Patent Application
20250128120
The present invention relates to exercise devices and, more specifically, to a latissimus dorsi and bicep isolation bar for pull-ups and chin-ups, respectively.
Chin-ups and pull-ups are exercises performed to increase the strength of the upper body. One grasps a horizontal bar, typically, or other handles above the ground, and hangs therefrom. The exercising person then pulls upwards, primarily contracting their latissimus dorsi and biceps, raising the body upwards towards the bar.
Pulls-ups strengthen the biceps and back muscles including the trapezius muscles which extend from the neck to the shoulders, the latissimus dorsi muscle which extends from middle of the back to the armpit, the thoracic erector spinae which extends along your thoracic spine, and the infraspinatus on the shoulder blade.
However, difficulties with pull-ups and chin-ups include isolating specific muscles and activating undesired muscles by failing to remain a proper and stable angle while lifting upwards. Currently, there is no known method that allows the user to stabilize, or substantially stabilize, their arms, and thus their body, to better target specific muscles and/or muscle groups, without utilizing/activating, to a large extent, secondary muscles and/or muscle groups, due to natural body mechanics.
What is needed is an exercise which has the benefits of pull-ups and chin-ups while allowing the arms and muscles thereon to be in a stable position while lifting a body upwards in order to allow for better targeting of desired muscles and a more efficient workout.
An exercise device, such as one used for pull ups or chin-ups of embodiments of the disclosed technology has an isolation bar. The exercise device is one with handles, generally positioned above a person, designed to be grasped by, and withstand the forces of, a person pulling on the handles or other grasping region (position designed to be pulled on by a person). Such handles can be part of a beam or elongated rod such as one of metal which can be covered with foam. As such, the exercise device can be one which freestanding or which is temporarily held within a door frame and/or mounted on a vertical surface such as a wall.
The isolation bar is below the handles or grasping region. In this disclosure, directional terminology refers to typical usage relative to the ground. Thus, “above” refers to further away from the ground than “below”. The “ground” is a solid surface of a planet, e.g. Earth. In a typical usage of the exercise device of the disclosed technology, one grasps the handles and/or bar above himself, primarily contracts his latissimus dorsi and bicep muscles, and pulls his entire body (excluding forearms) upwards. With the isolation bar, one rests his forearms and/or elbows on the bar (directly or by way of pads on the bar). The isolation bar is in line with or at an acute angle to the handles there-above such that a person pulling his body upwards while using the exercise device is simultaneously applying force against the isolation bar, the bar holding his forearms in place avoiding “wobble” or undesirable horizontal movement of the arms. This allows one to better target the latissimus dorsi during a pull-up and biceps during a chin-up during pull ups or chin ups. (“Horizontal” is, in this disclosure, in parallel to a most elongated linear portion of the isolation bar and/or a bar to be grasped and/or is parallel to the ground.)
Said another way, the isolation bar has a contact region for the forearms and/or elbows, in line with, and/or at an acute angle relative to a horizontal line extending between the two spaced apart grasping regions of an upper bar/upper handles of the exercise device. A vertical plane, perpendicular to the horizontal line, extends between the ground and the horizontal line, and the contact region is in line with, and/or outside of the vertical plane (in “front” of the vertical plane which is closer to a user using the device as designed with forearms placed on the isolation bar/pads on the isolation bar).
The isolation bar can be fixed in space (that is, fixed in a position relative to the ground below and/or) relative to the two spaced apart grasping regions. The contact region, in some embodiments, is rotatably adjustable relative to the two spaced apart grasping regions. The notation, in some embodiments, includes rotation of the isolation bar relative to vertical direction due to a change in angle of the wheels as pressure is applied by human force on the isolation bar. The “wheels” are defined as cylindrical shaped semi-circle such as half of a wheel shape, being affixed to the bar, the wheels on a side of the isolation bar opposite the contact region (the “back” side, opposite the “front” side). The wheels are adapted to be pressed against a fixed vertical structure, such as a door frame, and rotation of the wheels causes an angle change of the contact region. The contact region, in some embodiments of the disclosed technology, becomes fixed in space when pressure is applied mostly or fully perpendicular to the vertical plane (such as by forearms when using the exercise device to carry out pull ups or chin ups).
In a version of the exercise device which is held on a door frame, two spaced apart grasping regions are on a first bar and the first bar is below a shorter, equal length, or longer second bar. The first bar and the second bar are adapted to hold the pull-up exercise device in place within a doorway. The device can further have spaced apart vertical straps extending from one of the first bar and the second bar towards the ground. Such vertical straps can be flexible allowing the isolation bar to move to and fro, the vertical straps connecting the isolation bar to one of the first and second bars which are nearer to, or above, the door frame. Other pull-up and chin-up bars known in the art can also be used such as those with a single bar mounted between the door frame or wedged in place.
Substantially, or an entirety, of the isolation bar is at the acute angle to the first bar in some embodiments of the disclosed technology. In other embodiments, the isolation bar extends such that the front side is parallel to the vertical plane)
In a method of using the above device to do pull-ups or chip-ups (the device with two spaced apart grasping regions held in place relative to the ground, and an isolation bar) one does as follows. While pressing forearms against contact regions of the isolation bar, the bar being in line with and/or at an acute angle relative to the horizontal, one pulls on each of the two spaced apart grasping regions while pressing both forearms into the isolation bar. Each arm is then stabilized relative to the isolation bar (stabilized, being defined as “held in place” or “substantially held in place”).
The two spaced apart grasping regions are on a first bar, the first bar below a shorter second bar in some embodiments. In such embodiments spaced apart vertical straps extend from one of the first or second bars towards the ground and the exercise device is placed on a door frame with the first bar above the door frame and the second bar below the door frame, or the second bar above the door frame and the first bar below the door frame. In some embodiments, a bar of the exercise device rests on molding/a lintel of the door.
An isolation bar for a chin-up or pull up-bar extends at—an acute angle (angled facing upwards) or parallel along the same vertical plane, and is below a grasping region of the chin-up or pull-up device. The isolation bar can be hung from the chin-up or pull-up bar by way of cables/elongated straps or be fixed to a door frame or free standing device with the grasping region. In use, the forearms (or elbows) of a user are pushed against the isolation bar while carrying out a chin-up or pull-up.
Embodiments of the disclosed technology will become more clear in view of the following description of the figures.
The isolation bar 10 is further, in this embodiment, held by straps 30 such as those with an adjustable length. In the embodiment shown, portals extending through the isolation bar 10 are used to pass the straps there-through such that the bar 10 hangs from the straps. Given that the pads 12 (in this case, wedges) are between the bar 10 and sides of the door frame 95 while the bar 20 is closer to the sides of the door frame 95, the isolation bar 10 rest against the door frame (directly or by way of the pads 12). The isolation bar 10 is thus stabilized in a resting condition (when the pull-up bar is not in use for exercise).
In this embodiment, the elongated bar 20 (also referred to as a “first bar”) is held against the door frame by way of anchoring the pull-up bar on either side of the lintel 90. Pull-up bars which attach in this manner are known in the art, and can be found in the prior art submitted with this application. For purposes of this invention, this embodiment has any pull-up bar held against stable vertical sides walls, such as the sides of a door frame 95. The terms pull-up bar and chin-up bar used interchangeably in this disclosure and refers to an exercise device where one flexes and/or contracts, at least one of, biceps and latissimus dorsi muscles to lift oneself upwards or substantially upwards and away from the ground. Such a bar can have grasping regions, designed for grasping with one's hand(s) to pull up thereon, such as along or on the elongated bar 20 or perpendicular handles 22 extending away from the elongated bar 20. Such a door-held pull-up bar has a horizontal bar on one side of a lintel 90 and a second, wider, horizontal bar on a second side of the lintel as shown.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “substantially” is defined as “between 95% and 100%, inclusive” of the term which it modifies.
Any device or aspect of the technology can “comprise” or “consist of” the item it modifies, whether explicitly written as such or otherwise.
When the term “or” is used, it creates a group which has within either term being connected by the conjunction as well as both terms being connected by the conjunction.
The term “and/or” is inclusive of the items which it joins linguistically, and each item by itself.
While the disclosed technology has been disclosed with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods and apparatuses described herein-above are also contemplated and within the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 18490987 | Oct 2023 | US |
| Child | 18408857 | US |
