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Exercise machine with leverage armRelated Patent Categories: Exercise Devices, Support For Entire Body Of User (e.g., Bench, Slant Board, Etc.)Exercise machine with leverage arm description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060205576, Exercise machine with leverage arm. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/233,036, filed 3 Sep. 2002. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention pertains to exercise machines, and more particularly to apparatus that produces different loads during concentric and eccentric muscle functions of an exercising person. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] The physiology of human muscles enables them to function in three different ways. The first is a positive or concentric function in which the muscles contract under a load that is less than the muscle strength. The second way is a static or isometric function in which the muscle attempts to contract against a load that is greater than the muscle strength. The third muscle function is a negative or eccentric function in which an external load is large enough to overcome the muscle strength and force the muscle to elongate in spite of an attempt by the person to contract the muscle. [0006] It is well known that muscles perform much more efficiently during eccentric functions than during concentric or isometric functions. The same muscle can exert a greater force during eccentric functions than it can during either concentric or isometric functions. In addition, the energy expended, and the associated electrical activities or pulses of the muscle nervous system, are greater during concentric and isometric functions compared to eccentric functions when overcoming the same load. [0007] Various types of equipment have been developed to assist persons exercise their muscles. The equipment ranges from simple hand-held barbells to complicated and expensive hydraulically controlled machines. Many machines are very specialized in that they are designed to exercise only one or a very limited set of muscles. [0008] With only very few exceptions, prior exercise machines have not taken advantage of the muscle physiology related to the differences in efficiency between concentric and eccentric functions. Almost all known prior machines impose a single load that the person must overcome during both concentric and eccentric muscle functions. A few prior exercise machines were capable of imposing different loads for concentric and eccentric muscle functions, but those machines invariably included very expensive and complicated hydraulic systems. [0009] Examples of prior mechanical exercise machines are plentiful. The Powertec Direct Company of Milford, Pa., markets a wide variety of equipment for exercising many of the body's muscles such as legs, back, chest, thigh, and arms. The Hammer Strength Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Promaxima Manufacturing Limited of Houston, Tex., also market respective lines of mechanical exercising equipment. [0010] Many of the commercially available exercise machines utilize one or more pivoting beams. One end of the beam is pivoted to a frame. The beam supports one or more weights. The exercising person oscillates the beam and weights by alternately performing concentric and eccentric functions by the appropriate muscles. The beam and weight design of prior equipment imposes the same load for both the concentric and eccentric muscle functions. [0011] A typical example of prior equipment is the bench press, such as is marketed by the Powertec Direct Company. Somewhat similar equipment is shown in PCT patent WO89/01805. Other examples of beam and weight type exercising machines may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,050,873; 5,066,003; 5,125,881; 5,135,449; 5,135,456; 5,171,198; 5,180,354; 5,181,896; 5,273,504; 5,273,505; and Des 321,391. No machine of the foregoing patents gives any indication that different loads should be overcome by the person during concentric and eccentric functions of his muscles. [0012] U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,155 shows equipment that takes into account the inherent ability of human muscles to perform differently during concentric and eccentric functions. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,155 shows a harness that is worn by an exercising person. A spotter operates a rope that is tied to the harness through a block and tackle in order to assist the person to raise weights during concentric muscle functions. During the eccentric muscle functions, the spotter allows an increased load to be imposed on the exercising person. [0013] Despite the widespread availability of numerous different kinds of exercise machines, further improvements to them are desirable. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0014] In accordance with the present invention, an exercise machine having a leverage arm is provided that greatly increases the efficiency of muscle development. This is accomplished by using the leverage arm to change the load a person must overcome during concentric and eccentric muscle functions. [0015] The exercise machine is comprised of a frame that rests on a floor. A leverage arm is pivotally connected to the frame. The leverage arm includes a force station that pivots with the leverage arm relative to the frame. A support for a person is attached to the frame. The support and the force station are located relative to each other to enable a person to exercise a particular set of muscles. The force station is at a first distance that is as close as practical to the pivotal connection of the leverage arm to the frame. A spotter end of the leverage arm is at a second distance from the pivotal connection. Preferably, the ratio of the second distance to the first distance is approximately four to one. Depending on the particular muscles that are to be exercised, the force station may be on the same side or on the opposite side of the pivotal connection as the leverage arm spotter end. The leverage arm has weight bars for holding first weights. The weight bars may, but need not be, at the leverage arm spotter end. [0016] According to one aspect of the invention, there is an adjuster on the leverage arm. The adjuster holds the leverage arm spotter end off the floor. The adjuster is adjustable on the leverage arm so as to vary the location of the force station relative to the support. [0017] In use, an exercising person places desired first weights on the weight bars. A spotter stands adjacent the leverage arm spotter end. The person places himself in the appropriate way on the machine support. He contacts the force station with the appropriate part of his body. He exerts the appropriate muscles in a concentric function to overcome the gravitational load of the first weights and pivot the leverage arm upwardly. [0018] At the end of the concentric muscle function, the spotter applies a small force on the spotter end of the leverage arm. The small force may be a small weight applied to the leverage arm. Alternately, the spotter may put downwardly on the leverage arm with his hands. The small force acts through the second distance between the leverage arm spotter end and the pivotal connection of the leverage arm with the frame to create a torque. Since the second distance is greater than the first distance between the force station and the pivotal connection of the leverage arm to the frame, a resultant load equal to the small applied force times the ratio of the second distance to the first distance is imposed at the force station. During the eccentric muscle function, therefore, the person exerts a force that resists the sum of the gravitational load of the first weights plus the resultant load of the small applied force. At the end of the eccentric muscle function, the spotter removes the small force from the leverage arm. The exercising person then repeats the concentric muscle function, again overcoming only the gravitational load produced by the first weights, and the cycle repeats. In that manner, the person makes maximum use of his different muscle abilities to overcome different loads during concentric and eccentric functions. [0019] The weight of the leverage arm adds to the gravitational load of the first weights that the exercising person must overcome during concentric muscle functions and resist during eccentric muscle functions. In some instances, it may desirable to negate the weight of the leverage arm such that the person must exert muscle functions involving only the first weights and the small applied force. In those situations, the exercise machine of the invention is designed with a counterweight arm on the opposite side of the pivotal connection with the frame as the leverage arm. Counterweights are added to the counterweight arm such that a torque created about the pivotal connection between the counterweight arm and the frame by the counterweights equals [he torque created by the weight. of the leverage arm. [0020] It is an important feature of the invention that it is adaptable to exercising any of a wide variety of muscles. In one embodiment the exercise machine is in the form of a bench press. Other embodiments are especially useful to enable a person to perform squat, leg extension, leg curl, leg press, and other well-known exercises. The different embodiments of the invention have the same basic frame and leverage arm. Only the support and the force station vary to suit the particular exercise to be performed. In each type of exercise machine, the same laws of physics are used by the leverage arm and small force applied to it by a spotter at the end of each concentric muscle function. As a result, maximum efficiency is attained for the particular muscle that is exercised on the machine. [0021] The method and apparatus of the invention, using a leverage arm that produces a magnified load at a force station of a small force selectively applied to the leverage arm, thus greatly increases the efficiency of exercise workouts. The full ability of the exercising person to resist a greater load during eccentric muscle functions than he overcomes during concentric functions is realized, even though the spotter need apply only a small force. Continue reading about Exercise machine with leverage arm... Full patent description for Exercise machine with leverage arm Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Exercise machine with leverage arm patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Exercise machine with leverage arm or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Exercise apparatus Next Patent Application: Fixing roller Industry Class: Exercise devices ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Exercise machine with leverage arm patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.1279 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Tyco , Unilever , Warner-lambert , 3m 174 |
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