The present invention is related to a training machine for strength training and rehabilitation.
There are already many known training machines for anaerobic training where the user exercises intended muscles of the body by performing pre-determined movements so that a weight package of a weight stack is lifted or lowered. For efficient training with single joint movements, as by means of a biceps curl machine or a leg extension machine, as well as with multiple-joint movements, as by means of a rowing machine, a bench press machine or a leg press machine, it is important that the user of the machine can perform a number of positive and negative working cycles intended for the personal capacity of the training person. The positive work means that weights are being lifted and the negative work means that weights are being lowered.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,594 and GB Patent 2,227,676 machines are previously known, at which the load increases during the positive movement and is reduced to its original value at the end of the negative movement.
By instead varying the load so that, during the same total movement cycle, the positive working cycle becomes easier to perform, i.e., less force is required to lift the selected weight package than to lower it, the training person can lift a greater weight package than what was possible with a normal machine or alternatively perform more movements during one and the same workout session.
A machine of the type defined above is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,003. This machine has a rod which is pressed against the weight package during the negative movement to increase the load when the weight package moves downwards. To provide a constantly increased load during the negative movement an influence of the rod must occur directly dependent on the movement of the training person during the whole negative movement. If the training person increases or decreases the movement rate during the negative work the speed of the rod must be amended in the same proportion. Such a regulation is very complex and difficult to perform in practise.
The object of the present invention is to provide a training machine of the type mentioned above which sets aside the above-mentioned problem.
When a person lowers and lifts the same number of weights of a weight package, no consideration is taken to the fact that the negative, i.e., lowering, force of the person is greater than the positive, i.e., lifting, force of the person. Therefore, the effect of the training machine is limited. When training with conventional training machines the number of weights must be selected with regard to the weaker lifting strength of the training person. The same number of weights is thereafter lowered at the negative part of the movement. Hence, this number of weights is not on a level with the negative strength.
With the training machine according to the invention the negative strength can be trained with a more optimal weight mass in the selected weight package. The result will be that the fatigue rate of the trained muscle will increase. With this invention, it is possible to stimulate capacity improvement with less training amount than training with conventional training machines. Scientific studies have shown that training where the selected weight package is adapted to the negative strength provides faster and greater strength growth than training where the weight package is adapted to the positive strength.
The invention is described in the following with reference to the appended drawings showing a preferred embodiment.
In
Between the upper and lower horizontal beams of the inner frame portion 8 guide rods 14 and 15 are fastened. Along these guide rods 14 and 15 weights 16 of a weight stack are arranged to slide. The weights have holes for the guide rods 14 and 15, respectively, also a central hole for a lifting rod 17 (see
At the opposite upper ends of the arms 36 and 37 linkage arms 38 and 39 are mounted, which are moveable in all directions, e.g., by means of a ball-and-socket joint. The arms 38 and 39 are in turn at their other ends in all directions freely moveably connected to couplings 40 and 41 mounted on pull and press arms 42 and 43, which in turn are freely turnably journalled at their upper ends on the frame construction 12 at 44 and 45, respectively. Handles 46 forming a pull or press means are provided at the lower ends of the arms 42 and 43. The turning arms 36 are journalled on a common through shaft 47 fastened at the frame construction 13. The turning arms 36 are freely journalled independently of each other on said shaft 47. A stop 47a restrains the movements of the turning arms in one direction of rotation.
In
A person who shall train using the strength training device 1 according to the invention sits on the chair 52 and then grips the handles 46 on the arms 42 and 43, as is evident from
As shown in the above described preferred embodiment of the training machine according to the invention it is achieved that the trained person is given the possibility to either lift more weights than what is possible by means of a conventional known machine or lift more times with the same weight as was earlier used.
The training machine according to the invention can be modified within the scope of the appended claims.
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0502155 | Sep 2005 | SE | national |
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