Patent Application
20120071305
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to fitness training In particular, the invention relates to methods and devices for core strength and fitness training
2. Description of Related Art
It has been widely recognized that strong core abdominal muscles are critical to good physical health, and in particular to avoiding or mitigating back pain and related problems. The prior art includes a wide range of fitness training methods and devices. With respect to strength and fitness training for core abdominal muscles, there are a wide variety of devices available that are largely based on variations of traditional sit-up or “crunch” exercises. These devices, however, are often bulky and/or expensive, and often have limited utility. Many of these devices also work the target muscles through a limited range of motion, train only a small portion of the muscles considered to make up the core, or are inappropriate for home use, and thus require users to visit a gym or fitness center on a daily basis to maintain a strong core.
The present invention overcomes these limitations of the prior art, providing a simple, inexpensive method and device for core strength and fitness training at home using a standard bed or similar item of furniture.
A physical training device comprising a securing strap with a loop or cuff attached at a first end of the securing strap for attachment to the leg of the user below the knee and a loop or cuff at a second end of the securing strap for attachment to the leg of a bed, wherein the user attaches the second end of the securing strap to the leg of a bed and passes the securing strap under the bed, up the side, and onto the top surface of the bed, and the user attaches the first end of the securing strap to a leg below the knee using the cuff such that the securing strap holds the user's leg while the user's upper body extends off the edge of the bed so that it can move through a wide range of angles above and below the plane of the top surface of the bed. In exemplary embodiments, the first end of the securing strap is adjustably attached to a swivel hook for attachment to the cuff, or the cuff includes a ring or loop for attachment of the swivel hook. In another exemplary embodiment, the securing strap includes a ladder lock or other adjustment mechanism to adjust its length so the securing strap is snug when the user is in the correct position.
A method for training the core muscles of the abdomen, comprising attaching a first end of a securing strap to a user's leg below the knee such that the securing strap holds the user's leg while the user's upper body extends off the edge of the bed, attaching a second end of the securing strap to the leg of a bed such that the securing strap passes under the bed, up the side of the bed, and onto the top surface of the bed, and moving the user's upper body through a range of angles above and below the plane of the top surface of the bed. In various exemplary methods, the user is facing downward, upward, or sideways relative to the top surface of the bed.
The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. For purposes of explanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Descriptions of specific embodiments or applications are provided only as examples. Various modifications to the embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest possible scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. Moreover, in the present disclosure various devices are described and set forth with regard to several embodiments. It is contemplated that features of the disclosed embodiments may be combined in any manner as may be desired for various applications and implementations.
To effectively establish and maintain strong core abdominal muscles, it is important to train all of the core muscles that encircle the user's abdomen and lower back through their entire range of motion. This presents a unique challenge, because it is difficult to establish effective resistance across such a broad range of different movements. The simplest and most effective way to establish resistance for such exercises to use the weight of the user's upper body and gravity. However, most abdominal muscle training that is done using gravity is limited to movement of the upper body from a generally horizontal position to a position above horizontal. In other words, only the range of motion above the horizontal plane of the surface on which the user's body rests is being utilized. In addition, such devices do not offer the ability to train the muscles of the lower back and buttocks which are essential components of the core.
Because gravity exerts a force downward toward the ground, the range of motion that provides peak gravitational resistance (“PGR”) extends from immediately below to immediately above the plane of the surface on which the user is lying. As the user moves outside of this zone of PGR, their movement takes on a greater horizontal component and less of a vertical component, thus there is less and less gravitational resistance. Effectively working through the entire range of motion that provides PGR requires a system that allows a user to lie down on a raised surface with their lower body below the waist held in place while their upper body is free to move through a wide range of motion both up and down from the horizontal plane. Most training systems cannot do this, and thus fail to take advantage of the zone of PGR below the plane of the surface on which the user is lying, or fail to take advantage of this zone of PGR with respect to all of the core muscles, including key muscles in the lower back and buttocks, such that the user can work through all of their core muscles in a continuous exercise routine without changing to another training device.
In an exemplary embodiment, the training device is designed to use a standard bed 100 as a platform for performing abdominal exercises. As shown in
Referring to
In an exemplary embodiment, each cuff 140 comprises an inner strip 142 of comfortable material such as neoprene rubber or other suitable elastomeric material configured to fit around the user's leg, reinforced with an outer strip 144 of nylon webbing or other suitable material. The outer strip 144 may be longer than the inner strip 142 and is securely fastened to the inner strip 142 such as by stitching so that it extends several inches beyond one end of the inner strip 142. For example, the inner strip 142 of may be approximately twelve (12) inches long and two (2) inches wide and the outer strip 144 may be approximately eighteen (18) inches long and one (1) inch wide. A suitable attachment mechanism such as a D-ring 146 or a webbing loop may be attached to the outer strip 144 to provide a point of attachment for the other components of the invention.
In an exemplary embodiment, the outer strip 144 has one side of a hook and loop fastener 148 (either hooks or loops) attached to its outer surface in the area that is attached to the inner strip 142, and the opposite side of the hook and loop fastener 150 (either loops or hooks) attached to its inner surface in the area that extends beyond the end of the inner strip 142. This exemplary embodiment is attached to the user's leg by wrapping the inner strip 142 around the user's ankle and attaching the hook and loop fastening surfaces together to obtain a snug, secure fit.
In an exemplary embodiment, the securing straps 120 each comprise a long piece of nylon webbing or other suitable material with a loop 122 at one end. The loop 122 can be looped directly around a leg of a bed, or securing strap 120 can be looped around the leg of the bed 100 and the loose end 124 of the securing strap 120 can be pulled through loop 122. The loose end 124 is then pulled underneath the bed 100, up the side, and onto the top surface 104 of the bed 100 where it is attached to cuff 140. In an exemplary embodiment, the loose end 124 of each securing strap 120 is adjustably attached to a swivel hook 126 or other attachment device such as by a ladder lock 128. The swivel hooks 126 may then be attached to D-rings 146 or other attachment point on the cuffs 140. The ladder locks 128 can then be used to adjust the length of the securing straps 120 so that the straps are snug when the user is in the correct position on the bed 100.
It will be readily understood that the various exemplary components described above can by rearranged and a wide variety of different specific mechanisms can be used to attach each securing strap 120 to the bed and a cuff 140. For example, the swivel hooks 126 could be attached to the cuffs and the attachment mechanisms such as D-rings 146 could be affixed to the securing strap 120, or different attachment mechanisms could be used for each. Moreover, the ladder locks 128 could be replaced by other means for adjusting the length of the straps such as clips, hook and loop fasteners, double rings, snaps, etc.
Once the training device is secured and adjusted to the proper length based on the user and the bed 100, the user can perform a complete group of core strengthening exercises by positioning their waist at or near the edge of the bed so their upper body extends off the edge of the bed. If the user faces downward, he/she can perform back extensor exercises by contracting and relaxing the intrinsic muscles of the lower back and buttocks to raise and lower the upper body. The user can then flip onto their back to exercise primarily the rectus abdominus muscle. The user can then lie on each side to exercise the transversus abdominus, internal and external oblique muscles on the opposite sides of their body. Because the user's body extends off the side of the bed 100, they can exercise each set of muscles through the area of peak gravitational resistance (“PGR”) extending from immediately below to immediately above the plane of the top surface 104 of the bed 100. In this manner, the device permits comprehensive strengthening of all of the muscles considered to make up what is commonly referred to as ‘the core,’ each against PGR, and to do so without having to stop training to change or adjust the device, or to move from one device/piece of equipment to another.
