ABDOMINAL EXERCISE DEVICE WITH PLUNGER
An apparatus for abdominal exercise comprises a pair of laterally spaced u-shaped support rails for rocking back and forth on a surface. A pair of arm rests are each connected to the inside u-shape portion of one of the support rails and extend rearwardly from the contact point to the surface to receive an elbow of a person disposed between said rails in a supine position. A first connecting portion connects the support rails above the contact point to the surface. A second connecting portion connects the support rails behind the contact point to the surface. A plunger is connected to said first connecting portion whereby a person disposed supinely on said support surface and between said support rails and with one of the hands or arms of the person engaging said first connecting portion is able to conduct a curling exercise to exercise the abdominal muscles of the person while rocking said device, and wherein said plunger is positioned to engage a user's abdomen to provide a kinetic and isometric force.
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An abdominal exercise device with a plunger is described. Specifically, an apparatus for abdominal exercise comprises two u-shaped side bar portions with a top w-shaped, or zigzag-shaped, crossbar member having an adjustable plunger clamped thereto, and a lower crossbar member with a novel headrest attached thereto.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONVarious prior art systems have been devised as attempts to provide users with abdominal exercise methods. For example, one of the more popular prior art systems is known as the ABROLLER, which provides a typical roller-type device having a frame defining a pair of u-shaped support rails, a headrest, a pair of armrest portions and an upstanding arch-shaped portion connecting the support rails together. The user lies inside the device between the support rails and rotates forward with the roller device to exercise the abdominal muscles. Such a device is also illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,520 issued to Brown.
A variation of the Brown device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,284 issued Cayne. The Cayne device adds a hinged, flat lower portion that stays stationary with respect to the roller device. The stationary lower portion stays flat on the ground while the user rolls the hinged roller portion. Connected to the stationary flat portion is a post that holds stationary plunger over the user's abdomen. However, the vary nature of the plunger's dependence on the flat stationary portion that stays on the ground prevents consistent kinetic and isometric pressure on the abdomen throughout the whole rolling exercise.
None of the above patents describes a suitable system that provides consistent kinetic and isometric pressure on selected parts of the user's abdomen throughout the rolling crunch exercises. Further, none of the above prior art, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an abdominal exercise device that solves the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn order to solve the problems and shortcomings of the prior art, an apparatus is disclosed for more efficient abdominal exercise. According to one preferred embodiment, the apparatus for abdominal exercise comprises a pair of laterally spaced u-shaped support rails for rocking back and forth on a surface. A pair of arm rests are each connected to the inside u-shape portion of one of the support rails and extend from a rearward point relative to the contact point of surface to receive an elbow of a person disposed between said rails in a supine position. A first connecting portion connects the support rails above the contact point to the surface. A second connecting portion connects the support rails behind the contact point to the surface.
A plunger is connected to said first connecting portion whereby a person disposed supinely on said support surface and between said support rails and with one of the hands or arms of the person engaging said first connecting portion is able to conduct a curling exercise to exercise the abdominal muscles of the person while rocking said device, and wherein said plunger is positioned to engage a user's abdomen to provide a kinetic and isometric force.
In one preferred embodiment, the plunger comprises a gas-filled piston. In another preferred embodiment, the plunger comprises a spring loaded piston. In yet another preferred embodiment, the plunger comprises an adjustable resistance plunger. In yet another preferred embodiment, the plunger further comprises one or more detachable resistance bands to adjust the resistance provided by the plunger.
In one preferred embodiment, the plunger has a top and a bottom. The bottom comprises the portion that engages the user's abdomen. The distance between the first connecting portion and the bottom of the plunger is adjustable.
In another preferred embodiment, the plunger is mounted on the first connecting portion by means of pivoting clamp allowing the plunger to pivot with respect to the connecting portion. Even after locking the plunger at the desired angle to contact the user's body, a small range of pivot is still allowed. A pivot stop pad restricts the range of pivot of the plunger to between, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation, 0 and 15 degrees. In yet another preferred embodiment, the pivot stop pad restricts the range of pivot of the plunger to between, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation, 0 and 10 degrees. In yet another preferred embodiment, the pivot stop pad restricts the range of pivot of the plunger to between, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation, 0 and 5 degrees. In one preferred embodiment, a spring is used to bias the pivot angle of the plunger to 0 degrees.
In one preferred embodiment, a headrest is attached to the second connecting portion. The headrest includes a bulbous portion that supports the neck area of the user and prevents sliding of the user's body relative to the apparatus. In one preferred embodiment, the headrest is also able to rotate slightly in order to provide comfort to the user of the apparatus during exercise.
For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings several embodiments of the invention. However, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown therein and described below.
The apparatus for abdominal exercise in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention is illustrated in
With reference to
A plunger 11 is connected to said first connecting portion 6 whereby a person disposed supinely on said support surface and between said support rails 2 and with one of the hands or arms of the person engaging said first connecting portion 6 is able to conduct a body curling exercise to exercise the abdominal muscles of the person while rocking said apparatus 100, and wherein said plunger 11 is positioned to engage a user's abdomen to provide a kinetic and isometric force.
In one embodiment, the plunger 11 comprises a gas-filled piston. In another preferred embodiment, the plunger 11 comprises a spring loaded piston. In yet another embodiment, the plunger 11 comprises an adjustable resistance plunger. In yet another embodiment, the plunger 11 further comprises one or more detachable resistance bands 15 to adjust the resistance provided by the plunger 11. In one embodiment, each of the resistance bands 15 are each independently detachable in order to provide varying resistance to the plunger 15. An abdominal cushion, or pressure pad, 103 comprises the contact point to the users abdomen or other selected part of the user's body.
With reference to
In one embodiment, each armrest support connector portion 106 contains holes that align with holes in the u-shaped support rails 2 through which a bolt fits. On top of the arm rest support connector portion 106 is a hole through which a threaded knob 205 fits for insertion through the armrest connector portion 106 into the relative u-shaped support rail 2. This configuration allows for a variable pivot of the arm rest support connector portion 106 to therefore allow for variable pivot of the arm rest 4 according to preference of the user of the apparatus 100.
With reference to
The upper end of the inner plunger tube 302 that extends through the top of the outer plunger tube 301 has a plunger cap 5 to which the top of the one or more detachable resistance bands 15 are attached. The bottom of the one or more detachable resistance bands 15 are attachable to the bottom end of the outer tube, such that the one or more detachable resistance bands stretch as the plunger 11 compresses. Each detachable resistance band 15 can be added to increase resistance to the abdomen, or whatever part of the body the pressure pad 103 engages. Conversely, as each resistance band 15 is detached, resistance is decreased.
The clamp assembly 202 is shown as formed by the guide track receiver 8 mated to a guide track receiver clamp 9. A clamp pivot lever 22 provides for tightening and release of the clamp on the first connecting portion 6. This allows the user to pivot the plunger 11 to virtually any angle such that the pressure pad 103 can contact any part of the user's abdomen or other part of the body as desired during exercise, and so that the plunger can be rotated completely out of the way to allow for the user's easy ingress and egress into and out of the apparatus 100. A slide lock lever 27 provides for adjustability of the plunger 11 up and down with respect to the first connecting portion 6 along a plunger guide track 7. As the user positions the plunger 11 so that the pressure pad 103 contacts different parts of the body, the user can also slide the plunger 11 up and down with respect to the connecting portion 6 so that the pressure pad 103 contacts the user's body properly. For example, in some embodiments, it may be desirable for the plunger 11 to be in a position such that it is not in a compressed state at the beginning of the exercise, as the user can angle the plunger 11 to contact portions of the upper or lower abdomen.
With reference to
In one embodiment, a spring 18 biases the angle of pivot of the plunger by biasing the angle of pivot of saddle clamp 20a, 20b within the clamp. Even after locking the plunger 11 at the desired angle to contact the user's body, a small range of pivot is still allowed. A pivot stop pad 33 restricts the range of pivot of the locked plunger 11 to between, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation, 0 and 15 degrees. In yet another embodiment, the pivot stop pad 33 restricts the range of pivot of the plunger to between, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation, 0 and 10 degrees. In yet another embodiment, the pivot stop pad 33 restricts the range of pivot of the plunger to between, by way of example only, and not by way of limitation, 0 and 5 degrees. In one embodiment, the spring 18 is used to bias the pivot angle of the plunger 11 to 0 degrees.
The slide lock lever 27 attaches to the guide track receiver 8 by means of a bolt 12 that inserts through a vertically situated hole in the guide track receiver 8. The bolt 12 fits through one or more washers 29, 32 and 19 and screws into a nut 26 to secure the bolt 12 to the guide track receiver 8. As the slide lock lever 27 is locked, it pushes a lock pad 21 into a position that provides pressure to a slide 402 that is bolted to the outer plunger tube 301 using recessed screws 10. Each detachable resistance band 15 is attachable to the plunger cap 5 and the bottom end of the outer plunger tube 301 via two saddle clamps 17.
The inner plunger tube 302 inserts through the outer plunger tube 301 through a washer 4 on the bottom of the outer plunger tube 302, through an o-ring 306, and a washer on the top of the outer plunger tube 302. The top of the inner plunger tube 302 inserts into the plunger cap 5.
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In one embodiment, the plunger 13 and headrest 109 are used to modify a prior art or legacy device in order to transform said legacy device into a much more efficient crunch or exercise device. With reference to
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The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made to the claimed invention without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. An apparatus for abdominal exercise, comprising:
- a pair of laterally spaced u-shaped support rails for rocking back and forth on a surface;
- a pair of arm rests, each arm rest connected to the inside u-shape portion of one of the support rails to receive an elbow of a person disposed between said rails in a supine position;
- a first connecting portion connecting the support rails above a contact point to the surface;
- a second connecting portion connecting the support rails behind the contact point to the surface; and
- a plunger connected to said first connecting portion whereby the person disposed supinely on said surface and between said support rails and with one of the hands the person engaging said first connecting portion is able to conduct a curling exercise to exercise the abdominal muscles of the person while rocking said device, and wherein said plunger is positioned to engage the person's abdomen to provide an kinetic and isometric force.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the plunger comprises a gas-filled piston.
23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the plunger comprises a spring loaded piston.
24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the plunger comprises an adjustable resistance plunger.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the plunger further comprises one or more detachable resistance bands to adjust the resistance provided by the plunger.
26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the plunger has a top and a bottom, the bottom comprising the portion that engages the user's abdomen, wherein the distance between the first connecting portion and the bottom of the plunger is adjustable.
27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the plunger is mounted on the first connecting portion by means of a clamp that allows the plunger to pivot with respect to the connecting portion.
28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a pivot stop pad for restricting the range of pivot of the plunger to between 0 and 15 degrees.
29. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a headrest attached to the second connecting portion.
30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the headrest contains a widened bulbous portion to fit under the person's neck during the curing exercise.
31. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the plunger is vertically adjustable with respect to the first connecting portion.
32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a guide track receiver, the plunger further comprising a slide capable of receiving the guide track receiver making the plunger.
33. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first connecting portion comprises a w-shape.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 13, 2011
Publication Date: Mar 15, 2012
Applicant: LEAR FITNESS, INC. (Marina Del Rey, CA)
Inventor: Ali Nayebdadash (Marina Del Rey, CA)
Application Number: 13/181,518