Patent Application
20220257995
The present invention relates to a lift-resistance machine in which the exercise training action involves the act of lifting, pulling or pushing a weight bar or handle, and then lowering the bar or handle in a reverse direction, and repeating the motion. The arrangement employed in this invention permits a greater weight resistance to be experienced on the upward or lifting motion than on the lowering or return motion.
In embodiments of the invention, the weight bar or handle has cables or lines attached to its ends, and the upward motion of the bar pulls the cables and these in turn drive a fan-flywheel, via a system of pulleys and elastic or resilient return mechanisms, so that rotary acceleration plus air resistance provides at least some of the counterforce to motion, rather than gravity alone.
This arrangement can be used in place of a barbell for presses, squats, curls and similar exercises that typically require a gravity resistance weight like a barbell. This can also be used for bench presses in which the subject reclines and pushes the bar upwards against gravity. The amount of resistance depends on the airflow volume that is generated by the fan via the cables or cords that connect to the exercise bar. There can be a baffle or louver to adjust the airflow through the fan.
The arrangement here involves a modular platform in which there is an upper deck on which the person may stand, and a base, with an open space defined between the deck and the base. In some embodiments, the deck and the base may be opposite sides of the same base panel. The fan may optionally be disposed (entirely or partly) below the deck of the platform. Right and left pull cords coming from respective sides of the platform extend up to corresponding ends of the pull bar. There is a multiplier arrangement, i.e., force transfer mechanism such as a system of pulleys, exposed above or concealed under the deck so that placing stress on the pull cords will pull a drive chain or drive belt to rotate the fan. Other mechanical transmission mechanisms could be used here, e.g., a gear drive.
Prior modular mechanical arrangements with cables providing resistance to a pulling or pushing movement have been attempted for weight training use with resistance being applied in upward and downward phases of the exercise motion, but where the pull was the same on the upward and downward or return phases. This, just as with using simple gravity weights, can result in muscular soreness or even injury due to the heavy stress on the downward or return phase of motion.
It has been established by research that exercise movements that have heavy weight stress when the weight is being lowered on the return motion can result in high levels of muscle damage and soreness. This has been specifically reported in Friden, J., Ljorell, U., and L-E. Thornell, Delayed muscle soreness and cytoskeletal alterations. An immunocytological study in man, Int'l. J. Sports Med., 5:15-18 (1984), and in Friden, J. and R. L. Lieber, The structural and mechanical basis of exercise-induced muscle injury, Med. Sci. Sport Exerc. 24:521-530 (1992). Concentric movement occurs when a muscle is contracting and a weight is being lifted, and eccentric movement occurs when a muscle is co-actively lengthening and a weight is being lowered. Movements that have a relatively high eccentric value are associated with high muscle damage and consequent high levels of muscular soreness in the hours and days after the bout of exercise has been completed. Conversely, exercise movements with low eccentric values are associated with lower levels of muscle damage and less soreness. For example, lunges typically cause trainees to experience high levels of soreness, while biking (cycling) produces lower levels of soreness, even when the resistance and range of motion are equivalent. However, this principle has not been followed in the design of any weight training or similar resistance exercise equipment, where a barbell has been used in a vertical movement pattern, and/or with the resistance force applied over the subjects body center of mass.
Flywheel resistance systems, sometimes combined with a fan or blower to convert air flow to a mechanical resistance, have been employed in some non-vertical-lift exercise equipment, such as in stationary exercise bicycles or ergometers or in mechanical rowing machines. To date, unfortunately, the usefulness of flywheel-fan systems to change the dynamics of concentric motion versus eccentric motion has been missed in weight training equipment that uses a lift motion against gravity.
In a flywheel system, the concentric phase of movement requires the exercise trainee to accelerate the flywheel, which provides the resistance to motion. However, on the return phase or eccentric phase, the flywheel is clutched out of engagement with the lever or bar, so the force experienced on that phase is not at all affected by the flywheel, and this permits the subject to perform an exercise in which there can be very high levels of concentric force and very low levels of eccentric force. This may be experienced, for example, in an exercise rowing machine in which the concentric phase corresponds to the pull stroke of the oar against water to accelerate a boat, while the eccentric phase corresponds to the return stroke in which the oar would be held out of the water. However, the lifting phase and lowering phase of a gravity weight do not logically provide different amounts of force to the trainee, and no one has previously attempted to employ a flywheel or fan to create any portion of the resistance on an exercise machine or exercise station for performing vertical lift and lowering motions against gravity or a simulated gravity resistance.
It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus and system to permit an athlete or other trainee to perform exercises in which lifting against a vertical resistance places a greater force on the person during the concentric (lift) phase or stroke, and a reduced force during the eccentric (return or lowering) phase or stroke, as a means to reduce the levels of soreness or muscular injury as mentioned previously that are associated with traditional gravity weight exercise devices.
It is another and related object to provide a vertical lift exercise device in which a flywheel, rotary fan or combination thereof provides part or all of the resistance to the exercise trainee during the concentric and eccentric phases of the exercise motion, and results in a differential of force as between the concentric and eccentric phases.
A further object is to provide an exercise machine or station in which the trainee lifts an elongated bar with cables or cords connecting the bar to a rotary resistance member, which may incorporate a flywheel, fan, or both.
A still further object is to provide such an exercise machine or station that can be used for various exercises, including lifts, squats, shoulder presses, curls, and bench presses.
A related object is to provide such an exercise machine or station in which traditional gravity weights e.g. weight disks can be mounted on the bar to provide a portion of the resistance.
Another object is to provide the exercise machine or station with a variable airflow control so that the amount of resistance on the concentric phase of motion can be adjusted.
According to an object of this invention, a vertical lift exercise apparatus has a horizontal platform member of arranged such that a human subject may position himself or herself over a proximal portion of the platform member. There may be a left side member and a right side member, configured to hold the platform member at the floor surface or at a predetermined height over the floor surface, in some cases favorably creating a space or compartment between the platform member and the floor surface.
One or more rotary fans, flywheel, or flywheel-fan may serve as a rotary resistance member and this is favorably positioned at a distal portion of the aforesaid compartment and preferably at least partially beneath the platform. The horizontal platform member may have a central portion at a proximal end portion thereof and which is adapted to permit the human subject to be supported thereon when performing an exercise motion. The fan or blower may have a vertical, inclined, or horizontal rotation. A left cable and a right cable are positioned adjacent or within such space and extend upwards from a left portion and a right portion, and extend near, i.e., above or within the horizontal platform member. A barbell or other elongated rigid bar member has its left and right ends configured so that the left and right cables are respectively attached. Also, a transmission arrangement within the compartment couples the left and right cables to the rotatable resistance member and is configured to apply a torque to the rotatable resistance member when the bar member pulls the left and right cable upward and rotates the rotatable resistance member when the left and right cables are let downward towards the associated platform member. In some favorable embodiments the cables and associated pulleys are exposed above the deck or platform, while in others the cables emerge through respective left and right apertures in the deck of the platform member, with the cables traveling between associated pulleys concealed beneath the deck.
The platform member can be configured to indicate positions of left and right feet of a human subject when standing on the platform member. There may be pulleys within the fan/flywheel compartment so that the transmission arrangement rotates the fan/flywheel to provide resistance by moving air when torque is applied by upward movement of the left and right cables. The rotatable resistance member can further include a mechanism for adjustably controlling airflow so that the amount of resistance on the upward motion of the left and right cables can be adjusted. In some embodiments, a pair of rotary fans provide resistance.
The rigid bar member can additionally accept weight disks at its left and right ends. In some embodiments the horizontal bar member may be separate left and right bars, so the left and right cables may be separately operated. The transmission arrangement can be configured with pulleys, cables, and at least one resilient return member, connected from ends of the left and right cables to a one-directional drive member on the flywheel, fan, or other rotatable resistance member.
The invention can be seen also as a method of performing an exercise that involves lifting against a vertically directed resistance, and placing an individual on a horizontal support surface and on an exercise work station at the horizontal support surface. In this configuration, the work station may include at least left and right horizontal members extending from a proximal end portion to a distal portion; at least one rotatable resistance member disposed in a housing at the distal portion; a left cable and a right cable positioned respectively in the left and right horizontal members, and the left and right cables having end portions extending upwards directly from pulleys or from apertures located at the respective proximal end portions of the left and right horizontal members and with the left and right cables also extending to a transmission arrangement associated with the flywheel fan or other rotatable resistance member. An elongated horizontal rigid bar member has left and right ends to which the respective end portions of said left and right cables are attached.
An individual subject may perform an exercise movement by moving the elongated horizontal rigid bar member upwards thereby applying a torque to the rotatable resistance member, and lowering the elongated rigid bar member thereby releasing torque from the rotatable resistance member and reducing force on the eccentric phase.
Thus the individual subject experiences a downward force that is relatively greater on the upward movement and relatively lesser on the downward movement. The equipment may be used for exercise movement such as a standing shoulder press, an arm curl, or a bench press. These are a few examples only, and the same equipment can be employed for a large variety of exercises.
The starting position for the bar can be adjusted upwards or downwards by lengthening or shortening the end portions of the left and right cables and can be adjusted to place the elongated horizontal rigid bar at different respective positions for different exercise movements.
Many variations of this equipment and its use will become apparent from the following description of selected preferred embodiments, to be considered in connection with the accompanying Drawing figures.
With reference to the Drawing Figures, and initially to
A rigid horizontal barbell, i.e., rigid solid or tubular bar member 22, and may be straight or undulating, as preferred. The bar member 22 is shown at an elevated exercise position, and support structure is omitted in this view. Foot plates 24 may be present to indicate a preferred position for the user to stand. Left and right flexible inextensible cable member 26, which may be cables, cords, chains or the like, extend upward to the respective ends of the bar member 22 above where the cable members exit through respective apertures 28 in the deck 14 near the proximal end of the deck. In some embodiments, the deck 14 may be omitted or consolidated with the base member 18, as disclosed with reference to
A resistance flywheel compartment 30 is located at a distal or back end of the exercise station 10, here shown partly elevated above the deck 14. This compartment may be located entirely below the deck 14 in some embodiments. This compartment 30 is comprised of a flywheel housing 30A and a cord-flywheel transmission compartment 30B.
As shown in
In each of these two embodiments the locations of the footplates 24 are shown. The distal end of each unit is at the top of the drawing, and the proximal end is at the bottom in each view.
As shown in the side view of
Another embodiment 310 of the exercise station of this invention that is well adapted for bench press use is shown in
Many elaborate fan/fan-flywheel exercise machines currently exist but none are configured to be used with or incorporate an elongated bar in the nature of a barbell to be held in two hands and used for traditional bar-bell exercise motions (but reducing the muscular stress in the concentric phase of the motion). The difference is vast in performing an exercise with two separate handles or levers, and one elongated rigid barbell. The present invention employs a rod or bar as discussed with pull cables or push cables fixed to attachment points at either end of the rod or bar. In contrast to the exercise machines that are currently available, the arrangement of the present invention allows the trainee or athlete to use a barbell (with or without additional weight disks) for any and all the associated barbell movements while experiencing resistance applied from a flywheel system. With this arrangement, the trainee can place himself or herself under the barbell, placing is as normally on their upper back, their front rack or at any other barbell position. Being able to place himself or herself under the barbell is a unique advantage for trainees because it allows the trainee to balance his or her weight, i.e., center of mass, directly over their base of support.
While this invention has been described with reference to a number of selected, illustrative embodiments, but the invention is not limited only to those illustrated embodiments. Rather the invention should be measured as recited in the appended Claims.
