Exercise assisting apparatus
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for assisting the movement of a user during exercise. The apparatus comprises a base member and a support member having first and second ends rotatably connected to the base member at the first end and being resiliently bendable between said first and second ends. The apparatus further includes a lock for fixing the first end of the support member at an initial position relative to the base member at a locked angle, wherein the support member is adapted to resiliently bend when a force is applied to it by the user. The met comprises resiliently bending the support member between the first and second ends such that the second end is oriented to a second position in response to receiving force applied by the user and resiliently unbending the support member to the first position so as to assist in lifting the user to an initial position.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to exercise equipment in general, and in particular to a method and apparatus for assisting the exercise movement of a user.
2. Description of Related Art
Exercise is known to be beneficial to the health and well-being of people. However due to injury or lack of physical fitness, many people are not able to perform many types of common exercises. In particular, sit ups are known to be difficult for many people due to the strain that such an exercise may put on the lower back of the individual. This is particularly true in the case of individuals having injuries to their lower back and/or a general lack of physical fitness. It is also known that such lower back injuries are common.
A sit up typically comprises the exerciser placing their buttocks and feet on a flat level surface such as a ground or exercise mat. The user may then cyclically raise and lower their torso in a rotational movement about their hips so as to alternate between positions in which their torso is upright and in which their torso is adjacent to the flat horizontal surface.
One difficulty that users may experience in performing a sit up is that they may lack sufficient abdominal strength to raise their body to the substantially upright position. Additionally, some users may have injuries to their lower back which may limit the amount of force that their abdominal muscles may exert during the course of such a movement. For such individuals, it is necessary to reduce the amount of force required to be exerted by their abdominal muscles to perform the sit up. Prior exercise equipments have not sufficiently addressed this issue by reducing the effort required by the user's abdominal muscles to perform a sit up.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONWhat is disclosed is a method and apparatus for assisting the movement of a user. The present invention utilizes a bendable member for supporting a portion of the body during the exercise movement. The present invention will provide greater support to the back of a user during exercise, such as for example, during a sit-up by resiliently conforming to the back of the user during the exercise.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed an apparatus for assisting the movement of a user during exercise. The apparatus comprises a base member and a support member having first and second ends, rotatably connected to the base member at the first end and being resiliently bendable between said first and second ends. The apparatus further includes a lock for fixing the first end of the support member at a set angle relative to the base member at a locked angle, wherein the support member is adapted to resiliently bend when a force is applied to it by the user.
The support member may be rotatably connected to the base member about an axis of rotation. The apparatus may further comprise a shaft secured to one of the support member or the base member rotatable within a support block of the other of the support member or the base member for rotation about the axis.
The lock may further comprise a clamp secured to the bushing for selectively clamping the shaft so as to prevent rotation between the base member and the support member. The clamp may comprise a plurality of flexible fingers surrounding the shaft being adapted to be biased into frictional contact with the shaft. The plurality of flexible fingers may be biased by a cam ring. The damp may further comprise a compressible collar surrounding the shaft, wherein the compressible collar has a tensioner adapted to shorten the compressible collar so as to grip the shaft. The tensioner may comprise a lever operated cam. The compressible collar may bear upon the plurality of flexible fingers.
The lock may further comprise an indexed collar surrounding the shaft and secured to one of the shaft or support block. The indexed collar may be adapted to selectively engage a corresponding indexed surface secured to the other of the shaft or the support block. The indexed collar may be secured to the shaft. The indexed collar may comprise projections adapted to engage corresponding notches in the indexed surface.
The support member may comprise a cantilever spring adapted to support a portion of the body of the user. The support member may comprise a substantially planar member. The support member may have a substantially constant modulus of bending elasticity between the first and second ends. The support member may have a greater modulus of bending elasticity proximate to the first end. The support member may have a greater modulus of bending elasticity proximate to the second end.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a method for assisting the movement of a user during exercise. The method comprises providing a support member having first and second ends and rotatably orienting the support member at a first position such that the first end is fixed at an angle of inclination relative to horizontal. The method further comprises resiliently bending the support member between the first and second ends such that the second end is oriented to a second position in response to receiving force applied by the user and resiliently unbending the support member to the first position so as to assist in lifting the user to an initial position. The method may also include rotatably fixing the support member relative to a base member with a lock.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view,
Referring to
As illustrated in
The support member 40 comprises a planar member having first and second ends 42 and 44, respectively, and first and second sides 46 and 48, respectively. The support member 40 comprises a semi-rigid resilient member having a modulus of bending elasticity such that the support member 40 may bend between the first and second ends 42 and 44 as further described below. As illustrated, the support member 40 has a substantially rectangular outline defined by the first and second ends 42 and 44 and first and second sides 46 and 48. It will be appreciated, however that other shapes of the support member 40 may also be useful, such as, by way of non-limiting example, square, triangular, u-shaped or actuate.
The support member 40 is rotatably connected to the support block 22 of the base member 12 and is rotatable about axis 50. The apparatus 10 also includes a lock apparatus 60 for locking the inclination angle between the base member 12 and the first end 42 of the support member 40 as indicated generally at 58. The support member may optionally include a depression 52 or groove extending from the first end 42 substantially to the second end 44 in a top surface 54 of the support member. As illustrated the depression 52 extends substantially perpendicularly from the first end 42 of the support member. The depression 52 is adapted to receive the spine of a user during some forms of exercise as further described below.
Turning now to
The third support block 70 also includes a plurality of biased fingers 74 extending therefrom so as to surround the bore 72 adjacent to the first side 18 of the base member 12. The biased fingers include threading on an external face thereof. In the present embodiment, the lock apparatus 60 comprises the biased fingers 74 and a camming handle or cam ring 80. The camming handle 80 includes an outer gripping surface 82 and a threaded blind bore 84 (illustrated in
Turning to
The quick release grip 100 illustrated in
Turning now to
The internal flange 132 is biased towards the end flange 124 by a spring 136. The button 122 may be actuated by a user in a direction indicated at 138 so as to disengage the second mating surface 134 from the first mating surface 126. When the second mating surface 134 is disengaged from the first mating surface 126, the shaft 64 may be freely rotated relative to the third support block 70 so as to permit the support member 40 to be freely rotated relative to the base member 12. When the user releases the button 122, the spring 136 urges the second mating surface 134 into engagement with the first mating surface 126 so as to restrict rotation therebetween thereby preventing the shaft 64 from rotating relative to the third support block 70. Optionally, the first mating surface 126 of the shaft 64 may have radial grooves adapted to engage corresponding grooves on the second mating surface 134 of the collar 128. These radial grooves may optionally be bevel or crown gears, or other suitable means of interlocking the first and second mating surfaces 126 and 134.
In operation, the apparatus may be adjusted such that the support member 40 is adjacent to the base portion 12 such that there is inclination angle 58 of 0 degrees therebetween as illustrated in
During exercise, a user may apply a portion of their body to the support member 40, such as, for example a portion of their back during a sit-up. In such an exercise, the user places apparatus behind their back on a surface on which they are sitting. The user may then lean back so as to bring their back into contact with the support member 40. As the user applies more of their body weight to the support member 40 it will begin to bend as illustrated in
The amount at which the support member 40 bends may be adjusted by selecting different types and thicknesses of materials. For example, where it Is desired to have a stiffer support member 40, a material having a higher modulus of elasticity or by forming the support member 40 in a thicker shape so as to provide the support member 40 with a higher bending spring constant. For example, the support member may be constructed of fibreglass, plastics, natural or synthetic rubbers or metals, such as hardened steel, for example. It has been found that fibreglass is particularly useful. It will also be appreciated that the support member 40 may have a core of a hardened metal with an outer coating of a softer material to cushion the contact with the users body. Such cushioning material may be selected from any known cushioning material such as natural or synthetic rubber, plastic, fabric or foam rubbers, for example.
It will also be appreciated that the support member 40 may have a constant or variable spring constant between the first and second ends 42 and 44. As illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the inclination angle 58 to which the support member is initially set will also affect the amount of assistance provided to the user during the exercise movement. This is due to the fact that at higher inclination angles 58, the user will contact the support member 40 earlier in their movement and will therefore bend the support member 40 to a greater degree during the exercise movement. Due to, the support member 40 being bent to a greater amount, it will apply a greater force to return the user to their initial position due to Hooke's Law. The inclination angle 58 may be adjustable between a range of angles so as to accommodate a greater or lesser amount of assistance to the user. It has been found that a range of the inclination angle 58 of between 0 and 135 degrees will be useful wherein an initial angel of 0 degrees will correspond to a folded or compact storage position as illustrated in
It will be appreciated that the inclination angle 58 will advantageously have a plurality of possible angles that it may be located at so as to permit the user to select one of a plurality of difficulty levels. By way of non-limiting example, the apparatus 10 may be orientable such that the inclination angle 58 is selected from 45, 50, 55, 60 or 75 degrees by way of non-limiting example. It will be appreciated that the angles selected will depend on the level of assistance required by the intended user. In addition, as described above, the first mating surface 126 may have radial grooves engaging corresponding radial grooves on the second mating surface 134 of the collar 128. It will be appreciated that each set of grooves on the first and second mating surfaces 126 and 134 may correspond to a potential desired inclination angle 58. Optionally, the first end 42 of the support member 40 may include a pointer 140 adapted to selectively align with one of a plurality of angle indicators 142 on the support block 22 as illustrated in
Although the above embodiments of the present invention are described as being used to assist the movement of a user during a sit-up, it will be appreciated that other forms of exercise may also be performed with these embodiments. In particular, it will be appreciated that a user may utilize the present apparatus for assisting the user in performing a push-up by placing the apparatus below their chest such that the support member 40 is bent by the user's chest when the user lowers their body. The support member 40 may then assist the user in returning to an initial position. In addition, it will be appreciated that a user may utilize the present apparatus to provide resistance to a plurality of exercise. By way of non-limiting example, a user may locate the apparatus 10 between their hands so as to place one hand on the support member 40 and one hand on the base member 12. The user may then compress the apparatus 10 between their hands so as to bend the support member 40. It will be appreciated that a wide variety of other similar exercises may be performed in a similar manner.
The apparatus 10 may also include a rotatable leg 160 rotatably extending from the proximate end 16 of the base member 12. The leg 160 may be rotated in direction 162 so as to be substantially vertical with respect to a surface supporting the apparatus 10. In such a configuration the first end 42 of the support member 40 will be raised so as to permit additional exercises to be performed.
Turning to
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for assisting the movement of a user during exercise, the apparatus comprising:
- a base member;
- a support member having first and second ends, said support member being rotatably connected to said base member at said first end and being resiliently bendable between said first and second ends; and
- a lock for fixing said first end of said support member at a set angle relative to said base member at a locked angle,
- wherein said support member is adapted to resiliently bend when a force is applied thereto by a user.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said support member is rotatably connected to said base member about an axis of rotation.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a shaft secured to one of said support member or said base member rotatable within a support block of the other of said support member or said base member for rotation about said axis.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said lock further comprises a clamp secured to said support block for selectively damping said shaft so as to prevent rotation between said base member and said support member.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said clamp comprises a plurality of flexible fingers surrounding said shaft being adapted to be biased into frictional contact with said shaft.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said plurality of flexible fingers are biased by a cam ring.
7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said clamp further comprises a compressible collar surrounding said shaft, said compressible collar having a tensioner adapted to shorten said compressible collar so as to grip said shaft.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said tensioner comprises a lever operated cam.
9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said compressible collar bears upon said plurality of flexible fingers.
10. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said lock further comprises an indexed collar surrounding said shaft and rotatably fixed relative to one of said shaft or support block, said indexed collar being adapted to selectively engage a corresponding indexed surface secured to the other of said shaft or said support block.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said indexed collar is rotatably fixed relative to said support back.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said indexed collar comprises projections adapted to engage corresponding notches in said indexed surface.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said support member comprises a cantilever spring adapted to support a portion of the body of the user.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said support member comprises a substantially planar member.
15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said support member has a substantially constant modulus of bending elasticity between said first and second ends.
16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said support member has a greater modulus of bending elasticity proximate to said first end.
17. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said support member has a greater modulus of bending elasticity proximate to said second end.
18. A method for assisting the movement of a user during exercise, the method comprising:
- providing a support member having first end and a second free end;
- rotatably orienting said support member at a first position such that said first end is fixed at an angle of inclination relative to horizontal;
- resiliently bending said support member between said first and second ends, such that said second end is oriented to a second position in response to receiving force applied by the user; and
- resiliently unbending said support member to said first position so as to assist in lifting the user to an initial position.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising rotatably fixing said support member relative to a base member with a lock.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 25, 2008
Publication Date: Nov 19, 2009
Inventor: Brock E. Nicklas (Vernon)
Application Number: 12/219,653
International Classification: A63B 21/02 (20060101);