EXERCISE APPARATUSES AND METHODS OF USING
An exercise apparatus configured to be readily stowed and transported. The apparatus includes a lifting bar and a pair of frames. Each of the frames includes a support member and base. The support member of one frame has a cavity that is sufficiently large to slidably receive the support member of the other frame. Each base has a stowage hole adapted to receive one end of the lifting bar. The apparatus includes fasteners by which the ends of the lifting bar can be secured within a pair of the adjustment holes in the support members to define a deployed configuration of the apparatus, as well as secured within the stowage holes in the bases to define a stowed configuration of the apparatus. The apparatus includes weights each having a slot and configured to rest on one of the base with one of the support members located within the slot.
The present invention generally relates to exercise equipment and routines, and more particularly to a versatile exercise apparatus adapted for use in weightlifting exercises and configured to be readily portable and stowable.
Exercise equipment adapted for weightlifting typically have some type of lifting bar to which weights can be added and removed to adjust the amount of weight lifted by the user. To promote their safety, weightlifting equipment have also been proposed that incorporate a lifting bar coupled to a stable support frame so that the bar and frame are both lifted by the user during exercising. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,198 to Waulters, which discloses an exercise apparatus that includes a lifting bar coupled to standards of a supporting frame. During use, the bar and supporting frame are lifted together by the user. The standards provide an adjustment capability so that the vertical height of the bar can be adjusted to allow various different exercises to be performed with the apparatus.
Weight lifting equipment are often large and bulky. To facilitate their transport and storage, weightlifting equipment have been proposed that enable the components to be disassembled and stowed to achieve a more compact outline. An example can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,556 to Gangloff.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides an exercise apparatus that includes frames that are adapted to adjustably support a lifting bar in a manner that promotes the versatility and safety aspects of the apparatus, while also being configured to be readily stowable and portable.
According to one aspect of the invention, the exercise apparatus includes a lifting bar and first and second frames. The lifting bar has oppositely-disposed ends and a gripping portion therebetween. Each of the first and second frames comprises a support member and a base adapted to support the support member in a vertical orientation when the base is on a horizontal surface. Each of the support members has a distal end opposite the base thereof and a series of adjustment holes therethrough that are sufficiently large to receive one of the ends of the lifting bar. The support member of the first frame has a cavity that is sufficiently large to slidably receive at least a portion of the support member of the second frame, and further has an opening in the distal end thereof through which the support member of the second frame can enter the cavity. Each of the bases of the first and second frames has at least one stowage hole therethrough that is sufficiently large to receive one of the ends of the lifting bar. The apparatus further comprises means for securing the ends of the lifting bar within a pair of the adjustment holes of the support members while the gripping portion of the lifting bar is between the support members. The apparatus includes weights adapted to be removably mounted on the first and second frames. Each of the weights has a slot sized to receive an entire cross-section of the support member of the first frame. The first and second frames and the lifting bar are assemblable to define a deployed configuration of the exercise apparatus, in which the support members of the first and second frames are parallel to each other, the ends of the lifting bar are received within a pair of the adjustment holes of the support members, the gripping portion of the lifting bar is between the support members, the securing means retain the lifting bar within the pair of the adjustment holes, and the weights are stacked on the bases of the first and second frames with a corresponding one of the support members located within each of the slots of the weights. The weights and the bases of the first and second frames include coatings thereon that reduce the likelihood of slipping therebetween when in contact with one another. In addition, the first and second frames and the lifting bar are assemblable to define a stowed configuration of the exercise apparatus, in which the support member of the second frame is slidably received in the support member of the first frame to define a stowed axis of the exercise apparatus, the stowage holes in the bases of the first and second frames are aligned along an axis parallel to the stowed axis, the ends of the lifting bar are received within the stowage holes in the bases, and the securing means simultaneously retain the lifting bar on the bases and the support member of the second frame within the support member of the first frame.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of using an exercise apparatus as described above includes inserting the ends of the lifting bar within the pair of the adjustment holes of the support members such that the support members of the first and second frames are parallel to each other and the gripping portion of the lifting bar is between the support members, retaining the lifting bar within the pair of the adjustment holes with the securing means, resting one or more of the weights on the upper surfaces of the bases of the first and second frames so that a corresponding one of the support members is located within each of the slots of the weights, and gripping the gripping portion of the lifting bar and lifting the exercise apparatus with the weights thereon.
Advantages of the exercise apparatus and method described above include the ability of the apparatus to provide a range of adjustments for the lifting bar in a manner that promotes the versatility of the apparatus, yet also the ability to readily stow the apparatus in a manner that facilitates transportation of the apparatus.
Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be further appreciated from the following detailed description.
From the following, it will become evident that, in both its deployed and stowed configurations, components of the apparatus 10 can be securely assembled into a single unit, helping to ensure that the apparatus 10 can be safely used and transported, as well as reduce the risk of components being misplaced.
In
In addition to the support members 28 and 30, the frames 14 and 16 each comprise a base 32 and 34, respectively, having an upper surface from which their respective support members 29 and 30 extend. The bases 32 and 34 are adapted to maintain their corresponding support members 28 and 30 in a vertical orientation when the base 32 or 34 is resting on a horizontal surface. Each support member 28 and 30 has a distal end 36 and 38 opposite its base 32 and 34. As best seen in
The bar 12 and frames 14 and 16 can be manufactured from a variety of materials to have a wide range of dimensions. As nonlimiting examples, the bar 12 can have a length of about forty inches (about 100 cm), each support member 14 and 16 can have a length of about thirty inches (about 75 cm), and the bases 32 and 34 can have widths (as seen in
To achieve the stowed configuration for the exercise apparatus 10 represented in
As evident from
On the basis of the above, the lifting bar 12 and frames 14 and 16 are assemblable to define the deployed configuration of the exercise apparatus 10, as seen in
The lifting bar 12 and frames 14 and 16 are also assemblable to define the stowed configuration for the exercise apparatus 10, as seen in
The apparatus 10 can be readily reconfigured from the deployed configuration of
For the stowed configuration shown in
With the inclusion of the weights 46, the process of reconfiguring the apparatus 10 from its deployed configurations of
In the deployed configurations of
While the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the apparatus 10 and its components could differ in appearance and construction from the embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings, functions of certain components of the apparatus 10 could be performed by components of different construction but capable of a similar (though not necessarily equivalent) function, and appropriate materials could be substituted for those noted. As such, it should be understood that the above detailed description is intended to describe the particular embodiments represented in the drawings and certain but not necessarily all features and aspects thereof, and to identify certain but not necessarily all alternatives to the represented embodiments and their described features and aspects. As a nonlimiting example, the invention encompasses additional or alternative embodiments in which one or more features or aspects of a particular embodiment could be eliminated or two or more features or aspects of different embodiments could be combined. Accordingly, it should be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to any embodiment described herein or illustrated in the drawings, and the phraseology and terminology employed above are for the purpose of describing the illustrated embodiments and do not necessarily serve as limitations to the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
Claims
1. An exercise apparatus comprising:
- a lifting bar having oppositely-disposed ends and a gripping portion therebetween;
- first and second frames, each of the first and second frames comprising a base and a support member extending from an upper surface of the base, each of the bases being adapted to support the support member thereof in a vertical orientation when the base is on a horizontal surface, each of the support members having a distal end opposite the base thereof and a series of adjustment holes therethrough that are sufficiently large to receive one of the ends of the lifting bar, the support member of the first frame having a cavity that is sufficiently large to slidably receive at least a portion of the support member of the second frame and an opening in the distal end thereof through which the support member of the second frame can enter the cavity, each of the bases of the first and second frames having at least one stowage hole therethrough that is sufficiently large to receive one of the ends of the lifting bar;
- means for securing the ends of the lifting bar within a pair of the adjustment holes of the support members while the gripping portion of the lifting bar is between the support members; and
- weights adapted to be removably mounted on the first and second frames, wherein each of the weights has a slot sized to receive an entire cross-section of the support member of the first frame;
- wherein the first and second frames and the lifting bar are assemblable to define a deployed configuration of the exercise apparatus in which the support members of the first and second frames are parallel to each other, the ends of the lifting bar are received within a pair of the adjustment holes of the support members, the gripping portion of the lifting bar is between the support members, the securing means retain the lifting bar within the pair of the adjustment holes, and the weights are stacked on the upper surfaces of the bases of the first and second frame with a corresponding one of the support members located within each of the slots of the weights, wherein the weights and the bases of the first and second frames include coatings thereon that reduce the likelihood of slipping therebetween when in contact with one another; and
- wherein the first and second frames and the lifting bar are assemblable to define a stowed configuration of the exercise apparatus in which the support member of the second frame is slidably received in the support member of the first frame to define a stowed axis of the exercise apparatus, the stowage holes in the bases of the first and second frames are aligned along an axis parallel to the stowed axis, the ends of the lifting bar are received within the stowage holes in the bases, and the securing means simultaneously retain the lifting bar on the bases and the support member of the second frame within the support member of the first frame.
2. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cavity of the support member of the first frame is sufficiently large to receive more than half of the support member of the second frame.
3. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cavity of the support member of the first frame is sufficiently large to entirely receive the support member of the second frame.
4. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment holes are located closer to the distal ends of the support members than to the bases.
5. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the securing means comprises male threads defined on the ends of the lifting bar and fasteners having female threads that are complementary to the male threads of the lifting bar.
6. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the weights has at least one through-hole that is sufficiently large to receive one of the ends of the lifting bar.
7. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, with the exercise apparatus is in the stowed configuration and the weights mounted on the support member of the first frame, the through-holes in the weights are coaxially aligned with the stowage holes of the bases, the ends of the lifting bar are received within the through-holes in the weights and the stowage holes in the bases, and the securing means simultaneously retain the ends of the lifting bar within the through-holes of the weights.
8. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second frames are interconnected solely through the lifting bar when the exercise apparatus is in the deployed configuration.
9. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member of each of the first and second frames is a hollow post.
10. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member of each of the first and second frames has a rectilinear cross-section.
11. The exercise apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a package configured to store the exercise apparatus in the stowed configuration, wherein the support member of the second frame is at least partially received in the support member of the first frame, the stowage holes in the bases of the first and second frames are aligned along the axis parallel to the stowed axis, the ends of the lifting bar are received within the stowage holes, and the securing means simultaneously retain the lifting bar on the bases and the support member of the second frame within the support member of the first frame.
12. The package according to claim 11, wherein the support member of the second frame is entirely received within the cavity of the support member of the first frame.
13. A method of stowing the exercise apparatus of claim 1, the method comprising:
- providing the exercise apparatus of claim 1;
- inserting the distal end of the support member of the second frame through the opening in the distal end of the support member of the first frame until at least a portion of the support member of the second frame is slidably received in the cavity within the support member of the first frame, the inserting step being performed so that stowage holes in the bases of the first and second frames are co-axially aligned;
- placing the lifting bar between the bases of the first and second frames;
- inserting the ends of the lifting bar through the stowage holes of the bases; and
- securing the ends of the lifting bar within the stowage holes.
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising removably mounting the weights on the support member of the first frame following the inserting step so that each of the weights has at least one through-hole that is coaxially aligned with the stowage holes of the bases, wherein the inserting step further comprises inserting the ends of the lifting through the through-holes in the weights, and the securing step further comprises simultaneously retaining the ends of the lifting bar within the through-holes of the weights.
15. A method of performing an exercise with the apparatus of claim 1, the method comprising:
- providing the exercise apparatus of claim 1;
- inserting the ends of the lifting bar within the pair of the adjustment holes of the support members such that the support members of the first and second frames are parallel to each other and the gripping portion of the lifting bar is between the support members;
- retaining the lifting bar within the pair of the adjustment holes with the securing means;
- resting one or more of the weights on the upper surfaces of the bases of the first and second frame so that a corresponding one of the support members is located within each of the slots of the weights; and
- gripping the gripping portion of the lifting bar and lifting the exercise apparatus with the weights thereon.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
- adding or removing one or more of the weights from the exercise apparatus without removing the ends of the lifting bar from the adjustment holes of the support members.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 24, 2019
Publication Date: Dec 24, 2020
Inventor: John Darrell Sullivan (Galien, MI)
Application Number: 16/449,945