Patent Application
20140274611
1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of physical fitness. More particularly, the invention pertains to devices and methods to improve and maintain physical fitness.
2. Description of Related Art
Exercise balls and other exercise equipment that are fillable with water are known in the art. The water, in such cases, however, is used primarily to vary the weight of the exercise equipment or to increase the stability of the exercise equipment, such as by lowering the center of gravity of the equipment.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0029833, entitled “Exercising Ball” by Lin and published Jan. 29, 2009, discloses an exercise ball with an inflatable ball body made of an elastic material and defining a chamber. A moving element is disposed movably in the chamber. The inflatable ball body has a passage hole that permits the moving element to enter the chamber and an inflation valve fitted sealably and removably in the passage hole.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0001094, entitled “Athletic Apparatus and Method of Use” by Panes and published May 10, 2001, discloses an apparatus with a resilient ball and a pair of elongate weights. The athletic apparatus can adapt to three different configurations. The resilient ball is functional as a medicine ball when neither of the pair of elongate weights is attached. With one of the pair of elongate weights attached, the athletic apparatus allows various functional exercises, such as rowing, shoveling, and hammering, as well as training for golf and tennis. Fully assembled with both of the elongate weights, the athletic apparatus enables additional exercises.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0223826, entitled “Underwater Play Ball” by Gibson and published Sep. 15, 2011, discloses a hollow ball with a spherical shape made of a strong flexible lightweight low density PVC material for holding both water and air without rupturing. The cavity is inflated with a rubber nozzle attachable to a hose. The arrangement of a strong flexible lightweight low density PVC cavity combined with a predetermined amount of water and air pressure provides an underwater play ball with both weightless and pneumatic characteristics under water.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0184418, entitled “Multi-function Isotonic Exercise Ball” by Wilson and published Jul. 19, 2012, discloses an elastomeric, resilient ball with a detachable, removable, interchangeable exterior resistance band with two opposing handles. The device includes a sealable valve for filling the inner recess with water and a one-way check valve for regulating air flow into the inner recess.
A recoil exercise ball includes an elastic material defining an inflatable chamber within the elastic material, a nozzle in the elastic material forming a nozzle opening to provide access to the inflatable chamber, and a pair of ergonomic hand grips extending from the elastic material. The ergonomic hand grips preferably include a gripping portion shaped to receive the front of a hand in a semi-open first state, including openings to receive the fingers. The inflatable chamber is preferably filled with air and liquid water such that the recoil exercise ball has a substantially spherical shape. The nozzle is preferably designed to allow rapid filling and emptying of the recoil exercise ball of both air and liquid water. A recoil exercise ball kit includes the recoil exercise ball, an air pump, an air adapter, a water adapter, and a hose. Methods of using the recoil exercise ball are also discussed.
a shows a cross-sectional side view of the valve of the recoil exercise ball of
b shows the valve of
A recoil exercise ball includes a sealable nozzle and a pair of ergonomic handles. The handles are preferably located at or near the equator and on opposite sides of the ball and an easy-fill/refill nozzle is preferably located about 90 degrees from both handles at one of the poles of the ball. The nozzle preferably allows a chamber of the exercise ball to be quickly filled or emptied of water or air. The nozzle preferably allows access to a single chamber in the exercise ball, which accounts for almost all of the volume of the filled ball, in order to maximize where the water may go within the ball. The only additional volume of the ball is preferably the space taken up by the handles, the space taken up by the nozzle, and the volume of the ball material that forms the ball itself. The ball material preferably includes an elastic material. The thickness of the ball material depends on the level of burst resistance required of the ball but is preferably in the range of one-sixteenth to one-quarter of an inch and more preferably in the range of one-sixteen to one-eighth of an inch. The ball material may be a single material, a composite material, or multiple materials. The ball material may be a single layer or more than one layer. The handles are preferably located within the circumference of the sphere of the exercise ball and allow a user to grip the exercise ball with partially open hands.
In a preferred embodiment, the recoil exercise ball is sized for use as what is conventionally referred to as a stability ball. A stability ball is conventionally used in exercise routines to increase core stability, balance, and strength.
In a preferred embodiment, the recoil exercise ball is used as a core and balance apparatus that engages the brain in reaction to unpredictable movement. The core itself (the body minus the legs and arms) is generally the weakest link in balance, as the brain reacts to instability. Most unassisted movement either originates in the core or passes through it. Use of the recoil exercise ball to create unpredictable but controlled destabilization stimulates the brain to respond in unison with the core muscles in the body.
Core musculature is important during body movements. For example, when walking on a slope, the body resists gravity while moving and balancing on uneven ground. The prime goal of walking is achieving core stability so that the legs are able to move the stable core without the individual falling down. In the case of walking on a slippery slope, the individual must react to slipping to maintain balance. The person's brain must recognize the slipping and the muscles must react to the situation. A person's brain may recognize the slipping quickly but not recruit the appropriate muscles quickly enough, in which case they will know they are falling but will not be able to do anything about it. In contrast, not recognizing the slipping quickly or appropriately enough but being able to quickly recruit the appropriate muscles may cause a jerky and overreactive response. When the brain recognizes the situation and the muscles react with the appropriate speed, the individual's core muscles must still have the strength to accept the body's weight to restore balance in response to slipping. In a preferred embodiment, exercise routines using the recoil exercise ball improve such brain recognition abilities, muscle responses, core balance, and core strength.
Water fill lines are formed as latitudinal lines on the ball. The multi-purpose translucent rubber training ball with ergonomic grips is liquid-filled for dynamic recoil training. The training ball preferably comes in at least three sizes. In a preferred embodiment, a large-sized ball designed for use by men has a circumference of about 60 inches, a medium-sized ball designed for use by women has a circumference of about 50 inches, and a small-sized ball designed for use by seniors has a circumference of about 45 inches.
Conventional stability balls are solid in three sizes by diameter, 55-cm (21.7-inch diameter, 68-inch circumference), 65-cm (25.6-inch diameter, 80.4-inch circumference), and 75-cm (29.5-inch diameter, 92.8-inch circumference), with the recommended ball size being based on the height of the user (59-65 inches, 65-71 inches, and 71-79 inches, respectively). A recoil exercise ball is preferably sized smaller than conventional stability balls, because it is preferably intended to be used with an added weight of water in the ball. As described above, a recoil exercise ball for adult use preferably has a circumference in the range of about 45 inches to about 60 inches, which corresponds to a diameter in the range of about 36.4 cm to about 48.5 cm.
A recoil exercise ball kit preferably includes the recoil exercise ball, an air pump, a hose, a water adapter, and an air adapter.
The recoil exercise ball preferably takes advantage of the law of inertia. The law of inertia states that a body preserves its velocity and direction so long as no force opposes that motion. The body of the user works by trying to control the inertia created from the water inside the recoil exercise ball. The faster the user moves the ball, the faster the water works inside the ball and the harder the body has to work to control the speed. That action is, in part, recoil. The opposing muscle group is engaged to bring stability back to the joint. If you train the brain, the muscles must follow. The brain is in charge here.
Use of the recoil exercise ball preferably improves proprioception. Proprioception is the user's sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the user's body and, in this case, strength of effort being employed in movement to control the recoil exercise ball. In other words, proprioception is the ability of the central nervous system to communicate and coordinate parts of the body with each other. The sensory nerve receptors (proprioceptors), situated in the muscles, tendons, and joints, send information to the central nervous system concerning the movements and positions of the limbs, trunk, and neck. This helps with balance. The recoil exercise ball provides aggressive stimulation for those proprioceptors to go to work. As we age, our balance declines. The recoil exercise ball is a tool that may be used to keep aging sensors sharp. When stepping off a curb, walking on uneven ground, or stepping on a firm surface to a soft surface, for example, the body needs to know how to adjust the muscles, tendons, and joints to these different situations without thinking about it.
By adding liquid to the exercise ball and using it in a way that causes instability, the user creates the desired effect of brain response to the receptors in the muscle. This exercise is analogous to walking on a moving object that is constantly and simultaneously changing as the exercise is performed. No two repetitions of the routine are exactly alike, as a result of the movement of the water in the exercise ball, and each repetition brings a reaction from the brain to counter the action applied. Simply put, the liquid water never follows the exact same path when the user is moving the ball.
Kinesthetic awareness encompasses the body's abilities to coordinate motion and the body's awareness of where it is in time and space. For example, when a group of ballet dancers move together in a routine, it is largely kinesthetic awareness that allows them to dance in harmony and not bump into each other. Proprioception and kinesthetic awareness are often terms that are used interchangeably but they actually mean two separate things.
How are they different? Proprioception is an inner sense of the central nervous system, while kinesthetic awareness is an external sense of the body in space and time. However, they do work together and impact each other, and skiing is a good example. Skiing requires the body to reflexively know when and how to coordinate and move the limbs to stay upright. This is proprioception. At the same time, the skier needs to know where his or her body is in relation to the skis and the slope. This is kinesthetic awareness.
Proprioception and kinesthetic awareness may be improved through exercise. Exercise with a recoil exercise ball may be used to cause the joints, muscles, and proprioceptors to have to “think quick” and adapt to the changing angles and forces put on the joints and muscles. Exercise with a recoil exercise ball may be low-impact and the intensity varies with the force generated by the participant.
Exercise with a recoil exercise ball is convenient and beneficial for people of various athletic abilities, including, but not limited to, athletes, gym rats, weekend warriors, stay-at-home exercisers, and especially seniors.
During proper training with a recoil exercise ball, the user may improve the brain's response to the muscles, which is crucial. The user may also increase his or her capability to respond to unforeseen obstacles, which may be life-changing. An athlete may improve his or her athletic response to a particular move, which may take any athlete to a new level.
One goal to be achieved with the development of a recoil exercise ball was to produce an exercise apparatus that both provides optimum safety to the user and is completely user-friendly. This goal was achieved, in part, with the ergonomic handles that allow a person to grip of the ball with handles that are designed to reduce tendonitis. The preferred ergonomic grip reduces stress to the forearm tendons of the user. Keeping the handles inside the ball's circumference reduces stress and wear-and-tear on the ball as well as providing more control to the user. Conventional balls with water in them provide little in terms of safety. The user either pinches the skin of the ball with his or her fingers fully closed or the user must have an open hand to hold the ball. The first grip aggressively promotes tendonitis, because this grip must be a hard grip to be able to hold on to the ball without losing grip. The latter grip puts an unusual or heavy strain on the shoulders, because of the force required to take to hold of the ball. If a user is sweating and transfers that sweat to the ball, there is a high risk of the ball dropping or hitting an unintended target. The ergonomic grip allows for a semi-closed fist, which avoids both of these issues. If an individual finds a particular apparatus difficult to use, he or she will set the apparatus aside and not use it. Once that happens, the apparatus is worthless. A recoil exercise ball is preferably a safe product that is user-friendly and promotes good health by its very use.
The ergonomic handles are preferably designed to allow maximum resistance with minimal impact to the tendons and joints. The grips on the handles are preferably sized and made with injury-prevention in mind as well as user friendliness. The ergonomic handles are preferably located within the recoil exercise ball's circumference to limit torque on the ball and the user.
The way that a user grips something with weight to it matters, especially to people who may be de-conditioned. Shoulders and forearm tendons are the unintended target of strain when using a ball simply filled with water. The ergonomic handles preferably reduce the strain on the forearm tendons and shoulders.
Another goal preferably achieved with a recoil exercise ball is that the user is able to start exercising within five minutes of removing the recoil exercise ball from its box. The design of the filler hose and the opening in the ball preferably help to accomplish this goal. The nozzle associated with the opening preferably includes a pull tab that lifts out from the circumference of the ball. Once the pull tab is out and the safety cap is off, the user may attach the nozzle to the hose using an air adapter and a pump to the other end of the hose and put air into the recoil exercise ball until the ball is round but still pliable.
The user may then separate the hose from the pump and simply take a larger water adapter with a funnel-like end and connect it to the hose in place of the pump. The user may optionally take the air adapter off the other end of the hose and stick that end of the hose directly into the nozzle. Either way, the user may then begin putting water into the recoil exercise ball, either from a faucet or a container, such as a measuring container. Once the desired amount of water is in the recoil exercise ball, the user may just pull the water adapter off, re-attach the hose to the pump, put the air adapter back on the end of the hose (if applicable), and finish filling the recoil exercise ball with air until it is firm, yet pliable. The user may then put the safety cap back on the nozzle seat and push the nozzle back in place with the safety cap back on, and he or she is ready to exercise, preferably all in less than 5 minutes.
The recoil exercise ball is preferably designed to be a water-use ball only, meaning that the ball is not designed to be used only with air and no water. This recoil exercise ball is preferably designed to provide the quick brain response from the wave of water moving inside from movement of the ball during exercise routines.
The amount of water that the user puts in may vary depending, for example, on the size of the ball, the size and strength of the user, and the type of exercises to be done with the ball. A preferred starting amount of water is about one gallon (about 8 pounds) for a men's size ball, about two quarts (about four pounds) for a women's size ball, and about one quart (about two pounds) for a seniors' size ball. From there, the user may work up to greater amounts, such as about 2.5 gallons (about 20 pounds) for the men's size ball. Without water or air, the recoil exercise ball preferably has a weight in the range of about 1.5 to about 3 pounds. More preferably, the recoil exercise ball has a weight in the range of about 2 to about 2.25 pounds.
Because the elastic material of the ball is preferably translucent, the user is able to see the water in the ball. The ball preferably includes latitudinal fill lines, which the user may use to determine how much water to put in the ball if the user does not want to measure the water being put in.
The design of the recoil exercise ball preferably allows the user to drain the ball of both air and water and pack it up in 5 minutes. The ball is then compact enough to put into a suitcase or other container for travel. Conventional exercise balls may take much more work to drain due to the size and design of the nozzle.
In a preferred embodiment, the elastic material of the recoil exercise ball is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but other elastic materials, including, but not limited to, a latex material may also be used. The elastic material is preferably burst-resistant to 500 lbs. The ergonomic grip is preferably also made from the same PVC material but a much denser form. The elastic material, however, may be any burst-resistant, pliable material within the spirit of the present invention.
The air pump is preferably a non-motorized foot pump or hand pump, but any type of air pump may be used within the spirit of the present invention. The air pump is preferably not a high pressure pump, as a high air pressure is not required for the recoil exercise ball. The hose is preferably a flexible hose specially designed with the two ends sized and shaped to easily couple to and decouple from the output of the air pump, one end of the air adapter, one end of the water adapter, and the nozzle opening. This allows the process of filling the recoil exercise ball with either water or air to be extremely user-friendly. The water adapter allows the water to enter the ball at a much faster rate than other methods.
The nozzle is preferably designed for both easy and quick application. From the time the user opens the packaged ball, he or she can be using it the way it was intended in under five minutes. Conventional exercise balls have no dedicated nozzle for receiving water quickly. The nozzle is also designed to completely drain the water quickly.
The ball nozzle preferably includes a nozzle seat, an attachment tag, a pull tag, and a safety cap. To fill the recoil exercise ball, the user inserts the desired amounts of air and water, closes the safety cap, and pushes down the nozzle until the safety cap cover is flush with the ball surface. To remove air or water, the user simply pulls the attachment tag and removes the safety cap to open the nozzle before removing the desired amount of air or water from the ball.
In a preferred embodiment, a recoil exercise ball kit includes a recoil exercise ball, an air pump, a removable hose, an air adapter, and a water adapter. The hose is preferably about five feet long. The hose may be attached to the air pump to add air to the ball or coupled to a water line to add water to the ball through the ball nozzle. One adapter is a water adapter with a funnel shape to fit under a faucet or to receive water from a container and the other end to insert into an end of the hose for easy water fill. The other adapter is an air adapter with a bottle shape to fit into the ball nozzle and to receive the end of the air pump hose for easy air fill.
In some embodiments, the surface of the recoil exercise ball may have a specific pattern or color, which may include, but is not limited to, a camouflage pattern, pink, or purple. In some embodiments, the large-sized ball has a camouflage pattern in support of military troops, the medium-sized ball is pink in support of breast cancer research, and the small-sized ball is purple in support of Alzheimer's research.
Referring to
The exercise ball 10 is preferably translucent so that a user may see how much water is in the exercise ball 10, and the exercise ball 10 preferably also includes a series of latitudinal fill lines 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 on the hemisphere opposite the nozzle 20 to indicate preferred fill lines for different amounts of water in the exercise ball 10 so that the user need not measure the water before adding it to the exercise ball 10. For symmetry, the exercise ball 10 of
a and
In some embodiments, an exercise ball kit includes the exercise ball 10 of
As mentioned previously, the exercise ball is preferably available in at least three different sizes so that a user may select an appropriate size for their use.
An exercise routine using the recoil exercise ball filled with air and water preferably includes gripping the recoil exercise ball and simultaneously making a body movement including movement of the core and a movement of the recoil exercise ball. Although many exercise routines and exercise programs may be designed for the recoil exercise ball, a preferred core strengthening program includes the following exercise routines.
The user lies on the user's back with the ball on the floor behind the user's head. With the user's legs bent, the user grips the ball by the handles and pulls it over the user's head and curls the user's spine while bringing the ball up between the user's knees. Once the user comes to a stop, the user simply returns the ball back to its original position without touching it on the floor to complete one repetition. The user preferably does ten repetitions. When the user comes to a stop, the brain must react to the liquid that is continuing to move around within the recoil exercise ball based on its inertia. This means that the muscles get a message to react to counter the movement.
The user lies on the user's back with the ball secured between the user's knees. The user places the user's hands on the side of the user's head then moves the user's knees and elbows toward each other and returns to the starting position for one repetition. The user preferably does ten repetitions.
From a seated position, the user holds the ball by the handles in front of the user. The user leans back slightly and turns the user's body to the side then all the way back to the other side for one repetition. The user preferably does ten repetitions.
The user lies on the user's side with legs straight and stacked one on top of the other with the user's forearm on the floor at a 90-degree angle. The user places the recoil exercise ball on the user's hip and holds the ball with the user's free hand. From here, the user simply raises the user's hips off the floor and lowers the user's hips for one repetition while trying not to touch the floor with the user's hip on the return portion of the exercise. The user preferably does ten repetitions.
The user preferably goes through the four-routine program in sequence four times initially, while working up to increase the number of repetitions by two every two weeks for eight weeks. The user preferably uses the program three days each week.
The more aggressively the user moves the ball during each of the routines, the more response the user feels. This movement also enhances the brain-to-muscle connection. The user may enhance response by completing each repetition of the exercise without touching the floor or allowing the ball to settle. Such a response is not as effective or can not be done at all if the contents of the ball have increased friction, such as sand, if used in place of water.
Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.
