or lower position in FIG. 5 and in a standing or upright position in FIG. 6. The user 20 may grasp the handle bar 50 of the swing arm 48 with the wall support 54 secured to a door frame 66 by the stop 62 of the wall grip 60 resting against an inside 63 of the door frame 66 and the lip 64 of the wall grip 60 supported against a back side 65 of the door frame 66. This combination may secure the base frame assembly 38 of the exercise device 36 to the door frame 66. The user 20 may then sit back on the squatting position and apply the hand force (F_H) as noted above to enable the user 20 to perform the supported squat movement.

With reference to FIGS. 7-10, more detail of the wall support 54 is shown starting with a plan view in FIG. 7. A section line 8-8 defines the section view in FIG. 8 and a detail view of the portion of the wall support base 56 and grip shaft 58 is shown in FIG. 9. An exploded view of the grip shaft 58 with the wall grip is detailed in FIG. 10. The wall support base 56 may be comprised of a round tube, which may house a spring 68. The spring 68 may contact the grip shaft 58, thereby biasing the grip shaft 58 away from a center location of the wall support base 56 by way of a force required to compress the spring 68. The grip shaft 58 may be inserted into a distal end of the wall support base 56, partially compressing the spring 68. Then a grip pin 70 may be inserted through a pin slot 72 in the wall support base 56 and secured to the grip shaft 58, with a portion of the grip pin 70 extending out on one or both sides of the grip shaft 58 and into the pin slot 72 of the wall support base 56. In doing so, the grip pin 70 may act as a fastener to maintain the grip shaft 58 in the wall support base 56 as defined by the grip pin 70 in the pin slot 72. The presence of the grip pin 70 in the pin slot 72 also prevents the grip shaft 58, and thereby the wall grip 60, from rotating with respect to the wall support base 56. This may maintain proper orientation of the wall grip 60 relative to a door frame 66. A grip cushion 74 may be positioned on the wall grip 60. The grip cushion 74 may be manufactured of a pliable, high friction and non-marking material such as a rubber or polyurethane so as to help position the wall grip 60 to the door frame 66 without damaging or marking the door frame 66.

What is not shown in FIGS. 5-6 is a door, as would likely be seen mounted to the door frame 66. As the exercise device 36 is intended to be used, any associated door would likely be in the open position, it is understood that any door would take up some room that may be desired to be used by the user 20. In the presence of a door, it may be desirable for the user 20 to be able to move slightly to one side, away from the open door. To solve that potential problem, two solutions are presented in FIGS. 11-12. The embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 12 has been presented in detail and shown in FIGS. 2-4. In this embodiment the swing arm 48 may be selectively positioned on the pivot shaft 46 and moved to the right as indicated by the right arrow 76 or to the left as indicated by the left arrow 78.

An alternative embodiment of the exercise device 36 is presented in FIG. 11. Here the wall support 54 and base frame assembly 38 may be similar or identical to that as previously disclosed. The swing arm 48′ may be unique in that it may include a pivot member 80, which may include a receiver tube 82 and a locking pin 84. The pivot member 80 may be pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly 38 by a pivot pin 85. A handle member 86 may also be provided which may include a handle bar 88 and a handle extension 90. The handle extension 90 may be selectively secured to the receiver tube 82 of the pivot member 80 in more than one position and be releasably secured to the pivot member 80 by the locking pin 84 engaging one of the extension holes 92 in the handle extension 90. Similar to the previous embodiment, the handle bar 88 may be moved to the right as designated by the right arrow 94 or to the left as designated by the left arrow 96 here by disengaging the locking pin 84, moving the handle member 86 to the desired position and then reengaging the locking pin 84 in one of the extension holes 92.

As with any resistance training exercise device, it may be desirable to add additional resistance to the exercise in addition to the resistance provided by the body weight of the user 20. An example of a device to accomplish this is shown in FIGS. 13-15. In FIG. 13 a resistance plate 98 is shown which may include a pair of resistance arms 100. The resistance arms 100 may be biased in a lowered position, as shown in this figure. Each of the resistance arms 100 may be coupled to a main shaft 102 by way of a clamp 104, whereby every degree of rotation of a resistance arm 100 may provide one degree of rotation of the main shaft 102. The main shaft 102 may be securely coupled to a spring arm 106 on a first end and one or more springs 108 may be selectively secured to a second end of the spring arm 106. The springs 108 may be anchored to a base arm 110, which may be securely coupled to a foot platform 112.

A seat 114 may be movably coupled to the base arm 110, such that the seat 114 may be adjusted up or down on the base arm 110 and releasably locked at a desired height by way of a seat lock 116. The seat 114 may act as a guide to the user 20 to define a lowest position for the glutes of the user 20 at the bottom of the squat movement. Likewise, the seat 114 may be used by the user 20 to support the weight of the user 20 to assist in securing the user 20 to the resistance arms 100. This will become apparent in FIGS. 14-15, showing a traditional use of the resistance plate 98 with the exercise device 36.

The user 20 is shown in FIG. 14 to be in a lower or squat position with the glutes 116 of the user 20 positioned on the seat 114 of the resistance plate 98. The user 20 may have a belt 118 around the waist. The belt 118 may include a belt strap 120 that may be releasably secured to the resistance arm 100 of the resistance plate 98. The user 20 may position their feet 24 on the foot platform 112 to thereby anchor the resistance plate 98 in a stable position on a floor 121. Likewise, the exercise device 36 may also be supported on the floor 121 and understood to also be supported by a door frame 66, as shown in FIGS. 5-6, but the door frame 66 is intentionally not shown in FIGS. 14-15. In these figures, the exercise device 36 is shown to be the version as shown in FIG. 11, but it is understood that any variation of the exercise device 36 of the present invention may be used.

When the user 20 extends their hip and knee joints to a standing position, as is shown in FIG. 15, the resistance arm 100 is rotated upward. As such, the spring arm 106 may also rotate the same degree and in the same direction causing the spring 108 to extend. Stretching the spring 108 provides a resistance to this movement, as the spring 108 provides a bias to the resistance arms 100 to remain in the lower position. Overcoming the resistance to movement of the resistance arms 100, provided by the stretching of the spring 108 as well as raising the center of gravity of the user from a seated position (FIG. 14) to a standing position (FIG. 15) both provide tension to the muscles of the user 20, thereby exercising the muscles of the user 20.

More springs 108 may be added to the spring arm 106 and the base arm 110. The greater the number of springs 108, the more resistance will need to be overcome by the user 20 as the torque to move the resistance arm 100 will increase. In addition, the location of the springs 108 on the spring arm 106 and base arm 110 may also alter the torque the springs 108 have about the main shaft 102. The greater the perpendicular distance of the springs 108 from the center of the main shaft 102 the greater the torque the springs 108 provide and therefore the greater the force will the required to upwardly rotate the resistance arm 100 by the user 20. Therefore, by providing different numbers of springs 108 of different spring tensions and locating the springs 108 at different locations on the spring arm 106, the user 20 can generate a variety of different tensions in the belt strap 120, which is applied directly to the user 20.

It is understood that any number of attachments may be used to connect the user 20 to the resistance arms 100 of the resistance plate 98. The belt 118 is shown here as there are advantages to loading the hips of the user 20 instead of the shoulders, as with a shoulder harness. If the desire is to reduce compressive loading of the spine while performing the exercise, the belt 118 may be more desirable than a shoulder harness. These resistance attachment variations are considered common in the art and are not considered unique relating to the novelty of the present invention.

The foregoing detailed description of the present invention is provided for purpose of illustration, and it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiment shown. The embodiments may provide different capabilities and benefits, depending on the configuration used to implement key features of the invention.

Claims

1. An exercise system, comprising: a base frame assembly, including a base frame and a wall support, the wall support including a wall support base coupled to the base frame and a grip shaft movably coupled to, and biased away from, the wall support base;a wall grip coupled to a distal end of the grip shaft; anda swing arm with a handle bar on a first end, and a pivot sleeve on a second end, of the swing arm, the pivot sleeve pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly, whereby a user may releasably secure the base frame assembly to a door frame by way of the wall grip, grasp the handle bar of the swing arm and perform a supported squat movement.

2. The exercise system according to claim 1, wherein the wall grip is comprised of a stop and a lip positioned substantially perpendicular to, and adjacent to, the stop.

3. The exercise system according to claim 2, wherein the stop of the wall grip is a substantially flat surface adapted to contact and be supported by an inside surface of a building doorway.

4. The exercise system according to claim 3, wherein the wall grip includes a grip cushion made of a pliable material, thereby providing a cushioned contact surface of the stop against the building doorway.

5. The exercise system according to claim 2, wherein the lip of the wall grip is a substantially flat surface adapted to contact and be supported by a back side of a building doorway.

6. The exercise system according to claim 5, wherein the wall grip includes a grip cushion made of a pliable material, thereby providing a cushioned contact surface of the lip against the building doorway.

7. The exercise system according to claim 1, wherein the base frame assembly further comprises a pivot shaft, wherein the pivot sleeve of the swing arm is pivotally coupled to the pivot shaft.

8. The exercise system according to claim 7, wherein the pivot shaft includes a plurality of grooves and a portion of the pivot sleeve is received by at least one of the plurality of grooves, thereby the swing arm is free to rotate about the pivot shaft and at least one of the plurality of grooves restrict lateral movement of the swing arm when a load is applied to the handle bar of the swing arm.

9. The exercise system according to claim 8, wherein the smallest inside diameter of the pivot sleeve is greater than the largest diameter of the pivot shaft, whereby the pivot sleeve of the swing arm may be selectively positioned in more than one location on the pivot shaft.

10. The exercise system according to claim 1, wherein the grip shaft of the wall support is biased away from the wall support base by way of a compression spring received by the wall support base.

11. The exercise system according to claim 1, further comprising a grip pin releasably secured to the grip shaft, and received by, a pin slot in the wall support base of the wall support, whereby the grip pin in the pin slot defines a specific range of motion of the grip shaft relative to the wall support base.

12. The exercise system according to claim 1, wherein the swing arm is comprised of a pivot member, including a receiver tube and a locking pin on the receiver tube, the pivot member pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly; and a handle member with a handle bar and a handle extension, the handle extension being selectively secured to the receiver tube of the pivot member in more than one position and releasably secured to the pivot member by the locking pin.

13. The exercise system according to claim 1, further comprising a second grip shaft movably coupled to, and biased away from, the wall support base.

14. The exercise system according to claim 13, wherein the second grip shaft is biased away from the wall support base by a spring housed within the wall support base.

15. The exercise system according to claim 13, wherein the second grip shaft includes a wall grip coupled to a distal end of the second grip shaft.

16. A method of performing a supported squat movement exercise, comprising: providing an exercise device including: a base frame assembly, including a base frame and a wall support, the wall support including a wall support base coupled to the base frame and a grip shaft movably coupled to, and biased away from, the wall support base;a wall grip coupled to a distal end of the grip shaft; anda swing arm with a handle bar on a first end, and a pivot sleeve on a second end, of the swing arm, the pivot sleeve pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly;positioning the exercise device in a doorway of building;placing the wall grip against the doorway of the building and thereby securing the exercise device to the building;providing a user with hands, hips and feet, the user facing the exercise device and grasping the handle bar of the swing arm with the hands of the user; andlowering the hips of the user while holding the handle bar of the swing arm, and allowing the center of gravity of the user to extend behind the heels of the feet of the user at the bottom of the squat position while being supported by the exercise device by way of the swing arm.

17. The method of exercising according to claim 16, further comprising: providing a resistance plate including a pair of resistance arms biased in a lower position;attaching a portion of the user to at least one of the resistance arms while the user in in a lowered position; andproviding the user to stand up, overcoming the resistance of gravity by the weight of the user and additionally to overcome the bias against movement of the resistance arms.

18. An exercise system, comprising: a base frame assembly, including a base frame and a wall support, the wall support including a wall support base coupled to the base frame and a first grip shaft movably coupled to the wall support base on a first side and a second grip shaft movably coupled to the wall support base on a second side of the wall support base, the first side of the wall support base being substantially opposite to the second side of the wall support base;a first wall grip coupled to a distal end of the first grip shaft and a second wall grip coupled to the distal end of the second grip shaft; anda swing arm with a handle bar on a first end, and a pivot sleeve on a second end, of the swing arm, the pivot sleeve pivotally coupled to the base frame assembly, whereby a user may releasably secure the base frame assembly to a door frame by positioning the first wall grip on one side of the door frame and the second wall grip on an opposite side of the door frame, grasp the handle bar of the swing arm and perform a supported squat movement.

19. The exercise system according to claim 18. wherein the first grip shaft is biased away from the second grip shaft.

20. The exercise system according to claim 19. wherein the first grip shaft is biased away from the second grip shaft by way of a compression spring received by the wall support base.