Encased resistance cable portable exercise apparatus
An exercising apparatus includes a platform adaptable to permit standing, sitting, supine and step-up exercises, and a means for generating a resistance force to enable an individual to employ isometric exercise of the major muscle groups while supported at least in part on the platform. An exercise apparatus includes a platform and one or more guide members running along the bottom of the platform, from one side to the opposite side of said platform, one or more resistance cables, each inserted through a different guide member. Cables can be provided with connectors attached to cable ends. User interface members can be attached to connectors. Resistance cables may each have a different resistance strength.
The present invention relates to exercise equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to an exercise apparatus for carrying out a number of exercises to strengthen and condition the major muscle groups in the body.
BACKGROUNDCardiovascular and isometric exercise is required to maintain a healthy physical and mental wellness. In this regard, many forms of exercise equipment have been designed to achieve good health. For example, known exercise apparatuses employ weights to be lifted through a range of motion for exercising specific muscles of the body. Other known apparatuses utilize friction mechanisms to generate a resistance proportion to relative movement of certain components of the exercising device. Another form of exercise equipment uses springs, rubber bands, surgical tubing or bungee cables to produce elastic resistance to movement in a particular direction.
Multiple-exercise apparatuses conveniently allow individuals to engage in both aerobic and anaerobic exercise for overall toning and strengthening of every major muscle group. In particular, the resistance-platform apparatuses are particularly well suited for providing both aerobic and anaerobic exercise because these types of exercise apparatuses provide both an isometric strengthening, as well as cardiovascular training. For example, an individual is free to use a heavy resistance to isolate and strengthen a particular muscle group and/or achieve a cardiovascular workout by using light resistance at higher repetitions and switching from one muscle group to the next in a series of different exercises.
The following represents a list of known related art:
The teachings of each of the above-listed citations (which does not itself incorporate essential material by reference) are herein incorporated by reference. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
SUMMARY AND ADVANTAGESThe exercise apparatus of the present invention is adaptable to permit standing, sitting, supine and step-up exercises, and generates resistance force to enable an individual to employ isometric exercise of the major muscle groups while supported at least in part on the platform. The exercise apparatus includes a platform adapted to be substantially vertically and horizontally positionable, one or more guide members running along the bottom of the platform, from one side to the opposite side of said platform, one or more resistance cables, each inserted through a different guide member. Connectors can be attached to cable ends. User interface members can be attached to connectors. Resistance cables may each have a different resistance strength. Floor-engaging pedestals can be provided to attach to the bottom of thee platform to elevate the support surface for step-up exercises.
The apparatus allows a user to do squat exercises safely, without a spotter. The apparatus allows the user to control resistance on cable ends to perform one leg exercises and one arm exercises. The apparatus allows the flexibility to incorporate add on features. The apparatus allows the user to perform multiple cardio exercises. The apparatus may be mounted on a solid structure for use with cable pulley system or bracketed on bottom for adaptation to wheelchair use. The apparatus is compact and lightweight for portability. Apparatus allows user to perform cardiovascular exercises such as cardio resistance stepping, cardio resistance rowing, and cardio resistance stationary jogging. Apparatus allows user to target specific muscle groups such as the gluts (the rear end), the abdominals, legs, including calves, thighs, and hams, arms, including forearms, biceps, and triceps, the pectorals, the shoulders, and the back.
Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Further benefits and advantages of the embodiments of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which specify and show preferred embodiments of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles and implementations of the invention.
Before beginning a detailed description of the subject invention, mention of the following is in order. When appropriate, like reference materials and characters are used to designate identical, corresponding, or similar components in differing figure drawings. The figure drawings associated with this disclosure typically are not drawn with dimensional accuracy to scale, i.e., such drawings have been drafted with a focus on clarity of viewing and understanding rather than dimensional accuracy.
In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of the implementations described herein are shown and described. It will, of course, be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with application- and business-related constraints, and that these specific goals will vary from one implementation to another and from one developer to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
As shown in
Referring to
Pedestals 24 form the bottom portion of the platform 20. The pedestals 24 engage the floor and elevate the support surface 22. An individual may step on and off the support surface 22 as a variation or cardiovascular addition to the workout. Additional spacer blocks (not shown) can be fitted under the pedestals to further increase the platform height. Spacer blocks can add height and steps thereby increasing the cardiovascular element of the workouts.
In addition, risers 26 positioned atop the support surface 22, increase the height of the platform 20. Essentially, an individual may use a step from the floor to the support surface 22 and a second step from the support surface 22 to the risers 26. When the apparatus 10 is positioned vertically for sitting-exercises, abutting the sides of the feet against the risers 26 stabilizes the apparatus 10. In an alternative embodiment, 26 risers can be moved and positioned at either end of the platform 20, extending the length of the platform 20 to allow a user performing exercises laying down or sitting down to have a greater expanse to position the user upon.
The platform 20 may further include a handle 28 for easy carrying and wheels for rollably supporting at least a portion of the platform 20, a hinge to allow the apparatus to be folded up, and hardware attached to the platform 20 to secure the cables 30 when they are not in use. In an alternative embodiment, platform 20 can be the seat of a chair.
One or more guide members 40 run along the bottom of the platform 20, from one side to the opposite side of said platform. Guide members 40, each having a first end and a second end, can be made of rubber, steel, plastic, or other material known to those skilled in the art suitable for allowing a resistance cable 30 to freely traverse through the length of the guide member 40. Guide members 40 can be attached to platform by glue, bonding, mounts, and other suitable methods for attachment known to those skilled in the art. In an alternative embodiment, platform can be provided with tubes or cavities running through the body of the platform from sidewall to opposite sidewall, acting as guide members 40 for the cables 30.
Referring to
The resistance cables 30 are slidably connected to the platform 20 between the pedestals 24 via guide members 40 attached to the sides and bottom of the platform 20, so that the free ends of the cables 30 emerge from beneath the platform 20 at opposite sides. Each cable 30 is trained through a different guide member 40. As shown in
Guide members 40 can be configured to have an open slit along the bottom wall of the guide member 40, farthest from the platform, to allow a cable 30 to be easily removed and replaced with a different cable, with different resistance strength.
The ends of the cables 30 may be provided with connectors 52 by which the cables 30 can be attached to user interface members, such as handgrips 54, adjustable ankle and wrist cuffs, stirrups, a bar 56 to receive each end of the free ends of cables 30, and a squat belt. The interface members enable a range of different exercises to be performed. The connectors 52 include such means of fastening known by those skilled in the art including rings and snap rings.
As shown in
Those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications and changes may be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. It will, of course, be understood that modifications of the invention, in its various aspects, will be apparent to those skilled in the art, some being apparent only after study, others being matters of routine mechanical, chemical and electronic design. No single feature, function or property of the preferred embodiment is essential. Other embodiments are possible, their specific designs depending upon the particular application. As such, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the particular embodiments herein described but should be defined only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. An exercise apparatus, comprising:
- a platform, having a top, bottom, and sides, wherein the platform is adapted to be substantially vertically and horizontally positionable, and wherein the top is a substantially flat support surface; and
- a sleeved means for generating a resistance force for exercising muscle groups of the body of a user.
2. An exercise apparatus, comprising:
- a platform, having a top, bottom, and sides, wherein the platform is adapted to be substantially vertically and horizontally positionable, and wherein the top is a substantially flat support surface;
- at least one guide member, each guide member having a first end and a second end, attached to the platform and running along the bottom of the platform, from one side to the opposite side of said platform; and
- at least one resistance cable, each resistance cable trained through a different guide member, and each resistance cable having a first cable end and a second cable end.
3. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, further comprising
- a plurality of first and second connectors, wherein each first connector and each second connector is attached to a different first and second cable end, respectively.
4. The exercise apparatus of claim 3, further comprising
- a plurality of first and second user interface members, wherein each first interface member and each second interface member is attached to a different first and second cable end, respectively.
5. The exercise apparatus of claims 2-4, wherein each resistance cable has a different resistance strength.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 3, 2003
Publication Date: May 19, 2005
Inventor: Alan Monda (Vancouver, WA)
Application Number: 10/613,965