FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to portable sets of exercise apparatus that can be configured in different combinations to allow the performance of a wide range of exercises for exercising various of the user's muscle groups.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Current exercise apparatus that permits a user to exercise of wide variety of muscle groups is generally relatively massive and heavy and intended for use in a fixed location. Various types of portable exercise apparatus are known that permit a user to perform a limited range of exercises, such as push-ups or abdominal muscle crunches, that exercise only one or a few portions of the body. In order for a user to achieve of full body workout using available portable exercise apparatus, a variety of different independent types of apparatus would be required that, in total, would the bulky and heavy and not practicably portable.
It is also generally not practically possible with available portable exercise apparatus to controllably vary the intensity of the exercise being performed. For instance, a typical apparatus intended for conditioning the abdominal muscles consists of a wheel rotatably mounted at the center of a shaft, with handgrips at either end of the shaft. The user grasps the apparatus by the handgrips and rolls the wheel back and forth along the floor, extending the arms and upper body as a wheel is rolled forward. The apparatus is thus inherently unstable, and once the wheel has been rolled forward and away from the body, the instability makes it difficult to roll it back to the starting position. Additionally, it is easy to allow the wheel to roll too far forward, which puts undue stress on the user's lower back.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, applicant provides exercise apparatus comprising a set of units that can be configured in various combinations for allowing the user to perform different exercises targeting different muscle groups of the body, thereby to achieve a full body exercise. The apparatus includes a pair of push-up units, each of which includes a handle mounted to a base, a pair of kneepad units having a resilient upper surface, and a pair of roller wheel units, each having a plurality of roller bearings distributed about its bottom surface for providing a stable support that permits the roller wheel units to be rolled in any direction on the floor. The roller wheel units, push-up units and kneepad units further includes a mechanism for stablely but releasably mounting either a push-up unit or a kneepad unit on the top surface of a roller wheels unit so that the combined units can roll in any direction. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mounting mechanism includes a vertical shaft extending from the center of the top surface of the rollers wheels unit. Corresponding vertical holes are preferably provided in the bases of the push-up units and the kneepad units for mounting them on the shafts. The shafts are preferably shorter than the thickness of the kneepad units and the bases of the push-up units so that the top of the shaft is recessed below the surface of the base of the push-up unit and the kneepad unit when they are mounted on a roller wheel unit.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the base of each push-up unit preferably includes a lower part and an upper part which is rotatably mounted on the lower part so that the handle can be rotated by the user when the base of the push-up unit is resting on the floor. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle of each push-up unit is detachable from the base thereof.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the apparatus also includes a pair of handle shafts each having of central gripping surface portion and extending portions on either end sized to fit the holes in the kneepad units and the base of the push-up units, so that the kneepad units can be mounted on either end of one of the handle shafts and the bases of the push-up units can be mounted on either end of the other handle shaft, optionally, in each case, with additional weights, to form dumbbells. Removable clamps are provided to hold the apparatus mounted on the handle shafts in place during use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the push-up unit of the present invention.
FIG. 1a is an isometric view of a pair of push-up units of the present invention showing the handles disengaged from the base.
FIG. 1b is an exploded view of a push-up unit of the illustrated embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of kneepad unit of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an isometric bottom view of a roller wheel unit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is an isometric top view of a roller wheel unit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a kneepad unit mounted atop a roller wheel unit.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a push-up unit mounted atop a roller wheel unit.
FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a pair of kneepad units and additional weights mounted on a handle shaft to form a dumbbell.
FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the base portions of a pair of push-up units and additional weights mounted on a handle shaft to form a dumbbell.
FIG. 9 shows a user in the starting position of an exercise employing kneepad units and the push-up units mounted on roller wheel units.
FIG. 10 shows a user in the extended finish position of the exercise depicted in FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 shows a user in the extended start position of an exercise employing the push-up units and kneepad units mounted on roller wheel units.
FIG. 12 shows the user in the finish position for the exercise depicted in FIG. 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a push-up unit 11 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention that includes a base 13 consisting of a lower part 15 having a substantially flat bottom and vertically extending cylindrical sides and an upper part 17 that is rotatably mounted in the lower part 15. The handle 19, which includes a hand grip portion 21 and downwardly extending connector portions 23 on either end of the hand grip portion 21 is fixedly mounted on the upper part 17. The hand grip portion 21 preferably has a resilient gripping surface made of, e.g., a rubberized or elastomeric material. As seen in FIG. 1a, a pair of mounting studs 25, each having a T-shaped cross-section, extend from the bottom surface 27 of each connector portion 23 for removably mounting and locking the handle 19 to the upper part 17 by engagement in the corresponding slots 29 in the surface of the upper part 17. A vertically extending cylindrical aperture 31 extends fully through the center of the base 13 for mounting the push-up unit 11 on a roller wheel unit as described below.
FIG. 1(b) is an exploded view showing the internal structure of the push-up unit 11 of the illustrated embodiment of the invention. A rotatable bearing 33 includes a lower member 35 that is affixed to the bottom of the base 15, e.g., by being bolted thereto, and an upper member 37 that is rotatably mounted within the lower member 35. Ball bearings, not shown, in the interior peripheral area of the lower member 35 facilitate the rotation of the upper member 37. The upper part 17 of the base 13 is attached to the upper member 37 of the bearing 35 for rotation therewith by four downwardly extending legs 39, three of which are visible in FIG. 1b, such legs having threaded lower ends 41 that mate with and extend through corresponding holes 43 in the upper member 37, and clamped thereto by bolts (not shown) screwed onto the threaded portions 41. The structure can be made stronger, if necessary, by providing a rigid supporting web connecting the legs 39.
FIG. 2 shows a kneepad unit 51 in accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention, which includes a base 53, a resilient upper surface 55, and a central vertical aperture 57 that extends fully through the kneepad unit 51 for mounting it on a roller wheel unit as described below. The resilient upper surface 55 may, for instance, be formed of an elastomeric pad adhered to the base 53.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are bottom and top views, respectively, of a roller wheel unit 61 in accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention. The plurality of bearing members 63, in the illustrated embodiment 11, are positioned around the periphery and at the center of the bottom of the roller wheel unit 61 for providing stable support thereto while permitting movement thereof in any direction on the floor on which the roller wheel unit 61 rests. Each of the bearing members 63 includes a ball bearing 65 that is freely rotatable in a housing 67. A cylindrical shaft 69 extends upwardly from the center of the top surface of the roller wheel unit 61, such shaft being sized to fit slidably and preferably snugly in the apertures 31 and 57 in the push-up units 11 and kneepad units 51 for securely mounting and positioning a push-up unit 11 or kneepad unit 51 on a roller wheel unit 61. The length of the shaft 69 is such that its top surface is below the surface of the base 13 of the push-up unit 11 or kneepad unit when they are mounted on a roller wheel unit 61.
The central shaft 69 could be replaced by any structure that securely mounts and positions a push-up unit 11 or a kneepad unit 51 on top of a roller wheel unit 61. For instance, the roller wheel unit could be provided with an upwardly extending collar around its periphery into which a push-up unit 11 or kneepad unit 51 could be set. Such a collar could, for instance, be formed as a rigid cylindrical member, or could be formed of flexible band that is drawn tight around the base of the push-up unit 11 or kneepad 51 by means of clamp. Alternatively, for example, a plurality of shafts or studs could be provided on the top surface of the roller wheel unit 61 that would engage in corresponding holes or slots in the bottom surface of a push-up unit 11 or kneepad unit 51.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a kneepad unit 51 and push-up unit 11 respectively mounted on roller wheel unit 61. In this arrangement, the combined units are able to roll freely in any direction on the floor while the user is employing them in the performance of various exercises.
As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the kneepad units 51 and bases 13 of the push-up units 11 can be mounted on shafts 71, optionally with additional weights 73, to form dumbbells. Each of the shafts 71 includes a central handgrip portion 75 and extending end portions 77 on which the weight members are mounted. The weight members are held in place by a clamping structure such as the washer members 79 that are threaded onto the extending end portions 77.
FIGS. 9 through 12 illustrate two of the many different exercises that can be performed using the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows the starting position of a first exercise, referred to as a circular push-up, in which the push-up units 11 are mounted on the roller wheel units 61. The user kneels on the kneepads 51 and grasps the handles 19 of the push-up units 11 with hands aligned with shoulders and spread apart. The user then rolls the hands forward along a generally semicircular path, extending the arms and upper body and bringing the hands together at the full extension as seen in FIG. 10, and then returns to the starting position by rolling the push-up units 11 back towards the knees retracing a similar generally semicircular path. This motion can then be repeated a desired number of times. The muscles worked in this exercise include the upper and lower abdominal, lower back, latissimus dorsi (lats) and chest muscles, the triceps, and shoulders. The intensity of the exercise can be varied by varying the degree of initial spread of the hands and amount of forward extension of the arms and upper body. The intensity can also be increased by extending the legs and placing the feet on the kneepads 51 rather than the knees.
FIG. 11 shows the starting position of a second exercise, referred to as an extended leg reverse crunch, in which the kneepads 51 are mounted on the roller wheel units 61. The user grasps the handles of the push-up units 11 and places his feet on the kneepads 51 with the body and arms extended, as seen in FIG. 12. The user then draws the roller wheel mounted kneepads forward towards his hands keeping his knees extended, and then returns to the starting position. The muscles worked in this exercise include the upper and lower abdominal, pectoral, lower back and hamstring muscles and quadriceps and triceps.
The apparatus of the present invention can be used to perform a large variety of other exercises, such as those listed in the following table, in addition to those illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 12. The list of exercises in the table is only illustrative is not intended to be exhaustive.
Targeted Muscle
Exercises Exercise Description Groups
Single Ab Roller Grasp one push up unit11, with roller wheel upper/lower
(Handles unit 61 attached, by the handle 19 with both abdominals, chest,
Attached) hands with the thumbs facing in each other. triceps, forearms,
Place the knees on the kneepad units 51 about shoulders, lower/upper
15 or more inches apart, roll the push-up unit back, lats
15 forward, extending the arms and the upper
body, and recover to the starting position. This
exercise can also be performed with extended
legs with feet on the kneepad units 51 for a
more advanced workout.
Push-up Flys Rest the knees on the kneepad units 51 and chest, triceps,
(Push Up grasp the push-up units 11 by the handles with lower/upper back,
Handles roller wheel units 61 attached. Roll the push-up lower/upper
Attached) units 11 laterally outwards from the chest, abdominals, lats
lowering the chest with the elbows slightly
bent, and recover to the starting position. This
exercise can also be performed with extended
legs with feet resting on the kneepad units 51
for a more intense workout.
Reverse Knee Rest the knees on the kneepad units 51 with lower/upper
Crunch the roller wheel units 61 attached, while abdominals, shoulders,
grasping the push-up units 11 by the handles gluteus maximus
19. Extend knees backward, lowering the lower (“glutes”), quadriceps,
abdomen towards the floor extending the lats
lower body. Pull the knees forward towards
the chest using the lower abdominal muscles,
lifting the glutes and lower back up at the same
time
Extended Legs Position the body into the push up position, lower/upper back
Reverse Crunch grasping the push up units 11 by the handles muscles, quadriceps,
19, and holding them directly below the lower/upper
shoulders, with legs extended and the feet abdominals, glutes,
resting on the kneepad units 51 with the roller shoulders, chest, lats
wheel units 61 attached. Pull to roll the
kneepads forward toward the chest while
maintaining the legs extended, lifting up the
body.
Reverse Lunges Stand erect. Rest the right foot with knee Quadriceps, gluteus
slightly bent on a kneepad 51 with the roller maximus, hamstrings,
wheel unit 61 attached. Slowly roll the kneepad calves,
51 backwardly bending the right and left knees
at the same time, continue to roll the kneepad
51 backwardly, until both knees are bent
halfway. Return to the starting position.
Repeat with left foot on kneepad 51.
Mountain Knee Rest knees on the kneepad units 51 with roller quadriceps, upper/
Climbing wheels units 61 attached, Grasp the handles 19 lower abdominals, hips,
of the push-up units 11 with thumbs facing gluteus maximus,
inwardly. Alternately roll both knees back and cardiovascular, chest,
forth. This exercise can also be performed with shoulders, triceps,
the feet instead of the knees placed on upper/lower back, lats
kneepad units 51 for more intense workout
Kneeling With body erect, place both knees together on Inner and outer thighs,
Abduction and the kneepad units 51 with roller wheels units gluteus maximus, lower
Adduction 61 attached. Place hands behind head or on abs
hips. Roll knees apart as far as reasonably
possible using outer thigh muscles, then pull
knees back together using the inner thighs
muscles
Seated Inner Position the body in a seated position with the inner and outer thighs,
and Outer Flys upper body erect, grasping the push-up units triceps, shoulders,
11 by the handles 19 with the arms extended hamstrings, gluteus
downwardly next to the hips. Extend both legs maximus
forward placing the heels on the kneepad units
51 with the roller wheels 61 attached. Separate
legs apart as far as reasonably possible. Then
bring the legs back close together using the
inner thigh muscles.
Seated Position the body in a seated position with the hamstrings, triceps,
Hamstring upper body erect, grasp the push-up units 11 shoulders quadriceps,
Extension by the handles 19 with the arms extended. gluteus maximus.
Place the heels on the kneepad units 51 with
the knees extended and with the kneepad units
51 mounted on the roller wheel units 61. Roll
legs backwards towards the glutes bending the
knees, then extend legs forward to their
original position
Elbow Chest Flys Place the forearms on the kneepad units 51 chest, upper/lower
with the elbows together with the kneepad back, abdominals,
units 51 mounted on roller wheel units 61. gluteus maximus,
With the handles 19 detached, place the feet shoulders, lats
on the bases 13 of the push-up units 11 with
the body and legs fully extended in a plank
position. Separate elbows apart laterally
lowering the chest towards the floor, then pull
elbows back together again.
V-Shape Push- Grasp of the push-up units 11 mounted on the chest, shoulders,
up roller wheel units 61 with the arms extended abdominals,
and hands directly below the shoulders and upper/lower back,
about 4 inches apart with thumbs facing triceps, shoulders, lats
inwardly. Rest the knees close together on the
kneepad units 51. Roll both arms forward and
slowly separate them apart in a V shape
position lowering the upper body towards the
floor. Then roll arms back raising the upper
body back to the starting position. This exercise
can also be performed with extended legs with
the feet on the kneepad units 51 for a more
advanced workout.
One Arm Push Grasp the push-up units 11 mounted on the chest, shoulders,
Up Side Slide roller wheel units 61 by the handles 19 with abdominals,
the arms extended and hands directly below upper/lower back,
the shoulders and close together. Rest knees triceps,
on the kneepad units 51with the body
extended. Roll the extended the right arm
sideways lowering the chest and bending the
left elbow halfway. Return to the starting
position by retracting the right arm back with
slightly bent elbow, while the left elbow is
extending. Then alternate extending the left
arm and bending the right elbow. This exercise
can also be performed with extended legs with
feet on the kneepad units for a more intense
workout.
Ab-Solute Push With the push-up units 11 mounted on the shoulders, chest,
Up Raises roller wheel units 61, rest the knees on the abdominals,
kneepad units 51, and grasp the push-up units lower/upper back,
11 by the handles 19 with the arms extended triceps.
and hands directly blow the shoulders and
thumbs facing inwardly. Simultaneously roll the
extended right arm forward and bend the left
elbow and lowering the chest. Then alternate,
extending the left arm and bending the right
elbow. This exercise can also be performed
with extended legs with feet on kneepad units
51 for an advanced user.
360 Degree With the push-up units 11 mounted on the quadriceps, upper/
Push- Ups roller wheel units 61, grasp the push-up units lower abdominals,
Rotation 11 by the handles 19 with the knuckles facing gluteus maximus, chest,
forward and arms extended downwardly, and shoulders, triceps,
the body extended with the knees resting on upper/lower back.
the kneepad units 51. Lower the chest by
bending the elbows half way keeping the
knuckles facing forward. Push back up by
extending both arms and rotating the push-up
unit handles 19 so that the knuckles face
outwardly. This exercise can also be
performed with extended legs with feet on
kneepad units 51 for an advanced user.
Ab-Roller Push- With the push-up units 11 mounted on the chest, shoulders,
up (Handles roller wheel units 61 and the handles 19 abdominals,
Detached) detached, rest the knees on the kneepad units upper/lower back,
51 and place both hands on the push-up unit triceps, quadriceps.
bases 13 with the arms extended. Roll the
bases 13 forward, extending the body and
lowering the chest. This exercise can also be
performed with extended legs with feet on the
kneepad units 51 for a more advanced
workout.
Ab-Solute Chest With the push-up units 11 mounted on the chest, shoulders,
Flys (Handles roller wheel units 61 and the handles 19 abdominals,
Dettached) detached, rest the knees on the kneepad units upper/lower back,
and place both hands, with arms extended and triceps.
wrists facing inwards, on the bases 13 of the
push-up units 11.; roll arms laterally apart with
slightly bent elbows lowering the chest This
exercise can also be performed with extended
legs with feet on kneepad units for a more
intense workout.
Push-ups With the kneepad units 51 mounted on the Chest, shoulders,
Scissors Combo roller wheel units 61, extend the body, arms abdominals,
and legs to a push-up position and rest feet on upper/lower back,
the kneepad units. Grasp the push-up units 11 inner/outer thighs.
by the handles 19 with hands 4 to 6 inches
apart and separate legs widely apart. Then
lower the body by bending the elbows about
50%. Push back up by extending the elbows
and bring the legs together and separate them
again. Repeat the process.
Ab-Solute With the kneepad units 19 mounted on the Obliques, shoulders,
Extended Side roller wheel units 61 and the push-up unit lower/upper abs,
Crunch handles 19 detached, rest elbows on the lower/upper back,
kneepad units and extend legs and body and quadriceps, chest, lats
rest the feet on push-up unit bases 13. Spread
elbows apart and place hands on the forehead.
Roll the right elbow inwardly towards the right
rib cage and then roll the left elbow inwardly
towards the left rib cage. Then roll the right
elbow outwardly followed by rolling the left
elbow outwardly. Repeat.
Push Up 360 Rest knees on the kneepad units 51; place both Chest, forearms,
rotation with palms flat on the bases 13 of the push-up units upper/lower back,
push up handles 11 with the body and arms extended in a push- abdominals, triceps,
Detached up position and wrists facing inwardly. Rotate shoulders, lats
the palms so that the wrists face outwardly
while bending the elbows outwards about 50%,
lowering the chest. Extend elbows back up
while rotating the palms so that the fingers
face forwardly. This exercise can also be
performed with extended legs placing feet on
the kneepad units for a more intense workout.
Fish-Tail Side With the push-up units 11 mounted on the Obliques, lower/upper
Slide Crunch roller wheel units 61 and the handles 19 abdominals, lower
detached, rest feet on the bases 13 and place back, chest.
both forearms on the kneepad units 51 keeping
the whole body extended. Roll the legs and
lower body alternately to the left and right
sides while the upper body remains in the
straight plank position.
Side to Side V- With the kneepad units 15 mounted on the obliques, lower/upper
Knee Crunches roller wheel units 61, rest knees on the abdominals,
kneepad units with the legs spread in a “V” lower/upper back,
shape and grasp the push-up units 11 by the chest. Hips, shoulders,
handles 19 with thumbs facing each other. Roll triceps, inner/outer
the knees backwardly somewhat. Maintaining thighs.
the knees spread apart, alternately roll the
knees and the lower body to the left and right.
Triceps Dips 360 Position the body in a seated position with the Triceps, Shoulders,
Rotation upper body erect and the legs extended Hamstrings, upper back
forward and heels resting on the kneepad units
51. Grasp the push-up units 11 by the handles
19 with the arms extended downwardly by the
sides of the hips, and the wrists facing
backwardly. Bend elbows outwardly to lower
the glutes to the ground maintaining the wrists
facing backwardly, raise the body by extending
the elbows while rotating the wrists to face
inwardly.
Single Ab Roller With the push-up units 11 mounted on the Lower/Upper Abs,
With Push Up roller wheel units 61 and the handles 19 Shoulders, triceps,
Handle detached, rest the knees on the kneepad units chest, lower/upper
Detached 51 and place both hands on the base 13 of one back, lats, glutes
of the push-up units 11 with the thumbs facing Maximus
inwardly; roll hands straight forward lowering
the upper body. This exercise can also be
performed using two push up units 11 with
each hand on separate unit, moving together,
This exercise can also be performed with
extended legs with feet on kneepad units 51
for a more advanced workout.
Push Up and With the handles 19 detached from the push- Shoulders, upper back
Kneepads up units 11, mount the bases 19 on either end muscles
Dumbbell of a shaft 71, and mount the kneepad units 51
Shoulder Press on opposite ends of the other shaft 71, in each
case optionally with additional weights 73 on
both ends of the shafts, to form a pair of
dumbbells, and secure both ends of the
dumbbell handles using the threaded washers
79. Stand erect and lift the dumbbells above
the shoulders with thumbs facing in each
other, push the dumbbells up and extend
elbows.
The exercise apparatus of the present invention enjoys many advantages over that previously available. It allows a user to perform a wide range of exercises to achieve a full body workout, while being inexpensive to fabricate, easily portable, typically weighing about 20 pounds, and very compact, so that it can be packed into a small valise or suitcase. It is suitable for use by individuals either at home or while traveling, by personal trainers either at a client's home or at an exercise facility, and by groups at a fitness center or similar facility. The ability to vary the intensity of the individual exercises, e.g., in the manners described above, makes the apparatus suitable for use by anyone from a beginner to a highly conditioned athlete. The parts of the exercise apparatus can be fabricated out of metal or, preferably, to the extent practicable, out of a rigid plastic material to minimize the weight of the apparatus.
