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Body posture and physical fitness exercise device

Body posture and physical fitness exercise device description/claims

“Not Applicable”

“Not Applicable”

“Not Applicable”

The invention relates to an exercise device, in particular to an exercise device suitable for correct development of the abdominal, arm, back, neck and leg muscles, i.e. for improvement of body posture and so for the prevention and/or remedy of neck and/or back pain or for other such conditions. The exercises executed using the invention can also improve physical fitness and reduce the user's excessive weight and esthetically improve the user's body shape, particularly the legs.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,924 issued to Summers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,945 issued to Papp and U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,291 issued to Fisher bare some similarity to the instant invention in using a foot support and resilient means, however designed for different purpose. The instant invention is based on my copyright issued in Canada on Sep. 9, 1982 with the File No. 228294 entitled Special exercise program for the strengthening and/or stretching of the postural muscles in order to prevent mechanical low back disorders or to enhence their treatment. The instant invention is further improvement of my U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,412 and Canadian Patent No. 1 208 092. While the previous patent requires a thorough theoretical and practical instruction before its successful use and full concentration of a user during the exercise, the new patent is easier and more interesting to use, since the leg action is safely guided by the foot rest board with the pulley system and by the guiding cords which are attached at the front and rear of the body support platform.

In a variation of the instant invention, the legs are stationary while the body with its support platform move.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,172 issued to Gawlinski, U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,246 issued to Sencil, U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,930 issued to Yen-Fu Kuo, U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,241 B1 issued to Ellis, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,938 B1 issued to Tomabene, U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,158 issued to Gianelli et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,721 B1 issued to Hunter and U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,185 B1 issued to Young-Baek Hur represent various chair like exercise devices similar to the instant invention in which a user carries out the exercises in a sitting position. The devices also have a back support and foot rest. The back support is either stationary or can pivot at its bottom end. The instant invention differs from prior art in that the whole specifically shaped seat can swing back and forth permitted by the axis of rotation being located at the top end of the back support. The back and forth movement of the seat generated by the arm and/or leg extension and counteraction of the torso is necessary for the body posture correcting and back pain remedying exercise. The prior art does not serve this purpose.

Various chairs also have been proposed for sitting and resting, however, none were designed for the purpose of effective postural exercise. (Some of those chairs may even aggravate the condition in people suffering from back pain.) The instant invention is a further improvement of my U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,187. In the previous invention, the stationary torso was suspended and supported only by the arms while the legs and feet were moving and pushing against the resilient footrest causing its arcuate movement. The exercise and even the resting position between the repetitions were very demanding, energy consuming and uncomfortable. In the new invention, the head, back and even the buttocks are fully supported and move along with the chair back and forth being propelled by the extending arms and/or legs with stationary feet on the movable or stationary foot rest board. In addition, the invention can serve the user not only for the further improved, more interesting and comfortable body posture exercise but also for healthy sifting and resting. It is not only a back exerciser but also a useful and appealing piece of furniture.

In recent years, more attention has been paid to problems of lower back pain caused by incorrect body posture. The instant invention seeks to provide an exercise device suitable for a user with lower back pain or other such conditions. Concurrently, the invention is also a useful furniture item for sitting and resting. Other members of the user's family may just be encouraged to use the device for both its purposes.

The instant invention offers an improvement over the prior art as more fully described hereinafter. There is provided an exercise device able to entirely support a user by the trunk and feet, consisting of a body support platform and footrest board guided by two cords attached at the font and rear of the body support platform and of the pulley system. The upholstered body support platform is made of rigid but still adequately flexible material such as plywood, fiberglass or plastic material, which is supported along its font and rear end by approximately four inches high legs.

The body support platform is equipped with two long cords; two short shock cords or with other equivalent elastic material and with approximately two feet long foot rest board with two pulleys.

The shock cords originate at the front of the body support platform, and then they attach to the guiding cords, which are connected through two pulleys to the footrest board and end up connected to the chains. The chains are attached through the hooks to the rear part of the body support platform.

The instant invention permits the following exercise: The user sits on the front edge of the body support platform and lies back down. Then reaches with the hands backwards, grips the footrest board and slides it forward on the cords (using the pulleys) above the body. Then, the user raises the legs flexed at the hips, knees and ankles and places the feet on the footrest board. After lowering the arms and placing them along the body, the user is in the initial position to start the exercise.

The exercise starts with a slow partial leg extension along with intensive pressure of the feet against the footrest board and continues for four seconds further extending legs backward (towards the head). Then, this optimal back position is maintained a few seconds before the relaxed legs are slowly flexed and brought forward again to the initial position. After a short rest, this exercise is repeated.

The leg extension, simultaneously as a reaction, forces the rest of the body to resist the leg action. Therefore, also the neck, upper back, lower back, abdomen and buttocks are exposed to a beneficial postural exercise, in which all involved muscles are being strengthened, and the neck and lower back muscles, in addition, suitably stretched or lengthened. The nature of the exercise (raising legs against a resistance) resembles the exercise carried out on the device called the Ab revolutionizer designed exclusively for development of abdominal muscles, for weight reduction and improved esthetic appearance of the body. The instant invention, in addition, can develop the user's physical fitness, arms, legs, and so give the limbs an esthetically appealing shape as well. During the exercise, the partly flexible body support platform further flexes or collapses under the increased pressure of the body and the shock cords partially extend, give, thus providing the body action with a necessary larger range of motion. The nature of this exercise (body position and angle of the force application) maintains or even increases the flexion of the pelvis and lower back, which even further stretches the lower back muscles.

In the instant invention, the whole exercise including the leg position and range of the whole body motion between the initial, forward and the end, backward position is controlled and guided by the guiding cords and their interaction between the footrest board and its pulleys.

The instant invention can also be equipped with two exercise devices designed for the development of the arm muscles, particularly the biceps, wrist flexors and triceps.

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