Patent Application
20220088437
This application claims priority to German patent application number 10 2020 124 398.7, filed on Sep. 18, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a training device for training specific individual muscle groups in the upper body, wherein, during training, a seat is moved relative to an upper body support element counter to a counterforce acting in at least one direction of movement.
A large number of training devices for various muscle groups in the human body are already known. However, simultaneous training of a large number of muscle groups has the disadvantage that only some of these muscle groups exert the bulk of the force necessary to execute the movement, and other muscle groups are therefore not stimulated and trained with sufficient intensity.
A lack of adequately trained deeper muscles often leads to significant health problems, as the joints are not adequately supported by the muscles. This is particularly relevant to the muscles in the upper body region, such as the back muscles, which support the spine. The lateral and frontal muscles of the upper body are also relevant, since the muscles work together and ensure overall support for the upper body. For proper support of the spine, it is particularly important for the deep muscles close to the vertebrae to be sufficiently developed. In addition to the back muscles, the small, deeper lateral and frontal muscles should also be adequately trained.
Targeted training for a specific individual muscle group has proven to be effective in ensuring that smaller muscles in particular are trained. Since targeted training prevents compensation by other muscles, targeted muscle building close to the joints can be guaranteed. In addition, targeted training has advantages for injured people who cannot train all muscles to the same extent.
The joints in the body essentially act as pivot points about which other parts of the body, such as bones, are moved in a pendulum-like manner by the muscles. An example of this is the elbow joint, about which the forearm can move like a pendulum. The pelvis can be moved about the individual vertebrae of the spine in the same way. The pelvis can thus be moved about one of the vertebrae on a curved path in a pendulum-like manner.
In order to adequately stimulate the muscles at the various joints that are particularly relevant to health, such as the hip joint or individual vertebrae of the spine, the aim of the training is to generate the resistance against which the muscles have to work as close to the joint as possible, i.e. to generate resistance close to the pivot point. In this way, the muscles that surround and protect the joint are trained.
For the specific training of muscles surrounding the joints, training devices for the leg muscles, the hip muscles or the muscles in the lumbar region are known from the prior art.
A training device for the core muscles is described in DE 9405749 U1. The legs are fixed so that the upper body, which is arranged on an air-filled ball, can be lifted against its gravitational force. Depending on the position of the person exercising, different muscle groups are used. A disadvantage here is that the deep muscles at the hip joint are not specifically targeted.
A training device by means of which the muscles in the lumbar region can be strengthened is known from DE 10 2011 085 571 A1. This muscle group requires special attention because many people have underdeveloped muscles in this region due to frequent long periods of sitting, which can lead to significant pain. This training device has a frame, a seat for free sitting without touching the floor, at least one rest, a fixing device for the pelvis and a fixing device for the hands or arms. The seat having the fixing device for the pelvis can be moved relative to the rest having the fixing device for the hands and arms.
A disadvantage is that the exercise to strengthen the muscles in the lumbar region using this device is often performed incorrectly by the person exercising, which jeopardises the success of the training. A particular problem here is that muscle groups other than those in the lumbar region are used to move the seat against a certain force. Well-trained outer muscles then compensate for the force that should actually be exerted by the deeper muscles. The person exercising does this in particular by using other muscles via lever movements of the legs and sometimes also of the arms.
Until now, the problem has been solved by having experienced, trained trainers and physiotherapists supervise the exercises and repeatedly point out errors in the execution to the person exercising. Since the person exercising continues to fail to perform the exercises correctly despite such instruction and supervision, regular and close supervision of the person exercising is essential in order to ensure effective training with such a training device. This requires a lot of time and expense.
The aim of the invention is to provide a training device which makes incorrect execution of an exercise much more difficult and thus forces correct execution of the exercise to train the muscles in the lumbar region, so that the person exercising intuitively performs the exercise correctly and the deeper muscles are effectively stimulated.
According to the invention, the aim is achieved by a training device according to the independent claim. Advantageous non-limiting embodiments of the invention are described herein.
The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to drawings, in which:
The object of the invention is achieved in particular by a training device for training individual muscle groups in the upper body, which has a support frame and a training unit. The training unit has an upper body support element and a seat. The seat is movable on an arcuate path with respect to the upper body support element in such a way that, when the upper body is resting against the upper body support element, the pelvis can be moved in a pendulum-like manner counter to an adjustable counterforce that acts in at least one direction of movement. The seat is designed in such a way that only the gluteal region is supported and no elements for supporting the legs or feet are arranged on the training device. There are also no elements on the training device which rest on the legs or feet in order to fix the pelvis on the seat. There are thus no elements on the training device on which the person exercising could support his legs during training.
When training with the training device, the pelvis performs a pendulum-like movement with the seat. In the context of the invention, the pelvis moves back and forth on a curved path. To ensure this, the seat is movable on a curved path. During training, the pelvis therefore performs an oscillating movement about a joint, in particular about one of the vertebrae in the upper body. Such a pendulum-like movement corresponds to the natural sequence of movements in the body, in which the muscles move other parts of the body about a joint that acts as a pivot point. This trains the muscles that surround the corresponding joint or vertebra.
The upper body is fixed to the upper body support element. This fixing can be achieved by the person exercising pressing his upper body against the upper body support element, it being possible to support this resting or pressing of the upper body against the upper body support element with other elements arranged on the training device, such as straps. The seat is preferably movable, with the rest being stationary.
The counterforce preferably acts in one direction of movement. Therefore, in order to move the seat in one direction, the person exercising has to use increased force to move the seat and thus overcome this counterforce. The return movement of the seat also takes place under the influence of the counterforce. The counterforce pushes the seat back, thus supporting the return movement. In the return movement, no force is required to overcome the counterforce, but force is required to move the seat back in a controlled manner, i.e. slowly. The return movement corresponds to an eccentric movement of the muscles. The return movement is preferably carried out as a controlled return movement using the corresponding muscles to be trained. Depending on the direction of the counterforce, different muscles are required to move the seat with the aid of the upper body muscles. The direction of the counterforce can be used to determine whether the muscles to be trained are those in the back, those in the abdominal region or lateral muscles. The corresponding muscles are stimulated by the counterforce to be overcome and the intensity of the training can be adjusted depending on the set level of the counterforce.
The training device according to the invention reduces possibilities for compensation using other muscles primarily by eliminating the undesired possibility for support using the feet and especially the legs. Advantageously, the person exercising cannot make the exercise easier by means of lever movements on fixing elements or supports. There are therefore no elements on the training device that can be used as support elements for the legs or feet, and none that are primarily intended to fix the pelvis on the seat. The training device is designed in such a way that the person exercising cannot support their legs or their feet on the floor or on the training device. As a result, the person exercising is advantageously deprived of the opportunity to support themselves on the support elements such that correct execution of the exercise is forced by excluding compensating lever movements. The seat itself is not a support element of this kind for the legs or feet, although the upper part of the thigh rests thereon. In the context of the invention, the seat is designed in such a way that only the gluteal region is supported and there is no possibility of supporting the legs or feet. The gluteal region can also include the upper region of the thighs, i.e. the upper 50% of the thighs, or preferably the upper 20% of the thighs, or particularly preferably the upper 10% of the thighs. However, there is no possibility of supporting the rest of the thigh on the training device. In the context of the invention, a support for the legs or feet is also any fixing or depositing of the legs or feet, in particular of the lower region of the legs from the middle of the thighs downwards and of the feet. The training device thus does not have any elements which rest against the middle and lower regions of the thighs, the lower legs, the knees or the feet, or which fix them in any way. The legs and feet hang freely and the pelvis is held on the seat primarily by the fact that there is some friction between the seat and the buttocks. Increased muscle use may be necessary to sit correctly. The pelvis is particularly preferably in contact with the seat only via the ischial tuberosities (tuber ischiadicum), so that the seat can be moved by a pendulum movement of the pelvis about a vertebra in the upper body in such a way that the seat is moved on an arcuate path.
Due to the lack of support possibilities for the legs or feet, the person exercising is advantageously deprived of the opportunity to support themselves, e.g. via fixing elements acting on the lower legs, in such a way that the thigh muscles or the outer hip muscles take over the force to move the seat, thus relieving the deeper muscles near the vertebrae which are actually intended to be trained. During training with the training device according to the invention, the thigh muscles or hip muscles cannot be used to move the pelvis and thus the seat while the upper body is stationary. Compensation by the hip and thigh muscles is thus prevented.
Due to the lack of fixing elements on the legs to fix the pelvis, the pelvis is fixed only by the seat itself. In order to allow the pelvis to be fixed on the seat, a special design of the seat itself is required. The pelvis is preferably fixed on the seat by the friction between the seat and the person exercising.
In one possible embodiment, the seat is designed in the form of a saddle, i.e. in the form of a bicycle saddle, for example. In another variant, the pelvis is fixed because the person exercising sinks into a soft surface of the seat in such a way that there is sufficient friction to fix the buttocks and thus the pelvis on the seat. Slipping is thus prevented by the gravitational force exerted by the person exercising. In an advantageous embodiment, the seat is designed with a planar upper face. The seat has no side bolsters or other fixing elements.
The seat preferably comprises a foam which is covered by a cover. The friction between the seat and the person exercising is determined by the degree of hardness of the foam and the choice of material, such as leather or synthetic leather or fabric, for the cover. The surface of the seat preferably has a sufficient roughness.
In a particularly preferred variant, the seat has a rectangular shape having a length in the sitting direction. In a suitable variant, the length is less than 30 cm or 25 cm or 20 cm. The seat is then only designed as a contact surface. It does not create any support for the legs, not even for the upper region of the thighs, which creates a compulsion to perform the exercises correctly. The short seat surface therefore reduces the possibility of the person exercising using his legs in the manner of a lever to support himself and thus using the hip muscles to relieve the muscles in the upper body region that are actually to be trained. According to the invention, the length of the seat is arranged in the sitting direction; the length is therefore parallel to the ventral and the dorsal main direction of the person exercising during training.
Adjustment of the counterforce as required advantageously allows training that is adapted to the fitness level of the respective person. The counterforce to be overcome during training is preferably set by varying the inclination of the entire training unit and thus the direction of movement of the seat relative to the floor. The inclination of the training unit also sets the inclination of the direction of movement of the seat element. Since the seat moves on an arcuate path, the inclination of the path is also changed, i.e. the path is tilted. By fixing the training unit in a certain position, i.e. at a certain angle of inclination, the direction of movement of the seat element is also set, as a result of which the angle to the horizontal is determined. A change in the direction of movement always affects the proportion of gravitational force on the seat element, which means that the training intensity of the exercise can be set effectively and easily.
If the seat has to be moved further upwards due to the inclination, the gravitational force, which is also caused by the person exercising, has a greater influence and the counterforce is increased when the training unit is tilted to a greater degree. If the gravitational force has a greater influence, the person exercising has to use more force to move the seat element, which ensures effective training. The training unit is preferably mounted so that it can be tilted about an inclination axis relative to the support frame in such a way that the inclination of the training unit relative to the floor can be varied and fixed in different positions.
In an advantageous embodiment, the training device has a manually operated or driven gear arrangement which is positioned between the training unit and the support frame. The gear arrangement is used to adjust the inclination of the training unit. The gear arrangement can be designed as a worm drive, in particular as a self-locking worm drive. In one possible variant, an additional component is arranged on the worm drive which brings about the self-locking effect.
In an advantageous variant, an inclination or tilting of the training unit about an inclination axis is implemented in such a way that the direction of movement of the seat runs in a plane which is arranged so as to be perpendicular to the inclination axis of the training device.
The training unit is preferably arranged so as to be adjustable relative to the support frame. The counterforce can also be implemented by using additional weights, a rubber band or a cable pull system in possible design variants.
To optimise training and to adapt it to different needs, the training device is preferably designed in such a way that the distance between the seat in the resting position and the upper body support element can be set and fixed at different distances.
In a particularly suitable embodiment, the seat is connected to the upper body support element via a joint, which is preferably designed as a rotational joint, and the distance between the seat and the joint can be variably adjusted and fixed. The exercise can be initiated in different muscle groups through the height of the joint in relation to the body of the person exercising. The region located at the level of the joint about which the seat moves on an arcuate path is always particularly stimulated and stressed. If the joint is arranged at the level of a lumbar vertebra, for example, the muscles around this lumbar vertebra are particularly strengthened by the training. The pelvis then performs a pendulum-like movement about the corresponding lumbar vertebra. Thus, by adjusting the height of the joint about which the seat moves on an arcuate path, the muscle segment to be trained can be varied and targeted.
For this purpose, the seat is preferably coupled to the joint via telescopic elements. In the context of invention, telescopic elements should be understood to mean extendable, interlocking tubular elements or elements of the hollow profile type. Other coupling elements that can be adjusted in length are also possible. What is relevant here is the change in the distance between the rotational joint and the seat element.
The distance between the upper body support element and the joint can preferably also be set and fixed in various positions.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the training device has a shelf or fixing elements for the arms or hands. The fixing elements are particularly preferably designed as handles. Alternatively, the person exercising can hold on to the rest, but handles arranged in particular in front of the rest, i.e. handles that are easily accessible for the arms and hands when the upper body is placed on the rest, allow the upper body to be fixed comfortably. An alternative option for fixing the upper body is straps that connect the upper body to the upper body support element.
The training device is preferably designed in such a way that the seat moves on an arcuate path. The arcuate path can be described as a polygon of the nth order, i.e. it can be designed as any desired curved path. A possible embodiment is an elliptical path. The seat preferably moves on a circular path.
In a particularly suitable variant, the seat is connected to the upper body support element via a joint designed as a rotational joint. The arcuate path of the seat then results from a pendulum movement of the seat about the rotational joint. In one possible embodiment, the seat is connected to the rotational joint by means of elongate elements so that the seat can be moved about the rotational joint in the manner of a rigid pendulum. According to an alternative embodiment, the training device has an arcuate guide on which the seat can be moved in a guided manner.
According to one possible embodiment, the upper body support element can be adjusted and fixed in different positions and at different distances from the seat.
The upper body support element is preferably designed as a backrest or as a side rest or as a rest for the frontal region of the upper body. In a specific variant, the upper body support element is designed as a support element for the upper body, i.e. in particular for the shoulder and chest region. Alternatively, the upper body support element can also be designed as a rest for supporting the lower part of the upper body, in particular the lumbar region. By selecting the region of the upper body with which the person exercising supports himself, the muscle to be trained is determined in conjunction with the direction of the counterforce.
In an embodiment with a backrest, the lower abdominal muscles, i.e. the outer oblique abdominal muscles (Musculus obliquus externus), the inner oblique abdominal muscles (Musculus obliquus internus), and the vertical abdominal muscles (Musculus rectus abdominis), are stimulated and trained. Advantageously, the hip flexors therefore cannot act in a compensatory manner.
In another embodiment in which the upper body support element is designed as a rest for the frontal region of the upper body, the deep back muscles, in particular the musculus multifidus, are trained. The hip extensors therefore cannot act in a compensatory manner. The person exercising is thus deprived of the possibility of simplifying the exercise by using the hip extensors to relieve the deep back muscles that are actually to be trained. The person exercising is forced to stimulate the deep back muscles, which makes the training of the deep back muscles much more effective.
In a further embodiment, the upper body support element is designed as a side rest. This specifically trains the transverse abdominal muscles (Musculus transversus abdominis). Advantageously, the hip abductors therefore cannot act in a compensatory manner.
In order to implement the invention, it is also expedient to combine the above-described designs, embodiments and features of the claims according to the invention in a useful manner.
The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to embodiments. The embodiments relate to various designs of a training device according to the invention and are intended to describe the invention without restricting it.
A crank 8 is arranged on the training device 1 to adjust the inclination of the training unit 3. By means of this crank 8, the inclination of the training unit 3 with respect to the support frame 2 can be set in different positions, whereby the training intensity can be adjusted. This training device 1 is shown in a perspective view obliquely from above in
Another variant with an upper body support element 4 arranged on the support frame 2 and designed as a side rest 4 is shown schematically in
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”), “contain” (and any form contain, such as “contains” and “containing”), and any other grammatical variant thereof, are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or article that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or more steps or elements possesses those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or an element of an article that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features.
As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “has,” “including,” “containing,” and other grammatical variants thereof encompass the terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”
The phrase “consisting essentially of” or grammatical variants thereof when used herein are to be taken as specifying the stated features, integers, steps or components but do not preclude the addition of one or more additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof but only if the additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof do not materially alter the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed compositions or methods.
All publications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference as if each individual publication were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference herein as though fully set forth.
Subject matter incorporated by reference is not considered to be an alternative to any claim limitations, unless otherwise explicitly indicated.
Where one or more ranges are referred to throughout this specification, each range is intended to be a shorthand format for presenting information, where the range is understood to encompass each discrete point within the range as if the same were fully set forth herein.
While several aspects and embodiments of the present invention have been described and depicted herein, alternative aspects and embodiments may be affected by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same objectives. Accordingly, this disclosure and the appended claims are intended to cover all such further and alternative aspects and embodiments as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2020 124 398.7 | Sep 2020 | DE | national |
