Barbell set and plates

Abstract

A plate for a barbell is provided. The plate has a weight either of 0.5 lbs, 1 lb, 2 lbs, 3 lbs, 4 lbs, 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs, 50 lbs, 27.5 lbs, or 52.5 lbs, and has a through-going aperture or a hole adapted to receive therein a bar. The bar has a weight of 45 lbs.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to barbells, and particularly to those barbells whose weight can be altered with the addition or removal of plates of different weights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Barbells are commonly used for various exercises such as curls, bench presses, and shrugs to build strength and develop muscle mass. In addition, they are utilized in competitive exercises, such as the snatch and the clean-and-jerk.

Typically, the weight of a barbell may be adjustable by the addition or removal of plates having known weights. The weight of each plate is noted on at least one of the faces thereof. The bar is of a known weight, which is typically 20 kg. The plates are typically provided in weights of 0.5 kg, 1 kg, 1.5 kg, 2 kg, 2.5 kg, 5 kg, 10 kg, 15 kg, 20 kg, and 25 kg. In the US, where the metric system is not widely used, bars and plates of the same weights are used, either presented in kilograms or in pounds (i.e., a 20 kg. bar is still provided, but the weight may be given as 44 lbs.).

In addition, barbell sets may be purchased for home or gym (i.e., noncompetitive) use with a bar of 45 lbs, and plates of 2.5 lbs, 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 25 lbs, 35 lbs, 45 lbs, and 100 lbs. (though not typical).

In May 2005, the applicant suggested for competitive use a barbells set having plates of standard weights, provided in kilograms, the plates of different weights having different colors. In particular, plates of 25 kg and of 2.5 kg were to be provided in red, plates of 20 kg and of 2 kg were to be provided in blue, plates of 15 kg and of 1.5 kg were to be provided in yellow, plates of 10 kg and of 1 kg were to be provided in green, and plates of 5 kg and of 0.5 kg were provided in white.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plate for a barbell. The plate has a weight either of 0.5 lbs, 1 lb, 2 lbs, 3 lbs, 4 lbs, 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs, 50 lbs, 27.5 lbs, or 52.5 lbs, and has a through-going aperture or a hole adapted to receive therein a bar. The bar has a weight of 45 lbs.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a set of plates for a barbell, the plates having weights of 20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs, and 50 lbs. and each having a hole adapted to receive therein a bar.

It will be appreciated that hereafter in the specification and claims, the term set may be used to denote a plurality of elements offered together for sale, wherein the elements may be purchased individually or in groups.

The set may further comprise two plates, each plate having a hole adapted to receive therein the bar and having a weight of either 27.5 lbs. or 52.5 lbs.

The bar may have a weight of 45 lbs. The set may comprise the bar, and/or at least two collars adapted to be fixed to a longitudinal position on the bar.

By providing plates as described above, the total weight of the barbell in pounds may be easily calculated by being based on round numbers. By using a bar that weighs 45 lbs. with a pair of plates, each weighing either 27.5 or 52.5 lbs, the starting weight of the barbell is 100 lbs. or 150 lbs, respectively. By providing additional plates having round numbers, the total weight of the barbell is easily calculated.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a set of plates for a barbell, the set comprising plates having different weights, wherein plates of the same weight are of the same color which is a different from that of at least some plates of different weights.

The set may comprise a first group of plates each being of a first weight, and a second group of plates each being of a second weight, such that the first weight is a product of the second weight and a round factor of ten (such as 10, 100, 1000, etc.), wherein the plates of the first and second group are of the same color.

For example, the set may comprise plates having weights of 50 lbs, 40 lbs, 30 lbs, 20 lbs, 10 lbs, 5 lbs, 4 lbs, 3 lbs, 2 lbs and 1 lb. The plates having weights of 50 lbs and 5 lbs. are of a first color, the plates having weights of 40 lbs and 4 lbs. are of a second color, the plates having weights of 30 lbs and 3 lbs. are of a third color, the plates having weights of 20 lbs and 2 lbs. are all of a fourth color, and the plates having weights of 10 lbs and 1 lb. are all of a fifth color. The first, second, third, fourth, and fifth colors are different from one another.

The set may further comprise plates having a weight of 0.5 lb., being of the first color.

By providing plates of different colors corresponding to their weights, the weight of a plate may be easily determined, even from a distance.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plate to be mounted to a bar to form thereby a barbell, wherein the value of the total weight in pounds of the barbell with the addition of exactly two of the plates to the bar is a round number (i.e., evenly divisible by 10) equal to or greater than 60. According to one embodiment, the bar has a non-round value. The plate may have an indication thereon of its weight in pounds and/or its mass in kilograms.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plate for a barbell having a weight greater than 5 lbs and whose weight in pounds has a value which is exactly 2½ pounds more than an even multiple of five. The weight of such a plate may be 7½, 12½, 17½, 22½, 27½, 32½, 37½, 42½, 47½, 52½, 57½, 62½, 67½, 72½, or 77½ lbs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a barbell set according to one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a barbell which may be assembled using at least some of the elements of the set illustrated in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 illustrates various embodiments of bars which may be included with the set illustrated in FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate shapes of plates in accordance with various embodiments of plates which may be included with the set illustrated in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 4A illustrates plates according to one embodiment, in front views, which may be included with the set illustrated in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 4B illustrates plates according to another embodiment, in side views, which may be included with the set illustrated in FIG. 1A; and

FIGS. 5A through 5C illustrated several plate-loaded machines, known in the art, which may be used in conjunction with plates according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

As seen in FIG. 1A, there is provided a barbell set, used to assemble a barbell, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1B. The set comprises a bar 10 having two sleeves 16, a plurality of plates 12 of varying weights, and two collars 14. When assembled, as seen in FIG. 1B, several of the plates 12 are arranged in two sets 18, one set toward each end of the bar 12. Each set 18 is retained between a collar 14 and a sleeve 16. The collar 14 is adapted to be secured to the bar 10 in order to ensure that the plates 12 do not slide about or off the bar.

The bar 10 may be of a standard length, such as 6 or 7 feet, and weighs 45 lbs. It may be straight, or bent, several examples of which are illustrated in FIG. 2. Portions 20 of the bar 10 between the sleeves 16 may be knurled, in order for a user to maintain a tight grip thereon.

Reverting to FIG. 1A, each plate 12 is a standard plate, and thus comprises a central hole 22 sized to receive the bar 10, and an indication 24 of its weight, on one or both sides thereof. The plates 12, according to one embodiment, are all of the same color, and are provided in weights of 20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs, 50 lbs, 27.5 lbs, and 52.5 lbs. In addition, plates having weights of 10 lbs, 5 lbs, 4 lbs. 3 lbs, 2 lbs, 1 lb, and 0.5 lbs. may be provided. By using the additional plates, the weight of the barbell may be increases in increments of one pound while maintaining an equal weight on both groups.

The plates 12 may be circular or of any other appropriate shape, such as octagonal or dodecagonal (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). In addition, handles 26 may be formed therein (as shown in FIG. 3A, but may be provided on a plate 12 according to any embodiment) in the form of holes.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the plates 12 may be of different diameters corresponding to their weights, or, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, they may be of different thicknesses corresponding to their weights. Alternatively, a combination differing diameters and differing thicknesses may exist within a single set (e.g., plates 12 having weights of 52.5 lbs, 50 lbs, and 40 lbs. may all be of the same diameter with different thicknesses, while the plates having lower weights have the same thickness as the 40 lb. plate, with the diameter decreasing with the weight). In addition, the diameter and thickness may both vary according to the weight of the plate.

In use, any combination of plates 12 may be added to the bar. However, it is particularly advantageous for a user to place on the bar either the plates which weigh 27.5 lbs or those which weigh 52.5 lbs. In this way, the weight of the bar is zeroed at 100 or 150 lbs, respectively. The arithmetic necessary to determine the final weight of the barbell with the addition of other plates can be done with relative ease, since the barbell is zeroed to a “round” weight (i.e., a “round” number of pounds).

In addition to plates 12 having weights of 27.5 lbs. and 52.5 lbs, other sets of plates may be used to zero the bar at other round numbers, such as 60, 70, etc. Examples of these additional plates are listed in the Table 1, below.

TABLE 1
Weight	Weight of Two	Total Weight
of Plate	Plates	of Zeroed Bar
7.5	15	60
12.5	25	70
17.5	35	80
22.5	45	90
32.5	65	110
37.5	75	120
42.5	85	130
47.5	95	140
57.5	115	160
62.5	125	170
67.5	135	180
72.5	145	190
77.5	155	200

It should be noted that the plates may have their weights indicated in pounds and/or in kilograms. This may be advantageous, for example, for the plate having a weight of 27.5 lbs, which is equivalent to 12.5 kg. A standard women's kilogram bar has a mass of 15 kg. The addition of two plates of 12.5 kg (i.e., 27.5 lbs.) to such a bar will zero it to 40 kg.

The plates 12 may be of varying colors, with plates 12 of different colors being of different colors, and plates of the same weight being the same colors. For example, all of the 20 lb. plates may be green, all of the 30 lb. plates may be yellow, all of the 40 lb. plates may be blue, all of the 50 lb. plates may be red, all of the 27.5 lb. plates may be orange, and all of the 52.5 lb. plates may be purple. This facilitates expedited choosing of a desired plate.

When plates of lower weights are also provided, they may be provided in colors which are different from those of the heavier plates (i.e., 20 lb, 30 lb, etc.) or the color scheme may be repeated, with similar colors being used for plates which are lighter by a factor of 10 (i.e., the 5 lb. plate is red like the 50 lb. plate, the 4 lb. plate is blue like the 40 lb. plate, the 3 lb. plate is yellow like the 30 lb. plate, the 2 lb. plate is green like the 20 lb. plate, and the 0.5 lb. plate is red like the 5 lb. plate and the 50 lb. plate). In addition, the 10 lb. plate and the 1 lb. plate are white.

The color of the plates may be provided by any means. If the plates are solid metal, a cover made from rubber, polyurethane, or other suitable material may be provided. If the plates are made from a material which can be colored, the plates themselves may be formed with the appropriate color.

In addition to use with a barbell, it will be appreciated that the plates 12 as described herein may be used with other weight-training equipment, such as plate-loaded machines, such as a shoulder press and a bench press. These machines are adapted to provide a specific exercise, and are loaded with the same plates used for barbells. Several such machines are illustrated in FIGS. 5A through 5C as non-limiting examples only.

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention mutatis mutandis.

Claims

1. A plate at least for a barbell, the plate having a weight selected from the group comprising 0.5 lbs, 1 lb, 2 lbs, 3 lbs, 4 lbs, 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs, 50 lbs, 27.5 lbs. and 52.5 lbs, the plate having a hole adapted to receive therein a bar.

2. A plate according to claim 1, wherein the bar has a weight of 45 lbs.

3. A plate according to claim 1, further adapted to be mounted to a plate-loaded exercise machine.

4. A set of plates at least for a barbell, the set comprising plates having weights of 20 lbs, 30 lbs, 40 lbs, and 50 lbs, each plate having a hole adapted to receive therein a bar.

5. A set of plates according to claim 3, further comprising two plates, each plate having a hole adapted to receive therein the bar and having a weight of 27.5 lbs.

6. A set of plates according to claim 3, further comprising two plates, each plate having a hole adapted to receive therein the bar and having a weight of 52.5 lbs.

7. A set of plates according to claim 3, wherein the bar has a weight of 45 lbs.

8. A set of plates according to claim 6, further comprising the bar.

9. A set of plates according to claim 4, further comprising at least two collars adapted to be fixed to a longitudinal position on the bar.

10. A set of plates according to claim 4, further adapted to be mounted to a plate-loaded exercise machine.

11. A set of plates at least for a barbell, the set comprising plates having different weights, wherein plates of the same weight are of the same color, and of a different color from at least some plates of a different weight.

12. A set of plates according to claim 11, further comprising a first portion of plates each being of a first weight, and a second portion of plates each being of a second weight, the first weight being a product of the second weight and a round factor of ten, wherein the plates of said first and second portions are of the same color.

13. A set of plates according to claim 12, comprising plates having weights of 50 lbs, 40 lbs, 30 lbs, 20 lbs, 10 lbs, 5 lbs, 4 lbs, 3 lbs, 2 lbs, and 1 lb, wherein the plates having weights of 50 lbs and 5 lbs. are of a first color, the plates having weights of 40 lbs and 4 lbs. are of a second color, the plates having weights of 30 lbs and 3 lbs. are of a third color, the plates having weights of 20 lbs and 2 lbs. are of a fourth color, and the plates having weights of 10 lbs and 1 lb. are all of a fifth color, said first, second, third, fourth, and fifth colors being different from one another.

14. A set of plates according to claim 12, further comprising plates having a weight of 0.5 lbs, said plates being of the first color.

15. A set of plates according to claim 11, further comprising a first portion of plates each being of a first weight, and a second portion of plates each being of a second weight, the product of the first weight and one hundred equals the second weight, wherein the plates of said first and second portions are of the same color.

16. A set of plates according claim 11, further adapted to be mounted to a plate-loaded exercise machine.

17. A plate at least for a barbell, wherein the value of the total Weight in pounds of the barbell with the addition of exactly two of the plates to said bar is a round number equal to or greater than 60.

18. A plate according to claim 17, wherein the value of the weight in pounds of the bar is a non-round number.

19. A plate according to claim 17, having an indication thereon of its weight in pounds and/or its mass in kilograms.

20. A set of plates according to claim 16 further adapted to be mounted to a plate-loaded exercise machine.

21. A plate to be mounted to a bar forming thereby a barbell, the plate having a weight greater than 5 pounds, wherein the value of weight in pounds which is 2½ more than an even multiple of five.

22. A plate according to claim 21, wherein the value of the weight in pounds is selected from the group comprising 7½, 12½, 17½, 22½, 27½, 32½, 37½, 42½, 47½, 52½, 57½, 62½, 67½, 72½, and 77½.