Patent Application
20230134879
The described systems and methods relate to athletic training equipment.
The health industry is a large and ever-growing industry aimed at increasing health through diet, supplements, mental health practices, and exercise. Exercise can take many forms including use of specialized personal exercise equipment that targets particular muscle groups. The benefits of exercise range from a decrease in co-morbidities, an increase in physical fitness, an increase in muscle mass, and an increase in positive mental health, among other benefits.
Individuals may seek to develop their core muscles to improve performance in sports or to increase physical fitness. Most physical activities are benefited by an increase in core strength. The core is typically defined as the abdominal and back muscles from the pelvic floor to the shoulders.
Traditional personal exercise equipment provides benefits for certain muscle groups during a given workout session. These machines sometimes, though infrequently, also provide benefits for different muscle groups in separate workout sessions. Typically, a personal exercise machine for targeting a muscle group does not also provide aerobic training. There is a long felt need among workout enthusiasts and persons of average physical fitness for a solution which provides a comprehensive full-body workout quickly and without the need for multiple types of equipment.
The exercise apparatus described below is an effective and time-saving option for weight loss, general fitness maintenance and improvement, and the pursuit of elite fitness levels. The exercise apparatus allows for substantially increased full-body muscle utilization in a true total body workout that provides exceptional overall fitness benefits with minimal workout time requirements.
The exercise apparatus described below is fundamentally different from other exercise equipment in that it has an overall structural design change which eliminates a traditional bicycle seat and extends hand-grips and forearm cushion support structures forward to an extent which requires that the typical “vertical” and “L-shaped (recumbent)” body orientations of traditional machines is changed to a “horizontal (face down)” or “45 degree” orientation. These new body orientations require that the body be supported by the arms during cycling and that the full body musculature remain in a constant state of engagement, providing enhanced workout benefits for the total body combined with substantially reduced workout time requirements. The described exercise apparatus is a unique and hyper-efficient approach to imbuing the fitness enthusiast and person of average physical fitness with his or her maximum potential strength, flexibility and stamina utilizing a core-centric but absolutely total-body approach, achievable at an unparalleled time-to-benefit ratio.
Because of the drastically different body orientations, there are only four points of contact between the user and the exercise apparatus, namely two feet and two hands (or hands/forearms). According to some embodiments, the exercise apparatus may be used without a seat, so the full body musculature is constantly in a state of engagement. The exercise apparatus features two atypical body orientations and adjustable cycling resistance options.
The exercise apparatus described below provides an aerobic exercise experience through cycling that conditions additional muscle groups by having the user assume a unique body position, namely a horizontal or facedown position. Users of the apparatus assume a horizontal position (i.e., pushup, plank, or facedown position), the user's body is between 0 degrees and nearly 90 degrees relative to the ground, based on the user set position of the apparatus. The horizontal position exercises a user's full body by engaging muscles used to maintain the position. The degree of difficulty for the exercise apparatus can be determined by the resistance on the pedals or the angle at which the user's body is positioned relative to the ground, the lower the angle of the apparatus, the more strenuous the exercise for the user.
The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus for physical fitness. In particular, the present invention relates to an inclined exercise apparatus. In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus may include a support frame.
According to some embodiments, the support frame may include a centerline in the longitudinal direction, a first horizontal support parallel to the centerline, a second horizontal support perpendicular to the centerline a third horizontal support perpendicular to the centerline, opposite the second horizontal support, a vertical diagonal member, a piston with a first end at the first horizontal support and a second end at the vertical diagonal member, and a horizontal arm rest support.
In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus may include a first and second pedal perpendicular to the centerline and the second pedal opposite the first pedal. In some embodiments, the first pedal and the second pedal may be configured to operate in tandem. In some embodiments, a pedal housing may be between the first pedal and the second pedal, providing a resistance to the pedals.
In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus may include a first arm support on a first end of the horizontal arm rest support and a second arm support on a second end of the horizontal arm rest support. In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus may include a body support, comprising a horizontal pad supported by the diagonal member. In some embodiments, the body support supports a user's chest and may include a padding material on an upper side. In some embodiments, the body support supports a user's posterior.
In some embodiments, the first arm support and the second arm support may be disposed vertically and perpendicular to the centerline. In some embodiments, the first arm support and the second arm support may be disposed horizontally and parallel to the centerline. In some embodiments, an upper portion of the first arm support and the second arm support may be comprised of a padded material.
In some embodiments, a portion of the support frame opposite the first pedal and second pedal may be cantilevered. In some embodiments, a length of the vertical diagonal member of the support frame may be adjustable using a pin in a plurality of predefined holes in the vertical diagonal member. In some embodiments, a height of the support frame may be adjustable by the piston. In some embodiments, the piston may have a motor for raising and lowering the piston. In some embodiments, the first pedal and the second pedal may move in a circular motion. In some embodiments, the resistance of the first pedal and the second pedal may be adjustable.
In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus may further comprise an information screen that may be positioned at the end of the diagonal support member opposite the first pedal and the second pedal. In some embodiments, the first arm support and second arm support may further comprise a heart rate monitor. In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus may further comprise a water bottle support. In some embodiments, the first pedal and the second pedal may each have a strap.
In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other features and advantages of the invention are obtained will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to limit the scope of the invention.
The exercise apparatus described below provides an aerobic exercise experience through cycling that conditions additional muscle groups by having the user assume a unique body position, namely a horizontal or facedown position. Users of the apparatus assume a horizontal position (i.e., pushup, plank, or facedown position), the user's body is between 0 degrees and nearly 90 degrees relative to the ground, based on the user set position of the apparatus. The horizontal position exercises a user's full body by engaging muscles used to maintain the position. The degree of difficulty for the exercise apparatus can be determined by the resistance on the pedals or the angle at which the user's body is positioned relative to the ground, the lower the angle of the apparatus, the more strenuous the exercise for the user.
The presently preferred embodiments of the present invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description, as represented in the figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed but is merely representative of presently preferred embodiments of the invention.
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According to some embodiments, the support frame further comprises a vertical diagonal member 120. In some embodiments, the vertical diagonal member 120 extends from a first end of the horizontal support 115. In some embodiments, the vertical diagonal member 120 may intersect the horizontal support 115 proximate to a pedal housing 105. In some embodiments, the vertical diagonal member 120 may be extensible along its length. A user may extend the length of the vertical diagonal member 120 to accommodate the user's height and preferred setting for the inclined exercise apparatus 100. In some embodiments, the means for extending the vertical diagonal member 120 is a pin 140 and a plurality of holes 145. In some embodiments, a first portion of the vertical diagonal member 120 has a single hole and a second portion of the vertical diagonal member 120 has a plurality of holes 145. The single hole and the plurality of holes 145 correspond to each other. The user selects a setting where the single hole and one of the plurality of holes 145 align and then places the pin 140 through both holes thus securing the vertical diagonal member 120 at a particular length.
In some embodiments, the angle of incline of the vertical diagonal member 120 may be increased. In some embodiments, a piston 130 may be used to increase the angle of incline of the vertical diagonal member 120. The piston 130 may be embodied by any means that permits the angle of incline of the vertical diagonal member 120 to be increased or decreased. In some embodiments, the piston 130 may be coupled with a motor 125 that is configured to raise or lower the vertical diagonal member 120 automatically.
In some embodiments, a pedal housing 105 is positioned on one end of the horizontal support 115. The pedal housing 105, in some embodiments, protects the interior of the two pedals 110. The pedal housing 105 can also provide various pedal settings for the inclined exercise apparatus 100. In some embodiments, gears within the pedal housing 105 may increase or decrease resistance of the pedals 110. For example, a user may wish to have increased resistance on the pedals 110 to increase the difficulty of the user's workout. In another example, a user may choose to have decreased resistance to have a longer and more aerobic workout.
In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus 100 has two pedals 110. In some embodiments, the pedals 110 are disposed opposite each other. The pedals 110 may work in tandem so that when one pedal 110 is at its highest position the other pedal 110 is at its lowest position. Both pedals 110 circle in the same direction yet on opposite ends of the circle. In some embodiments, the resistance on the pedals 110 may be increased or decreased to increase or decrease the force required to turn the pedals. An increase in the resistance of the pedals 110 may correspond to an increase in the intensity of a workout that a user may experience.
In some embodiments, a user may place their chest on the body support 155. In some embodiments, the body support 155 may be used as a safety measure to support the user's body if the user cannot maintain a horizontal position and must rest their chest on the body support 155, before use, during use or after use of the exercise apparatus 100. In some embodiments, the user maintains a position with their chest several inches above the body support 155. The body support 155 may be supported by the vertical diagonal member 120. In some embodiments, the body support 155 may be fully and directly supported by the vertical diagonal member 120 or it may be supported by another member or frame that is connected to the vertical diagonal member 120 of to another part of the support frame. In some embodiments, a user may sit on the body support 155. In some embodiments, a user may be in a sitting position but may support their body weight using their arms, so that the user's bottom is suspended above the body support 155 while the user uses the exercise apparatus 155. In some embodiments, the body support 155 may be configured to support the full body weight of a user.
In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus 100 may further include devices for supporting the arms of a user. In some embodiments, a horizontal arm support may include padding 150. In some embodiments, a horizontal arm support 165 may support the forearms or the hands of a user. In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus 100 may include a vertical arm support 160. A user may grasp the vertical arm support 160 with their hand while their forearm is resting on the horizontal arm support 165. In some embodiments, the vertical arm support 160 and/or the horizontal arm support 165 may include a heart rate monitoring device.
In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus 100, may include a tray 175 for holding a user's belongings such as a towel, keys or a water bottle. In some embodiments, the tray 175 may include one or more water bottle openings 180. In some embodiments, the inclined exercise apparatus 100 may include a stand 185 for an information screen 190. The information screen 190 may provide a user with information such as the time elapsed, the distance traveled, the degree of resistance and any other information that a user might need while exercising.
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The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its structures, methods, or other essential characteristics as broadly described herein and claimed hereinafter. Therefore, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
This application claims priority from Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/274,844 filed on Nov. 2, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63274844 | Nov 2021 | US |
