Resistance exercise device
The present invention is directed to a hand-held, resistance exercise device in the form of an inelastic, strapping system to be used by two people simultaneously using the bodyweight of each user to generate a resisting force in order to develop a wide range of muscles.
The present invention is a resistance exercise device comprising of two non-elastic end straps attached by clamps to one removable middle strap, with two cylindrical plastic handles extending at each end of the strap, and one removable stirrup at the center of the middle strap to be used by two or more people.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMore recently, there has been a shift in exercising to work in pairs in order to increase productivity and motivation during a workout. Team building activities are aimed at improving communication and collaboration skills within groups of people working together. As team building has to do with cooperation, bridge building, planning, and effective use of resources, the benefits team building activities may bring are countless: improvement in planning skills, problem solving, decision making, time management, friendly competition, personal confidence, morale, etc. Team activities help the team in self-assessment which is very important for improving the ways of further collaboration within the group. Team activities allow for defining the team's current strengths and weaknesses, identifying any gap between the desired state and the actual state, and designing a gap-closure strategy.
More importantly, participants are looking for an exercise device that can provide resistance in order to tone muscles and that can mimic weight training exercises. In order to obtain such resistance without bulky free weights, it is more convenient to use one's own body weight along with the body weight of a partner to contribute intensity to the workout. Many exercise devices available show limited results and cannot burn calories fast enough since there are no devices that allow two exercisers to simultaneously exercise their arms, legs, hips, abs, and buttocks. Though many exercise devices exist, they have not been able to alternate resistance by using the force of one user against the resistance of another to strengthen muscles.
Currently there are resistance exercise devices in the form of elastic straps which cannot adequately support the weight of two users and only provide fixed resistance patterns. These elastic straps are limited in terms of the variation of exercises that can be accomplished and are usually only used by one user at a time.
Another type of resistance exercise device that exists is an inelastic strap that can be attached to a fixed anchor point such as, a tree, railing, pole etc. Although this device can encompass a wider variety of exercises in comparison to the elastic strap, it is limited to working with fixed objects and does not allow the exercise participant to obtain resistance from another source and to be interactive with another user.
One example of a resistance exercise device is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,141 issued to Salvino wherein there is disclosed a hand held arm and hand muscle builder with a means of varying the resistance. This device is comprised of a pair of handles attached to one end of a coiled spring with a flexible tube in the interior of the spring for providing additional tension.
A second example of a resistance exercise device that has been created is U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,580 issued to Chiu wherein disclosed is a grip exercise with a gear-shaped adjusting member having a pair of handles and a receiving head located at the intersection of the two handles, and a gear-like adjusting member housed within the receiving head.
A third example of a resistance exercise device as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,896 issued to Hetrick wherein disclosed is an elongated member with a grip at both ends and an anchor between the grips for attaching to a structure, where the length of the elongated member to center on an anchor when the grips are pulled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe resistance exercise device integrates every aspect of conditioning into one single exercise device—whether for training, conditioning, flexibility or rehabilitation. It incorporates resistance and stabilizing and neutralizing components in all of its exercises.
The present invention enables hundreds of exercises for all body parts using a user's own bodyweight to generate variable resistance, while simultaneously allowing another user to perform a movement. One exercise participant moves in an eccentric and concentric motion, while the other user holds muscles isometrically or mirrors the other user in movement. The said embodiment involves many athletic movements with muscle and weight resistance of a partner such as pulling, rowing, twisting, pushing, etc. through a range of motion.
The benefits of the device are that it uses many muscles simultaneously, it uses all three planes of motion equally, the core muscles are actively engaged, posture is improved, it prevents injury, and there is a lengthening of muscle tissue. By using functional exercises the users activate muscles and can use maximum strength.
In general, the present invention provides a resistance exercise device that can be used by two or more users simultaneously, and allows both users to perform numerous exercises by using the weight and muscular strength of the users to provide a resistive force and friction. Several of the features of the present invention will now be illustrated with reference to
Claims
1. A resistance exercise device comprising of two non-elastic end straps;
2. A resistance exercise device as claimed in claim 1, one non-elastic removable middle strap connecting the two end straps;
3. A resistance exercise device as claimed in claim 2, wherein at the opposite ends of the removable middle strap two clamps connecting the two end straps to the removable middle strap;
4. The resistance exercise device as claimed in claim 3, wherein two plastic handles affixed at each end of the two end straps;
5. The resistance exercise device as claimed in claim 4, wherein at the center of the middle strap a removable stirrup.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 21, 2008
Publication Date: Feb 25, 2010
Inventors: Marc Joseph Lebert (Mississauga), John Curtis Ayton (Mississauga)
Application Number: 12/229,210
International Classification: A63B 21/02 (20060101); A63B 21/28 (20060101);