1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exercise devices. Specifically those exercise devices that provide targeted anaerobic exercise through the use of the exerciser's body weight.
2. Description of Prior Art
Physical exercise provides well known benefits. When performed properly and on a regular basis, physical exercise helps individuals control weight, combat health conditions and diseases, improve emotional well-being, increase energy and improve sleep.
Although overlap is common, athletes generally categorize exercises into aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise improves the strength and efficiency of the exerciser's cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Anaerobic exercise increases the efficiency and number of muscle fibers affected by a particular exercise.
Because anaerobic exercise primarily affects the muscle fibers targeted by a particular exercise, exercisers often perform exercises that isolate and target a particular muscle group.
Exercisers and athletes often attempt to train muscle groups in a manner that allows them to develop muscle fibers while improving their cardiovascular health. This type of training often involves performing several different anaerobic exercises with little or no rest between exercises. An example of this type of training is the Cross Fit style of training. Cross Fit requires an exerciser to perform, for example, push-up followed immediately by pull-ups and other compound exercises.
A variety of exercise devices have been developed to help exercisers isolate and target a particular muscle group. These devices often use an additional component to provide resistance during an exercise. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,382 B2 describes a device for targeting an exerciser's quadriceps and relies on elastic bands to provide resistance.
A variety of exercise devices have been developed that rely on the exerciser's body weight for resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 7,892,157 B2 discloses an exercise device that allows the exerciser to perform a variety of exercises using his or her body weight as resistance. While U.S. Pat. No. 7,892,157 B2 relies on body weight for resistance, it does not support the exerciser's body in a manner that prevents the exerciser's non-targeted muscle groups from assisting in an exercise.
Devices that isolate the biceps are common in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,125 discloses a biceps curling machine. The device successfully targets the exerciser's biceps, but has the disadvantages of requiring a large mechanical frame and heavy metallic weights for resistance and it fails to develop the exerciser's Posterior Deltoids and Latissimus Dorsi. These devices also have the disadvantage of requiring time to set up and, therefore, preventing the exerciser from combining aerobic and anaerobic training.
The invention disclosed in an exercise device that targets the exerciser's biceps and supporting muscle groups while using the exerciser's body weight as resistance.
A person's body weight can provide significant resistance during exercise. The U.S. military services, for example, use a combination of push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups as a significant portion of their strength training programs for new recruits. Therefore, the proposed invention has the following intentions
a) To provide a device that targets the exerciser's biceps, posterior deltoids and latissimus dorsi
b) To provide the exerciser with the opportunity to perform exercises without the need for heavy metallic weights or elastic bands with varying resistance
c) To provide the exerciser with the opportunity to exercise his or her biceps without needing to spend time adjusting or setting up the exercise device
d) To offer a device that allows the exerciser to train his or her biceps, posterior deltoids and latissimus dorsi while being able to quickly transition to other exercises
All the drawings are listed as
100—The preferred embodiment of the device
200—The frame of the device
201—The first rigid member
202—The second rigid member
203—The left-most rigid member
204—The right-most rigid member
205—The left-most horizontal rigid member
206—The right-most horizontal rigid member
207—The left-most angled rigid member
208—The right-most angled rigid member
209—The third rigid member
210—The left-most pad support rigid member
211—The right-most pad support rigid member
212—The fourth rigid member
213—The fifth rigid member
300—The support pad
301—The door-mounted support pad
400—The curl bar
401—The door-mounted curl bar
402—The left-most end of the door-mounted curl bar
403—The right-most end of the door-mounted curl bar
404—The gripping areas of the door-mounted curl bar
500—The mounting means
600—A stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
601—The support base for the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
602—The left-most frame extension of the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
603—The right-most frame extension of the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
604—The left-most pad support of the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
605—The right-most pad support of the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
606—The horizontal rigid member of the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
607—The right-most angled rigid member of the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
608—The left-most angled rigid member of the stand-alone embodiment of the exercise device
700—The contoured tubes of the door-mounted exercise device
701—The curved sections of the contoured tubes
702—The upper pad support sections of the contoured tubes
703—The horizontal pad support sections of the contoured tubes
704—The lower pad support sections of the contoured tubes
705—The pad support rigid member
706—The first transition areas
707—The second transition areas
708—The third transition areas
709—The upper ends of the contoured tubes
800—The rectangular rigid member
801—The wall contact surface of the rectangular rigid member
802—The door frame contact surface of the rectangular rigid member
900—The supporting rigid member
901—The left-most end of the supporting rigid member
902—The right-most end of the supporting rigid member
903—The protective coating on the ends of the supporting rigid members
The following description provides specific details and a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art, however, will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or in combination with other components.
In the preferred embodiment, the first rigid member 201, second rigid member 202 and third rigid member 209 will be of equal length. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that the first rigid member 201, second rigid member 202 and third rigid member 209 may be cut to any suitable length to satisfy a particular application. For example, larger cuts may be used to target men while smaller cuts may be used to target women.
In the preferred embodiment, the first rigid member 201 and second rigid member 202 are horizontally oriented, spaced a distance apart and on the same plane. The left-most rigid member 203 is joined to the left-most ends of both the first rigid member 201 and the second rigid member 202. The right-most rigid member 204 is joined to the right-most ends of both the first rigid member 201 and the second rigid member 202. When viewed from the rear, the joined first rigid member 201, second rigid member 202, left-most rigid member 203 and right-most rigid member 204 will form a generally square or rectangular shape.
Continuing with the preferred embodiment,
While the combination of joined third rigid member 209, fourth rigid member 212, fifth rigid member 213, left-most pad support member 210 and right-most pad support rigid member 211 will form a trapezoidal shape with a missing base in the preferred embodiment, one skilled in the art will recognize that this feature is preferred but not necessary for the device. The exercise device will function with the fourth rigid member 212 and the fifth rigid member 213 joined as a single rigid member spanning the distance between the left-most angled rigid member 207 and the right-most angled rigid member 208 and with the left-most pad support rigid member 210 and right-most pad support rigid member 211 removed from the device.
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Although three embodiments of the exercise device are described, one skilled in the art will recognize that this invention includes any embodiment that the support pad 300 and curl bar 400 to be placed in an elevated position so that the exerciser can grasp the curl bar, rest his or her forearms on the support pad and lift himself or herself from the ground. These other embodiments of the device include, but are not limited to, mounting the device onto a doorway, wall, or other exercise device. One skilled in the art will recognize that the device can be mounted by any means necessary to accomplish a particular mounting goal.
The rectangular rigid member 800 will be made of a rigid material, preferably wood or plastic. The rectangular rigid member 800 will have a wall contact surface 801 and a door frame contact surface 802. The rectangular rigid member 800 may optionally have a protective coating on the wall contact surface 801, the door contact surface 802 or both. The protective coating will be soft material that prevents damage to the wall or door surface; preferably rubber or foam.
The curl bar 401 will be made of a rigid material, preferably a type of metal. The curl bar 401 will have a left-most end 402 and a right-most end 403. The curl bar 401 may optionally include one or more gripping areas 404 located between the left-most end 402 and the right-most end 403. The gripping areas 404 will preferably be foam wrapping the curl bar but may also include a scored section of the bar to allow the user to grasp the bar easily.
The curl bar 401 may be straight or curved to mimic the shape of an EZ curl bar.
The supporting rigid member 900 is sized to match standard door frames; generally between thirty inches and forty two inches. The left-most end 901 and right-most end 902 of the supporting rigid member 900 may optionally have a protective coating 903 on the area of contact between each end and the door frame. The protective coating 903 will preferably be a rubber or foam molding encapsulating each end of the supporting rigid member 900.
The contoured tube 700 will be made of a rigid material, preferably metal. The contoured tube 700 will have two curved sections 701, two upper pad support sections 702, two horizontal pad support sections 703 and a lower pad support section 704. The contours of the contoured tube 700 are a series of approximately ninety degree arches.
The curved sections 701 are in a vertical curved configuration forming an arch of about ninety degrees. The curved sections 701 have upper ends 709 and first transition areas 706. Each first transition area 706 marks the transition between the curved sections 701 and the upper pad support sections 702. An arch of about ninety degrees is formed at the first transition areas 706 and continues to the vertical areas of the contoured tube 700 that form the upper pad support sections 702. The upper pad support sections 702 have second transition areas 707. Each second transition area 707 marks the transition between the upper pad support sections 702 and the horizontal pad support sections 703. An arch of about ninety degrees is formed at the second transition areas 707 and continues to the horizontal area of the contoured tube 700 that form the horizontal pad support sections 703. The horizontal pad support sections 703 have third transition areas 708. An arch of about ninety degrees is formed at each third transition area 708. Each arch formed at each third transition area 708 is on the same horizontal plane as the horizontal pad support sections 703 and continues to the lower pad support section 704 of the contoured tube 700.
Although the contoured tube 700 is described in a series of sections, the contoured tube 700 may be formed from a single tube or one or more tubes joined to form the same shape.
The arm support pads 301 consist of one or more rigid blocks. The arm support pads 301 will preferably be made of wood and covered with foam and vinyl as is typical in the art to cushion an exerciser's arms.
The pad support rigid member 705 will preferably be made of metal and sized to span at least the horizontal distance between the two upper pad support sections.
The left-most and right-most ends of the horizontal rigid member 800 are joined to the upper ends 709 of the contoured tubes 700. The curl bar 401 is joined to the contoured tubes 700 at the first transition area 706. The pad support rigid member 705 is joined to the contoured tubes 700 at an area between the first transition area 706 and the second transition area 707. The supporting rigid member 900 is joined to the contoured tubes 700 at an area between the pad support rigid member 705 and the second transition area 707. The arm support pads 301 will be mounted on both the lower pad support section 704 and the pad support rigid member 705. When mounted, the arm support pads 301 will preferably form an angle between forty and fifty-five degrees.
This application is a continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 13/673,903, filed Nov. 9, 2012.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13673903 | Nov 2012 | US |
Child | 13828339 | US |