Exercise device simulating a hay bale

The invention pertains to exercise devices and, more particularly, to an exercise device having the approximate weight and shape of a hay bale.

It is well known that persons who work in agricultural pursuits typically stay in good physical condition. One common task undertaken on a farm is the movement of bales of hay. Hay from a bailer must be loaded and/or stacked on a hay wagon or truck for transportation to a barn or other storage facility. At the storage facility, hay bales may be unloaded from the hay wagon or truck and typically placed on a conveyor for elevating the bales up into a hayloft for storage. Bales must be removed from the top of the conveyor, carried to a storage area, and then stacked in the storage area (e.g., hay loft).

Hay bales must eventually be removed from storage, which again involves lifting and carrying the bales. Often, bales must be carried prior to distribution in stalls, pens, cribs, etc. In other words, the lifting and/or carrying of hay bales involves exercise that contributes to the physical condition of the farm workers.

The terms, “hay” and “hay bale,” as used herein include other material, for example, straw. It is also known to bale other material, for example, wood chips for uses such as bedding. Consequently, the terms, “hay” and “hay bale,” are intended to include any and all other materials that may be bailed in a manner similar to well-known hay or straw bails.

Exercise devices intended to help train or condition users thereof are also well known. Static weights such as dumbbells are designed to be grasped in the hand(s) of a user. When raised and lowered or otherwise manipulated, the added weight of the dumbbell(s) help strengthen arm, shoulder, and upper body muscles. Free weights are also popular for bench pressing or other exercises.

Some exercise devices are equipped with handles to facilitate their use. Other devices are adapted such that their weight may readily be adjusted.

Coaches, trainers, and physical education instructors generally realize that group exercise has advantages. Exercises wherein a first person lifts and passes an object to a second person are popular. Such exercises may consist of simply passing an object from person to person in a bucket brigade arrangement. A variation is that a person, after receiving the object, may transport the object and then either deposit the object or return to his or her origin with the object. Bales of hay might readily be used for such exercises but such use tends to be messy. In addition, some exercise participants my be allergic to one or more plants or grasses in the hay bale. Other persons may have a problem with the fine particles often originating from a bale, particularly when the hay is dry.

It is therefore desirable to provide an exercise device having substantially the same size, shape, and weight of a hay bale but without the aforementioned limitations. Handles may be provided to facilitate the movement and/or transferring of the exercise device.

Several exercise devices are found in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,179 for EXERCISING DEVICE, issued Jun. 16, 1987 to Rudolf Pengler, discloses a hollow geometric shape useful for performing gymnastic exercises. Several handle openings are provided on the sides of the device.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 359,778 for ADJUSTABLE DUMBBELL, issued Jun. 27, 1995 to Carl K. Towley, III et al., discloses an ornamental design for a dumbbell that appears to allow adding or removing a weighted section to each end thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,305 for MULTI-PURPOSE EXERCISE DEVICE, issued Feb. 10, 1998 to Douglas Spriggs Selsam, provides a double hollow container fillable with water to control the weight thereof.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 422,654 for ADJUSTABLE DUMBBELL, issued Apr. 11, 2000 to James Chen, discloses an ornamental design for a dumbbell that appears to allow adding or removing weighted section to each end thereof.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,441 for WATER WEIGHT EXERCISE KIT, issued Aug. 8, 2000 to Darrell B. Bonnet, provides a barbell and a dumbbell weight that may be filled with water for use, drained, then folded and stored.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,555 for VARIABLE WEIGHT EXERCISE BAG, issued Nov. 21, 2000 to Steven Robert Kinbeck, discloses a bag into which varying amounts of a “weight bearing material” may be inserted. p U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 544,554 for EXERCISE TUBE, issued Jun. 12, 2007 to Larry Brun, discloses the ornamental design for an elongated, cylindrical tube having handles disposed on an outer surface thereof.

None of the patents and published patent applications, taken singly, or in any combination are seen to teach or suggest the novel exercise device of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an exercise device or block in the general form of a bale of hay or straw. The novel block is a parallelepiped having three handles disposed along the major axis of one of its major surfaces. A pattern of recesses is provided in an opposing major surface to accommodate the handles of a block. The recesses are provided to allow a large number of positional relationships between adjacent blocks.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an exercise block having the approximate shape and weight of a bale of hay.

It is another object of the invention to provide an exercise block having multiple handles disposed along a major axis of a major surface thereof.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide an exercise block having recesses in a major surface opposing the major surface bearing handles to receive one or more handles from an adjacent exercise block.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an exercise block configured to allow stacking exercise blocks in a large number of interlocking arrangements.