UPPER BODY WORKOUT APPARATUSES AND ASSEMBLY THEREOF
An upper body workout apparatus assembly comprises two upper body workout apparatuses for each side of a user's body. Each apparatus may have a support bar supported by a plurality of lateral supports. A sliding handle is configured to rotate about each support bar as well as sliding along the length of the support bar. The user may grasp each sliding handle with one of the user's hands to perform push-up, dip, pull-up, abdominal or other exercises, whereby each sliding handle is moved between a distal and proximal position relative to its support bar. One or more anchor mounts secure each apparatus to a wall or ceiling during pull-up type exercise. The apparatuses are positioned adjacent one another as part of the assembly.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems and methods for toning and strengthening the upper body, and in particular to an upper body workout apparatus.
2. Related Art
Upper body training is highly beneficial to strengthening and toning the muscles and other body structures of the arms and chest as well as core muscles and body structures. A number of traditional upper body training exercises exist, including push-ups, pull-ups, pull-downs, bench presses, and curls, where a user positions him or herself in a position relative to a weight or supporting surface in order to perform an upper body exercise. Though considerable effort and time may be expended during such exercise, the user may not be maximizing the effect of upper body training through use of traditional upper body exercises and equipment.
From the discussion that follows, it will become apparent that the present invention addresses the deficiencies associated with the prior art while providing numerous additional advantages and benefits not contemplated or possible with prior art constructions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONVarious upper body workout apparatuses and assemblies thereof are disclosed herein. The apparatus assembly is beneficial in that it provides an upper body workout that also can strengthen and tone other parts of a user's body. The individual upper body apparatuses of the assembly guide the user's hands and arms while supporting at least the user's upper body weight resulting in consistent upper body motion to reduce the risk of injury. A number of configurations are disclosed herein to allow various types of upper body workouts to be performed.
As will be described below, the upper body workout apparatuses and assembly thereof may have various configurations. For instance, in one exemplary embodiment an upper body workout apparatus assembly may comprise, in combination, a first upper body workout apparatus and a second upper body workout apparatus.
The first upper body workout apparatus may comprise a first lateral support comprising one or more legs, a second lateral support comprising one or more legs, and one or more rollers mounted to the legs of the first and second lateral supports. A support bar having a proximal and distal end is supported in a horizontal position by the first and second lateral support, with the proximal end of the support bar being attached to the first lateral support while the distal end is attached to the second lateral support. A sliding handle comprising a tubular body with a channel therethrough is mounted on the support bar via the channel, with the sliding handle being rotatable about the support bar and slidable along the support bar; and
Similarly, the second upper body workout apparatus may comprise a first lateral support comprising one or more legs, a second lateral support comprising one or more legs, and one or more rollers mounted to the legs of the first and second lateral supports. A support bar having a proximal and distal end is supported in a horizontal position by the first and second lateral support, with the proximal end of the support bar being attached to the first lateral support and the distal end being attached to the second lateral support. A sliding handle comprising a tubular body with a channel therethrough is mounted on the support bar via the channel, with the sliding handle being rotatable about the support bar and slidable along the support bar;
In the assembly, the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus are typically positioned adjacent one another such that the sliding handle of the first upper body workout apparatus is graspable by a left hand of a user performing one or more push-up or dip type exercises and the sliding handle of the second upper body workout apparatus is configured to be graspable by a right hand of the user.
The upper body workout apparatus assembly may also include a plurality of anchor mounts configured to secure the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus to a wall to allow the user to perform one or more pull-up type exercises using the upper body workout apparatus assembly.
It is noted that the rollers of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus may be locked to prevent movement of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus. In addition or alternatively, the rollers of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus may be removable. Also, the support bar of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus may be curved.
A fastener configured to attach the first upper body workout apparatus to the second upper body workout apparatus may be provided as well. The sliding handle of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus typically comprises an inner layer having a plurality of spherical bearings to allow the sliding handle to rotate and slide on its support bar.
In another exemplary embodiment, an upper body workout apparatus assembly may comprise, in combination, a first support bar having a first sliding handle mounted thereon with the first sliding handle configured to rotate about the first support bar and slide along the first support bar's length, and a second support bar having a second sliding handle mounted thereon with the second sliding handle configured to rotate about the second support bar and slide along the second support bar's length.
A first plurality of lateral supports are configured to hold the first support bar at an elevated position, while a second plurality of lateral supports are configured to hold the second support bar at an elevated position. One or more anchor mounts are configured to hold the first plurality of lateral supports and the second plurality of lateral supports to a wall or ceiling structure. The first support bar and second support bar are secured to the wall or ceiling structure via the anchor mounts for a user to perform one or more pull-up type exercises, and the first support bar and second support bar are supported on a floor for the user to perform one or more push-up or lateral type exercises.
Similar to the above embodiment, the first support bar and the second support bar may be positioned adjacent one another such that the first sliding handle is configured to be graspable by a left hand of a user and the second sliding handle is configured to be graspable by a right hand of the user. In addition, the first support bar and the second support bar may be positioned in linear alignment with one another. Alternatively or in addition, the first support bar and second support bar may be arranged at an angle with one another.
A plurality of locking rollers may be attached to at least one base of the first plurality of lateral supports and the second plurality of lateral supports to allow the first support bar and second support bar to be independently movable. It is contemplated that the first sliding handle and the second sliding handle may comprise a tubular body having a plurality of spherical bearings on an inner layer therein.
Various methods relating to the upper body apparatuses and assemblies therefor are disclosed herein as well. For example, in one embodiment a method of upper body exercise using an upper body workout apparatus assembly is disclosed. Such method may comprise providing a first upper body workout apparatus comprising a first support bar and a first sliding handle that is rotatable about the first support bar and slidable along the first support bar, and providing a second upper body workout apparatus comprising a second support bar and a second sliding handle that is rotatable about the second support bar and slidable along the second support bar.
The first support bar is supported on a floor at an elevated position above the floor with at least one first support while the second support bar is supported on a floor at an elevated position above the floor with at least one second support. A user hand's can then engage the first sliding handle and the second sliding handle. For example, the user may be engaged by engaging the user's left hand with the first sliding handle and engaging the user's right hand with the second sliding handle.
The first sliding handle is subsequently moved between a distal position and a proximal position on the first support bar, while simultaneously moving the second sliding handle between a distal position and a proximal position on the second support bar, while the first support bar and the second support bar are supported by the floor. One or more push-up or dip type exercises may be performed in this manner.
The method also includes engaging one or more anchor mounts attached to a wall or ceiling with the first support and the second support to secure the first support bar and second support bar to the wall or ceiling. The first sliding handle is then moved between a distal position and a proximal position on the first support bar, while simultaneously moving the second sliding handle between a distal position and a proximal position on the second support bar, while the first support bar and the second support bar are secured to the wall or ceiling. One or more pull-up type exercises may be performed in this manner. The first support and at least one second support may subsequently be removed from the anchor mounts when push-up or dip type exercises are desired.
The first sliding handle may be rotated about the first support bar while the second sliding handle may be rotated about the second support bar while the first sliding handle and the second sliding handle are moved between the distal position and proximal position on the first support bar and the second support bar. This provides for a natural range of motion of the user's hands reducing the risk of injury. At least a user's upper body weight is typically supported with the first support bar and the second support bar during a workout. It is noted that one or more rollers of the first support and the second support may be locked to prevent movement relative to the floor.
Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough description of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.
In general, the upper body workout apparatus herein provides a complete upper body workout by allowing a user to move freely as he or she performs one or more repetitions with the upper body workout apparatus. This freedom reduces the risk of injury but also causes the user to exert more effort in stabilizing him or herself when performing upper body exercises on the upper body workout apparatus. The upper body workout apparatus also allows a number of distinct exercises to be performed therewith, as will be discussed further below.
Typically the upper body workout apparatus will be provided as part of an assembly comprising two upper body workout apparatuses, as will be describe further below. To aid in understanding, individual upper body workout apparatuses will first be described.
Typically, the lateral supports 112, 116 are configured to hold the support bar 108 at an elevated position above the ground or other surface. In addition, the lateral supports 112, 116 hold the support bar 108 in a horizontal orientation, such as shown in
The support bar 108 may be attached to the lateral supports 112, 116 in various ways. As shown in
In the exemplary embodiments of
Though illustrated as a sleeve, it is contemplated that various mounts 136 may be used with the upper body workout apparatus 104. For example, in one embodiment, a sleeve may be formed at the end of a support bar 108. A mount 136 in the form of a pin or other protrusion may extend from a lateral support 112, 116. The sleeve of the support bar 108 would then accept the mount 136 of the lateral support 112, 116 to attach the support bar to the lateral support. In another embodiment, a threaded assembly may be used to attach a support bar 108 to a lateral support 112, 116. For instance, a threaded rod extending from an end of the support bar 108 may be rotated into a mount 136 comprising a threaded opening in a lateral support 112, 116 (or vice versa) to attach the two structures together. It is contemplated that other mounts 136 may be used as well to attach the support bar 108 to the lateral supports 112, 116.
As alluded to above, the support bar 108 may be removable. For instance, with reference to the exemplary embodiments of
The support bar 108 or a different support bar may be re-attached to the mount 136 thereafter by inserting engaging the mount with an end of the support bar. It is contemplated that various support bars 108 may be provided with the upper body workout apparatus 104 for different training exercises. In typical embodiments, a straight support bar 108, such as shown in
It is also contemplated that support bars 108 of different lengths may be used with the upper body workout apparatus 104. For example, a support bar 108 having sufficient length to accept two or more sliding handles 124, while providing space for each of the sliding handles to slide along the support bar, may be provided in some embodiments.
As shown in
Similarly, the support bar 108 may be constructed with a rigid tubular material of circular or other cross sectional shape. One benefit of a circular cross sectional shape is that it allows the sliding handle 124 to rotate about the axis of the support bar 108. It is contemplated that to limit or prevent such rotation, a support bar 108 having a square or other non-circular shape may be provided. In such case, the sliding handle 124 would have a corresponding non-circular shape to allow it to accept and slide along the support bar 108. It is noted that a variety of rigid materials, such one or more metals, alloys, composite materials, plastics, or various combinations thereof may be used in the construction of the upper body workout apparatus 104.
As disclosed above, the upper body workout apparatus 104 allows a number of upper body training exercises to be performed therewith. Typically, the upper body workout apparatus 104 will be reconfigurable for various training exercises. For example, as shown in
For example, a base 128 may be a planar structure configured to engage the ground or floor where the upper body workout apparatus 104 is being used. In such embodiments, a base 128 would generally be configured to secure the upper body workout apparatus 104 in place during use. It is contemplated that a tread or grip may be at the underside of a base 128 to prevent the upper body workout apparatus 104 from moving when placed on the ground or other surface.
Alternatively, a base 128 may have one or more wheels 132, casters, rollers, or the like mounted thereto. To illustrate, the bases 128 of the lateral supports 112, 116 of
It is contemplated that a wheel 132 may have a fixed or swiveling mount that attaches it to a base 128. A swiveling mount would allow the wheel 132 to swivel while the wheel rolls or rotates about its axel, while a fixed mount would prevent such swiveling thus causing the wheel 132 to roll along a particular path. This correspondingly limits the motion of an upper body workout apparatus 104 having one or more wheels 132 attached by fixed mounts.
The anchor mounts 204 will typically be secured to a wall or ceiling by one or more fasteners, such as screws or bolts. It is contemplated that an anchor mount 204 may be permanently affixed to such wall, ceiling or other structure. In this manner, the upper body workout apparatus 104 can be easily and conveniently used on the ground as well as at a wall, ceiling or other elevated structure. To illustrate, a user may configure the upper body workout apparatus 104 in a first configuration where its wheels 132 are attached to its lateral supports 112, 116, such as shown in
To illustrate, each anchor mount 204 may be configured to engage a portion of a lateral support 112, 116. As shown in
In the exemplary embodiment of
It is contemplated that the lateral supports 112, 116 of an upper body workout apparatus 104 may be removably attached to one or more anchor mounts 204 in various other ways. For instance, one or more threaded fasteners may be used. For example, a threaded rod, screw or bolt may extend from the base 128 of lateral support 112, 116 into a threaded opening of an anchor mount 204, or vice versa. In such case, a slotted opening need not be provided. It is contemplated that each leg 120 of a lateral support 112, 116 may be removably secured to an anchor mount 304 in different ways. For example, a first leg 120 may be secured by a slotted opening 212 and corresponding engagement member 216, while a second leg (of the same lateral support 112, 116) is secured via a threaded rod, screw or bolt or other removable fastener. Some exemplary removable fasteners include one or more screws, pins, clips, clamps or the like.
It is contemplated that resistance to the movement of the sliding handle 124 may be reduced in other ways. For instance, in one embodiment, the inner layer 312 may be formed from or be coated with a low friction material, such as Teflon™ or low friction plastics, polymers, and/or resins. In some cases, the spherical bearings 304 need not be provided if such low friction materials are used. It is noted that the support bar may also be formed from or be coated with a similar low friction material as well.
Operation of the upper body workout apparatus 104 will now be described with regard to
In
The low sliding resistance at the sliding handles 124 allows the user to freely move his or her arms while guiding the path along which the user's arms move during an exercise. As can be seen, positioning the upper body workout apparatuses 104A, 104B at an angle relative to one another would change this path, thus changing which portions of a user's body are toned and strengthened.
As stated above, an upper body workout apparatus 104A, 104B may include one or more wheels 132 to allow the upper body workout apparatus to move or roll along the ground or other surface. If attached, the wheels 132 can increase the difficulty and effectiveness of a workout using the upper body workout apparatus assembly 404. This is because the user 408 would have to exert considerable effort in maintaining the position of each upper body workout apparatus 104A, 104B while raising and lowering his or her body. In this manner, the user can strengthen and tone his or her entire body. If wheels 132 are not attached, the user 408 would not need to expend effort stabilizing the position of each upper body workout apparatus 104A, 104B. It is contemplated that a user 408 may attach or remove wheels 132 as desired.
Similar to above, the dip type exercise may be performed with wheels 132 attached or removed from the upper body workout apparatuses 104A, 104B. With the wheels 132 attached, the user 408 would be required to expend effort to maintain the position of the upper body workout apparatuses 104A, 104B, as described above. Alternatively, the user 408 may lock the wheels 132 to prevent an upper body workout apparatus 104A, 104B from rolling during exercise.
As can be seen, the user 408 may move between a first position and a second position while performing dip type exercises. Dip type exercises are performed with the user's body bent at the waist as though the user is sitting. The user 408 may support his or her weight with his or her arms and feet, such as shown.
Typically, the first position will be a position where the user's body is lower as compared to the second position where the user's body is raised, such as shown in
As can be seen, the user 408 may then raise his or her body to a second position by pushing downward to extend his or her arms, such as shown in
As can be seen from
The attachment to one or more anchor mounts 204 affixes the upper body workout apparatus assembly 404 at an elevated position allowing pull-up type exercises to be performed, as will now be described. A pull-up type exercise is performed with the user in an upright position. Similar to the above exercises performed on the upper body workout apparatus assembly 404, the user 408 moves between a first position and a second position while performing pull-up type exercises, with the first position typically being lower than the second position.
Referring to
Similar to the above exercises, a user 408 will typically move between a first position and a second position when performing abdominal type exercises on the upper body workout apparatus assembly 404. As can be seen in
The user 408 may then contract his or her body to arrive at the second position shown in
It is contemplated that various other exercises may be performed on the upper body workout apparatus assembly 404. For example, the above push-up, dip, pull-up, and abdominal type exercises may be performed with or without moving the sliding handles 124 between a proximal and distal position if desired. To illustrate, the user 408 may hold the sliding handles 124 at a proximal position or a distal position while performing these exercises. It is noted that the sliding handles 124 may also rotate about the axis of the support bar 108 during exercise. This allows the user's arms and hands to move freely during exercise, reducing the risk of strain and injury.
Typically, the upper body workout apparatus assembly 404 will be used for a plurality of exercises during a particular workout, such as the push-up, dip, abdominal, and pull up type exercises described above. In one typical embodiment for example, the user may perform one or more push-up and/or dip type exercises, and then attach the individual upper body workout apparatuses 104A, 104B of the upper body workout apparatus assembly 404 to one or more previously hung anchor mounts 204 to perform one or more pull-up type exercises. It is noted that a user 408 may begin a workout with pull-up type exercises and then remove the upper body workout apparatuses 104A, 104B from their anchor mounts 204 to perform one or more push-up or dip type exercises. The user 408 would place the upper body workout apparatuses 104A, 104B on the floor to perform push-up, dip, or abdominal type exercises. Between the various types of exercises, it is contemplated that a user 408 may add or remove wheels 132 to the upper body workout apparatuses 104A, 104B to respectively increase or decrease the difficult of the workout.
While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention. In addition, the various features, elements, and embodiments described herein may be claimed or combined in any combination or arrangement.
Claims
1. An upper body workout apparatus assembly comprising, in combination:
- a first upper body workout apparatus comprising: a first lateral support comprising one or more legs; a second lateral support comprising one or more legs; one or more rollers mounted to the one or more legs of the first and second lateral supports; a support bar having a proximal and distal end, the support bar supported in a horizontal position by the first and second lateral support, wherein the proximal end of the support bar is attached to the first lateral support and the distal end is attached to the second lateral support; and a sliding handle comprising a tubular body with a channel therethrough, the sliding handle mounted on the support bar via the channel, wherein the sliding handle is rotatable about the support bar and slidable along the support bar; and
- a second upper body workout apparatus comprising: a first lateral support comprising one or more legs; a second lateral support comprising one or more legs; one or more rollers mounted to the one or more legs of the first and second lateral supports; a support bar having a proximal and distal end, the support bar supported in a horizontal position by the first and second lateral support, wherein the proximal end of the support bar is attached to the first lateral support and the distal end is attached to the second lateral support; and a sliding handle comprising a tubular body with a channel therethrough, the sliding handle mounted on the support bar via the channel, wherein the sliding handle is rotatable about the support bar and slidable along the support bar;
- wherein the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus are positioned adjacent one another such that the sliding handle of the first upper body workout apparatus is graspable by a left hand of a user performing one or more push-up or dip type exercises and the sliding handle of the second upper body workout apparatus is configured to be graspable by a right hand of the user.
2. The upper body workout apparatus assembly of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of anchor mounts configured to secure the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus to a wall to allow the user to perform one or more pull-up type exercises using the upper body workout apparatus assembly.
3. The upper body workout apparatus assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more rollers of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus may be locked to prevent movement of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus.
4. The upper body workout apparatus assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more rollers of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus are removable.
5. The upper body workout apparatus assembly of claim 1, wherein the support bar of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus is curved.
6. The upper body workout apparatus assembly of claim 1 further comprising a fastener configured to attach the first upper body workout apparatus to the second upper body workout apparatus.
7. The upper body workout apparatus assembly of claim 1, wherein the sliding handle of the first upper body workout apparatus and the second upper body workout apparatus comprises an inner layer having a plurality of spherical bearings.
8. An upper body workout apparatus assembly comprising, in combination:
- a first support bar having a first sliding handle mounted thereon, the first sliding handle configured to rotate about the first support bar and slide along the first support bar's length;
- a second support bar having a second sliding handle mounted thereon, the second sliding handle configured to rotate about the second support bar and slide along the second support bar's length;
- a first plurality of lateral supports configured to hold the first support bar at an elevated position;
- a second plurality of lateral supports configured to hold the second support bar at an elevated position; and
- one or more anchor mounts configured to hold the first plurality of lateral supports and the second plurality of lateral supports to a wall or ceiling structure;
- wherein the first support bar and second support bar are secured to the wall or ceiling structure via the one or more anchor mounts for a user to perform one or more pull-up type exercises, and the first support bar and second support bar are supported on a floor for the user to perform one or more push-up or lateral type exercises.
9. The upper body workout apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first support bar and the second support bar are positioned adjacent one another such that the first sliding handle is configured to be graspable by a left hand of a user and the second sliding handle is configured to be graspable by a right hand of the user.
10. The upper body workout apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first support bar and the second support bar are positioned in linear alignment with one another.
11. The upper body workout apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first support bar and second support bar are positioned at an angle with one another.
12. The upper body workout apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of locking rollers attached to at least one base of the first plurality of lateral supports and the second plurality of lateral supports to allow the first support bar and second support bar to be independently movable.
13. The upper body workout apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first sliding handle and the second sliding handle comprise a tubular body having a plurality of spherical bearings on an inner layer therein.
14. A method of upper body exercise using an upper body workout apparatus assembly comprising:
- providing a first upper body workout apparatus comprising a first support bar and a first sliding handle that is rotatable about the first support bar and slidable along the first support bar;
- providing a second upper body workout apparatus comprising a second support bar and a second sliding handle that is rotatable about the second support bar and slidable along the second support bar;
- supporting the first support bar on a floor at an elevated position above the floor with at least one first support;
- supporting the second support bar on a floor at an elevated position above the floor with at least one second support;
- engaging a user with the first sliding handle and the second sliding handle;
- moving the first sliding handle between a distal position and a proximal position on the first support bar, and simultaneously moving the second sliding handle between a distal position and a proximal position on the second support bar, while the first support bar and the second support bar are supported by the floor;
- engaging one or more anchor mounts attached to a wall or ceiling with the at least one first support and the at least one second support to secure the first support bar and second support bar to the wall or ceiling; and
- moving the first sliding handle between a distal position and a proximal position on the first support bar, and simultaneously moving the second sliding handle between a distal position and a proximal position on the second support bar, while the first support bar and the second support bar are secured to the wall or ceiling.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user is engaged by engaging the user's left hand with the first sliding handle and engaging the user's right hand with the second sliding handle.
16. The method of claim 14 further comprising rotating the first sliding handle about the first support bar and rotating the second sliding handle about the second support bar while the first sliding handle and the second sliding handle are moved between the distal position and proximal position on the first support bar and the second support bar.
17. The method of claim 14 further comprising supporting at least a user's upper body weight with the first support bar and the second support bar.
18. The method of claim 14 further comprising locking one or more rollers of the at least one first support and the at least one second support to prevent movement relative to the floor.
19. The method of claim 14 further comprising securing the one or more anchor mounts to the wall or ceiling.
20. The method of claim 14 further comprising removing the at least one first support and at least one second support from the one or more anchor mounts.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 15, 2013
Publication Date: Dec 18, 2014
Inventors: Nick Vasquez (Las Vegas, NV), David Vasquez (Las Vegas, NV), Justin Vasquez (Las Vegas, NV)
Application Number: 13/918,916
International Classification: A63B 1/00 (20060101); A63B 21/00 (20060101);