Patent Application
20200129806
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present disclosure relates to the field of exercise and sports equipment, and more particularly, to a hamstring exercise device, particularly to a device that imparts variable resistance in part depending on body position of a user during exercise.
The three muscles of the posterior thigh generally known as the “hamstrings” (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris long & short head) flex, i.e., bend, the knee; while all but the short head of biceps femoris extend (straighten) the hip. The first three “true” hamstrings cross both the hip and the knee joint and are therefore involved in knee flexion and hip extension. The short head of the biceps femoris crosses only one joint (knee) and is therefore not involved in hip extension. With its divergent origin and innervation it is sometimes excluded from the “hamstring” characterization. A portion of the adductor magnus muscle is sometimes considered a part of the hamstrings.
The hamstrings cross and act upon two joints, the hip and the knee, and as such are termed biarticular muscles. The semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles extend the hip when the trunk is fixed; and they also flex the knee and medially, i.e., inwardly, rotate the lower leg when the knee is bent. The long head of the biceps femoris extends the hip, as when beginning to walk; both short and long heads flex the knee and laterally (outwardly) rotate the lower leg when the knee is bent.
The hamstrings play a crucial role in many daily activities such as walking, running, jumping, and controlling some movement in the trunk. In walking, they are most important as an antagonist to the quadriceps in the deceleration of knee extension.
Because the hamstrings cross the knee and hip joints, they act to bend the knees and draw the hips backwards. The hamstrings contribute to motion, such as walking, and they help an athlete to achieve speed, power and agility in many sports. When executing explosive movement, these muscles play an important part in shifting the load from the knees to the hips. For example, a sprinter's ability to launch off the blocks and accumulate speed depends on strong hamstrings. They also contribute to the ability to absorb the shock of movements involving high velocity or force.
It is well known to those in the art that the exercise and development of the hamstrings is frequently neglected, even by those otherwise dedicated to strength and fitness training. This has been, at least in part, due to the paucity of effective exercise machines that are dedicated to hamstring development. The instant invention, in all of its embodiments, is directed to solving this problem.
In its most general configuration, the presently disclosed hamstring exercise device is a device that allows a user to apply variable resistance to the hamstring muscles during exercise.
The hamstring exercise device may have a caudal aspect and a cephalic aspect, defined in detail below. The device includes a base, supporting a user and angulation slide retainer upright at the caudal aspect and an angulation anchor at the cephalic aspect. The angulation slide retainer upright may be coupled to a user and angulation slide retainer, and the angulation retainer upright may be pivotably coupled to a caudal aspect of an angulation slide by an angulation slide anchor retainer anchor pivotably coupled to an angulation slide pivot.
The angulation anchor may be releasably coupled to a cephalic aspect of the angulation slide by an angulation adjustment point releasably coupled to an angulation slide adjustment point. There may be a sled provided, having a body support, that may be slidably engaged to the angulation slide at a sled slide such that the sled is slidably movable between the caudal and the cephalic aspects of the angulation slide.
The angulation adjustment point may be a plurality of angulation adjustment points, and the angulation slide may be pivotably adjustable such as to produce a positive or negative incline, usually but not necessarily a negative incline (declination) relative to the horizontal of the angulation slide, when the angulation slide adjustment point is releasably coupled to at least one of the plurality of angulation adjustment points. The plurality of angulation adjustment points may be, in some embodiments, approximately equally spaced in a superior-inferior aspect along the angulation anchor. The angulation slide may be pivotably adjustable between any two adjoining angulation adjustment points such as to produce a positive or negative incline, usually but not necessarily, a negative incline (declination) of the angulation slide, increasing by approximately 6.5 degrees relative to the horizontal when the angulation slide adjustment point is moved from a superior angulation adjustment point to an adjacent inferior angulation adjustment point.
Further, in other embodiments, the base may have at least one base band peg and the sled may have at least one sled band peg, which may be releasably connectable by at least one biasing means that increases the difficulty of moving the sled from the cephalic aspect to the caudal aspect of the angulation slide. This allows a user to increase his or her strength by exercising against resistance greater than that which would be supplied by the resistance of the sled and the user's body weight alone. One skilled in the art would visualize a large number of potential biasing means, but by way of example only and not limitation, biasing means including elastic bands and springs are specifically envisioned.
Other embodiments may include those where the angulation slide has at least one angulation slide handle at the cephalic aspect of the angulation slide, and those wherein the user and angulation slide retainer has a user and angulation slide retainer base plate releasably engageable with the feet of a user during operation of the device. Furthermore, the sled may be provided with at least one user sled handle grippable by a user during operation of the device.
Without limiting the scope of the hamstring exercise device as claimed below and referring now to the drawings and figures:
These drawings are provided to assist in the understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the presently disclosed hamstring exercise device as described in more detail below and should not be construed as unduly limiting the hamstring exercise device. In particular, the relative spacing, positioning, sizing and dimensions of the various elements illustrated in the drawings are not drawn to scale and may have been exaggerated, reduced or otherwise modified for the purpose of improved clarity. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that a range of alternative configurations have been omitted simply to improve the clarity and reduce the number of drawings.
A hamstring exercise device (10) is seen well in
Numerous alterations, modifications, and variations of the preferred embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art and they are all anticipated and contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the hamstring exercise device (10). For example, although specific embodiments have been described in detail, those with skill in the art will understand that the preceding embodiments and variations can be modified to incorporate various types of substitute and or additional or alternative materials, relative arrangement of elements, and dimensional configurations. Accordingly, even though only a few variations of the hamstring exercise device (10) are described herein, it is to be understood that the practice of such additional modifications and variations and the equivalents thereof, are within the spirit and scope of the invention.
What is claimed then, as seen well in
The device (10) then, includes a base (100), seen well in
Again with reference to
As seen well in
As further seen well in
In various embodiments that would be known to one skilled in the art, the base (100) may have at least one base leg (110). Further, in other embodiments, seen well in
Referring now to
In another series of embodiments, with reference to
Additionally, the angulation anchor (200) may be releasably coupled to a cephalic aspect of the angulation slide (300) at an angulation slide adjustment point (320) by at least one of a plurality of angulation adjustment points (210). The angulation slide (300) may be pivotably adjustable such as to produce a positive or negative incline, usually but not necessarily, a negative incline (declination) relative to the horizontal of the angulation slide (300), when the angulation slide adjustment point (320) is releasably coupled to at least one of the angulation adjustment points (210). This spatial arrangement is meant by way of example only and not limitation, and any spatial relationship between the angulation slide (300) and its supports (200, 400) is envisioned that allows for such a positive or negative incline (declination). In other embodiments, a sled (500) may be provided having a body support (510) that is slidably engaged to the angulation slide (300) at a sled slide (520) such that the sled (500) is slidably movable between the caudal and the cephalic aspects of the angulation slide (300).
In yet other embodiments, seen well in all Figures, the base (100) may have at least one base band peg (120) and the sled (500) may have at least one sled band peg (540), allowing for the possibility that the at least one base band peg (120) and the at least one sled band peg (540) may be releasably connectable by at least one biasing means that increases the difficulty of moving the sled (500) from the cephalic aspect to the caudal aspect of the angulation slide (300). As stated earlier, this allows a user (U) to increase his or her strength by exercising against resistance greater than that which would be supplied by the resistance of the sled and the user (U)'s body weight alone. One skilled in the art would visualize a large number of potential biasing means, but by way of example only and not limitation, biasing means including elastic bands and springs are specifically envisioned.
In terms of a user (U)'s operation of the device (10), and with particular reference to
In yet another series of embodiments, a hamstring exercise device (10) may be provided having a caudal aspect and a cephalic aspect, that further includes a base (100), supporting a user and angulation slide retainer upright (405) at the caudal aspect and an angulation anchor (200) at the cephalic aspect. The angulation slide retainer upright (405) may be coupled to a user and angulation slide retainer (400), such that the angulation retainer upright (405) is pivotably coupled to a caudal aspect of an angulation slide (300) by an angulation slide anchor retainer anchor (430) pivotably coupled to a angulation slide pivot (310). The angulation anchor (200) may be releasably coupled to a cephalic aspect of the angulation slide (300) at an angulation slide adjustment point (320) by at least one of a plurality of angulation adjustment points (210), such that the angulation slide (300) may produce a positive or negative incline, usually but not necessarily a negative incline (declination) relative to the horizontal of the angulation slide (300) when the angulation slide adjustment point (320) is releasably coupled to at least one of the angulation adjustment points (210). In some embodiments, the plurality of angulation adjustment points (210) may be approximately equally spaced in a superior-inferior aspect along the angulation anchor (200). This spatial arrangement is meant by way of example only and not limitation, and any spatial relationship between the angulation slide (300) and its supports (200, 400) is envisioned that allows for a positive or negative incline (declination) of the angulation slide (300). However, it has been found that a useful arrangement allows the angulation slide (300) to be pivotably adjustable between any two adjoining angulation adjustment points (210) such as to produce a positive or negative inclination (declination) of the angulation slide (300) increasing by approximately 6.5 degrees relative to the horizontal when the angulation slide adjustment point (320) is moved from a superior angulation adjustment point (210) to an adjacent inferior angulation adjustment point (210), or vice versa. In other embodiments, a sled (500) may be provided having a body support (510) that may be slidably engaged to the angulation slide (300) at a sled slide (520), such that the sled (500) is slidably movable between the caudal and the cephalic aspects of the angulation slide (300).
In yet other embodiments, the base (100) may have at least one base band peg (120) and the sled (500) may have at least one sled band peg (540). The at least one base band peg (120) and the at least one sled band peg (540) may be releasably connectable by at least one biasing means that increases a difficulty of moving the sled (500) from the cephalic aspect to the caudal aspect of the angulation slide (300). This, again, allows a user (U) to increase his or her strength by exercising against resistance greater than that which would be supplied by the resistance of the sled and the user (U)'s body weight alone. One skilled in the art would visualize a large number of potential biasing means, but by way of example only and not limitation, biasing means including elastic bands and springs are specifically envisioned.
In terms of a user (U)'s operation of the device (10), and with particular reference to
One skilled in the art will immediately see a method of using the device. A user may first adjust the positive or negative inclination (declination) of the angulation slide (300) by means of selecting an appropriate angulation adjustment point (210) and then adjusting the angulation slide adjustment point (320) to the corresponding angulation adjustment point (210). Optionally, and in some embodiments only, a user (U) may employ or adjust a biasing means between the base band peg (120) and the sled band peg (540), to increase an exercise's intensity.
Next, a user (U) would mount the machine, such that the general hip area of the user (U) would be supported on the sled (500), and the user (U) would engage the feet on the user and angulation slide retainer (400), commonly but not necessarily by engaging the feet in the user retention means (420). The user (U) then may allow body flexion and extension to move the sled between a relatively more caudal and relatively more cephalic position on the device (10). It can be readily seen that the user (U)'s body weight, the resistance provided by the sled (500) moving on the angulation slide (300), and the effect of any biasing means provided, gives resistance to exercise.
Numerous alterations, modifications, and variations of the preferred embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art and they are all anticipated and contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the disclosed specification. For example, although specific embodiments have been described in detail, those with skill in the art will understand that the preceding embodiments and variations can be modified to incorporate various types of substitute and or additional or alternative materials, relative arrangement of elements, order of steps and additional steps, and dimensional configurations. Accordingly, even though only few variations of the device and method are described herein, it is to be understood that the practice of such additional modifications and variations and the equivalents thereof, are within the spirit and scope of the method and products as defined in the following claims. The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or acts for performing the functions in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed.
