The disclosure relates to an exercise apparatus, more particularly to a fitness exercise apparatus that combines aerobic and strength training.
An existing rowing fitness machine, as disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. M585159, includes a frame, a seat slidable along the frame, two foot pedals respectively disposed on left and right sides of the frame, a fan resistance mechanism disposed on a front end of the frame, a pulling device for driving a fan of the fan resistance mechanism to rotate, and a handgrip for driving the pulling device. The pulling device includes a chain, and an elastic cord connected to the chain.
After a user is seated on the seat with his/her feet positioned on the foot pedals, he/she can pull rearward the handgrip, so that the chain can drive a transmission sprocket of the fan resistance mechanism to rotate, and simultaneously, a connecting seat can pull forward the elastic cord so that the elastic cord can store a restoring force. When the user stops applying force, through the restoring force of the elastic cord, the user and the connecting seat are moved forward. Relatively, the chain and the handgrip connected to the connecting seat are also returned to their original forward positions.
Although the aforesaid rowing fitness machine can achieve its intended purpose, it can only provide a limited mode of exercise, so that the resulting muscle training cannot be comprehensive. Further, due to the mechanical inertia of the fan of the fan resistance mechanism, it is necessary to design other mechanisms to eliminate this inertia, making the mechanism complicated and prone to failure.
Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a fitness exercise apparatus that combines aerobic and strength training to achieve training of the muscles of different parts of the body of a user.
According to this disclosure, a fitness exercise apparatus comprises a main frame, a seat frame, a plurality of elastic cords, a plurality of pulling units and a pair of handles. The main frame includes a base member, and a support unit disposed on the base member. The support unit has a bottom portion connected to the base member, and a top portion opposite to the bottom portion. The seat frame is connected to the main frame, and includes a guide rail, and a seat assembly slidably disposed on the guide rail. The seat assembly is movable toward and away from the support unit along the guide rail. The elastic cords are mounted on the main frame. Each elastic cord extends from the bottom portion to the top portion of the support unit. At least one of the elastic cords dampens the sliding movement of the seat assembly. Each pulling unit includes a plurality of pulley sets provided on the main frame and the seat frame, and a plurality of wires each of which is looped around a corresponding one of the pulley sets and connectable with a corresponding one of the elastic cords. Each handle is connected to a selected one of the elastic cord and the wire.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
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The main frame 10 includes a base member 11, a support unit 12 and a plurality of guide wheels 13. The base member 11 is configured to be disposed on a support surface, such as a ground surface, and has an anti-skid plate 111 provided on a top surface thereof. The support unit 12 is disposed on the base member 11, and includes a middle support post 123 having a bottom portion 121 connected to the base member 11 and a top portion 122 opposite to the bottom portion 121, two side support posts 124 respectively connected to two opposite sides of the middle support post 123 between the top and bottom portions 122, 121 thereof, a hanging rod 125 connected to the middle support post 123 and located below the side support posts 124, two wheel frames 126 respectively disposed on two opposite ends of the hanging rod 125, a fixing frame 127 connected between the base member 11 and the middle support post 123, and a pair of foot pedals 128 mounted on the fixing frame 127.
The fixing frame 127 includes a substantially inverted U-shaped rod 1271, a vertical rod 1274, a curved rod 1275, and a horizontal rod 1276. The inverted U-shaped rod 1271 has two legs 1272 connected to the base member 11, and a bight portion 1273 connected between top ends of the vertical legs 1272. The vertical rod 1274 is connected to and extends upwardly from the bight portion 1273. The curved rod 1275 has two opposite ends respectively connected to a top end of the vertical rod 1273 and a central portion of the middle support post 123. The horizontal rod 1276 is connected between the vertical legs 1272 and is proximate to the base member 11. Some of the guide wheels 13 are disposed on the middle support post 123 in proximity to the bottom portion 121 thereof, while the other guide wheels 13 are disposed on top ends of the side support posts 124. The foot pedals 128 are respectively connected to outer sides of the vertical legs 1272.
The seat frame 20 is detachably connected to the main frame 10, and includes a guide rail 21 configured as a long rod having a first end portion 211 detachably connected to the fixing frame 127 and a second end portion 212 opposite to the first end portion 211 and distal to the fixing frame 127, a seat assembly 22 slidably disposed on the guide rail 21, a support post 26 having a bottom end configured to be disposed on the support surface and a top end opposite to the bottom end, a pair of knee support rods 23 respectively connected to two opposite sides of the top end of the support post 26, a swing rod 24 pivoted to the top end of the support post 26 and located between the knee support rods 23, and a pair of positioning rods 25 respectively connected to two opposite sides of the swing rod 24 and distal to the knee support rods 23. The second end portion 212 of the guide rail 21 is connected to the support post 26 between the top and bottom ends thereof. The seat assembly 22 is movable toward and away from the fixing frame 127 along the guide rail 21.
The seat frame 20 is movable between a use position (see
The elastic cords 30 are mounted on the main frame 10 and are positioned on the side support posts 124. That is, each elastic cord 30 has a first cord end 31 extending out of one of the guide wheels 13 disposed on the middle support post 123 and hookable onto the horizontal rod 1276, and a second cord end 32 opposite to the first cord end 31 and extending out of one of the guide wheels 13 disposed on the top end of a corresponding one of the side support posts 124. The first cord ends 31 of two of the elastic cords 30 can be detached from the horizontal rod 1276 and then hooked onto the hanger 224 to dampen the sliding movement of the seat assembly 22.
Each of the pulling units 40 includes a plurality of pulley sets 41, 42 disposed on the main frame 10 and the seat frame 20, and a plurality of wires 411, 421. Two of the pulley sets 41 are respectively disposed on the wheel frames 126. Two pulleys of another pulley set 41 are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the base member 11 in proximity to the middle support post 123. Two pulleys of one of the pulley sets 42 are respectively disposed on the swing rod 24 and the bottom portion of the middle support post 123. Another pulley set 42 has one pulley disposed on the curved rod 1275, and two pulleys disposed on the top portion of the middle support post 123.
Each of the wires 411 has one end extending out of the pulley set 41 disposed on one of the wheel frames 126, and the other opposite end looped around one of the pulleys of the another pulley set 41 disposed on the base member 11 and connected to the second cord end 32 of a corresponding one of the elastic cords 30 that extends out of a corresponding one of the guide wheels 13 disposed on the top ends of the side support posts 124.
One of the wires 421 has one end extending out of the pulley of the one of the pulley sets 42 that is disposed on the swing rod 24, and the other opposite end looped around the other pulley of the one of the pulley sets 42 that is disposed on the bottom portion of the middle support post 123 and then extending out of the pulley set 42 disposed on the top portion of the middle support post 123. Another one of the wires 421 has one end connected to the one end of the one of the wires 421 so that the two wires 421 are connected in series, and the other opposite end connected to a corresponding one of the elastic cords that extends out of one of the guide wheels 13 disposed on the middle support post 123.
Each of the handles 50 is detachably connected to the end of the wire 411 that extends out of the pulley set 41 disposed on the corresponding one of the wheel frames 126, as shown in
The pull rod 60 is connected to the end of the wire 421 that extends out of the pulley set 42 disposed on the top portion of the middle support post 123.
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It is worth to mention herein that, in actual practice, different thicknesses and different numbers of the elastic cords 30 may be selected to obtain different damping effects, and to meet the different demands of training, the damping curve of the elastic cord 30 (F=KX, external force is proportional to elongation) is similar to the human muscle strength. The damping can be changed from 10 to 100 kgs. regardless of the user's sex and age. Further, by using the combination of the wire 411 and the elastic cord 30, the range of different kinds of users is wide. The stroke of the wire 411 is long, so that the user having a height of 1.4 to 1.9 meters can use the fitness exercise apparatus of this disclosure.
The efficiency of this disclosure resides in that, by using the elastic cords 30 to provide damping motion and through the overall coordination, the purpose of training the muscles of the different parts of the user's body can be achieved. Further, by using the elastic cords 30 made of rubber, they can quickly return when stretched to different lengths. This feature adds a lot of usability and functionality to aerobic training. Moreover, the fitness exercise apparatus of this disclosure has a simple overall structure.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.