Total body strengthening and toning workstation and method of using same

Abstract

A stand-alone exercise apparatus includes a seat to support a user in a position thereon, and upper and lower body exercising assemblies which are configured for activation either sequentially of simultaneously to permit the concurrent exercising movement of his or her upper body area and lower body leg muscles, respectively, without necessitating that the user stop exercising when switching from upper body exercises to lower body exercises. The lower body exercising assembly includes a lower frame assembly which is operable to provide resistance exercise to the user's leg muscles, and which includes a selectively reciprocally movable pedal, platform or bar which is coupled to a suitable resistance mechanism and which is engageable by the user's feet and / or legs as they are moved together in unified movement to effect leg extensions or curls. The upper body exercising assembly includes one or more reciprocally movable frame members, hand pulleys or swing arms coupled to a resistance mechanism, and which are engageable by the user's hands and / or arms. The resistance mechanisms used to provide the selected resistance to the upper and lower exercising assemblies are operable independently from each other, and enable the user to select the degree of resistance to each of the upper and lower body exercising assemblies separately.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 630,208, filed Nov. 24, 2004, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(e).SCOPE OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus for providing a toning exercise movement, and more particularly an exercise apparatus which is operable by a user to simultaneously achieve toning exercise of the user's arms, legs and abdominal muscles, while the user's feet are moved in unified movement to effect either leg extensions and / or leg curls. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The use of weight stacks as adjustable resistance mechanisms in health club exercise machines is well known. Typically, weight stacks consist of a number of 2 to 10 kg steel plates which are slidably mounted so as to be selectively raised and lowered within a support frame. A release pin is used to couple a selected number of weight plates to a lift rod, which in turn is connected by a cab...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an exercise machine and method of its use, which includes separately actuable upper and lower pulleys, pedals, movable frames or arm members, or the like (hereinafter generally referred to as exercising assemblies) which when simultaneously engaged by the user's legs and arms in exercising movement, concurrently exercise the user's upper and lower body muscles, and more preferably, his or her core abdominal muscles, to provide the user with more efficient full body exercise, enabling a fuller body toning workout within a comparably limited time.

[0013] The resistance mechanism used to provide the desired degree of resistance to the upper and lower exercising assemblies are most preferably operable independently from each other, and enable the user to select the degree of resistance to each of the upper and lower body exercising assemblies separately. With this construction, the desired degree of resistance for leg exercises may be pre-selected by the user, independently from the resistance to be used for toning upper body exercise. This furthermore advantageously allows the user to operate the upper and lower body exercising assemblies both simultaneously to effect the concurrent resistance exercise of his or her arm and leg muscle groups or alternately sequentially or independently to provide a more varied workout.

[0014] Suitable resistance mechanisms to be used with the present invention include arrays of one or more resiliently bendable rods, resiliently deformable elastomeric bands, weight stacks, or other such suitable devices, and which would be suitable to permit either the alternating sequential and / or simultaneous exercising of upper and lower body muscle groups, including without restriction, the user's leg, back, abdominal and / or arm muscles. In a simplified construction, the apparatus incorporates a weight stack assembly as a resistance mechanism which includes a number of vertically displaceable metal plates. The weight stack assembly is coupled to both the lower body exercising assembly and the upper body exercising assembly, such that different groupings of weight plates may be pre-selected by the user for upper and lower body exercise. Following the selection of the desired amount of resistance, the upper and lower frame assemblies are concurrently or sequentially actuated, to raise and lower the selected plates as the user performs arm and leg exercises. In one possible embodiment, the weight stack assembly may include at least two independently operable weight stacks which operate by way of lift rods, and which are each independently coupled by a respective cable / pulley assembly to the upper body exercising assembly and the lower body exercising assembly, provide the user-selected desired degree of resistance. This construction advantageously enables the user to quickly and easily lift different combinations of weight plates in the simultaneous exercising of different muscle groups, without requiring the repositioning of weight stack release pins interrupting the flow of repetitions during a set or between sets.

[0016] The applicant has appreciated that concurrent resistance exercise of both upper arm and lower leg muscle groups advantageously also effects toning exercise of the user's bridging abdominal muscles. Abdominal muscle exercises are furthermore enhanced and optimized when the lower body leg muscles are exercised by effecting leg extensions or leg presses, with the user's legs moved together in unified movement.

[0017] The applicant has appreciated that the invention is operable to provide toning exercise, as contrasted with isolation weight training exercise which is used primarily to increase muscular bulk. In this regard, the individual weight stacks used to provide resistance may be made comparatively lighter than those found on conventional exercise machines adapted to achieve isolated muscle exercise. Most preferably, the weight stack assembly is configured to provide a greater weight resistance to the lower body exercising assembly which is actuable by the user's legs, than compared with the weight resistance provided to the upper body exercising assembly used to provide arm exercise. In a preferred embodiment, the individual weight stack used to provide resistance to a lower frame assembly may be selected to provide a range of resistance forces of less than about 300 lbs, preferably less than about 250 lbs, and more preferably less than about 200 lbs. Similarly, the weight stack used to provide resistance to the upper body exercising assembly for upper body exercise, may be made comparatively smaller and provide a preferred maximum resistance force of less than about 250 lbs, and more preferably about less than a maximum of 150 lbs. The comparatively smaller weight stacks of the present invention furthermore advantageously enable the exercise apparatus to be made lighter as a stand-alone machine and smaller than conventional isolation exercising equipment, thereby providing the apparatus with an overall smaller footprint, and minimizing the square footage operational cost to health club purchasers.

[0019] Most preferably, simultaneously with the movement of the lower body exercising frame, the upper body exercising apparatus is actuated. The upper body frame member or pulleys are reciprocally moved by the user's arms and / or hands against the resistance forces of the second weight stack between a first rest position and a second biased position spaced therefrom. As the respective lower frame and upper body frames are used simultaneously to exercise the user's arms and legs, the simultaneous operation of the upper and lower frames enables the user to undertake a more full body toning workout. The concurrent activation of the upper and lower body frame members achieves exercise of not only the user's arm and leg muscles in isolation, but also the user's bridging abdominal and back muscles. As such, the present invention advantageously may be used with lower weight levels than compared to conventional strength training equipment, reducing the risk of injury and permitting a greater number of repetitions that provide muscle toning, without rapidly adding muscular bulk.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional commercial exercise machines suffer a disadvantage in that typically, they are configured to work only a single specific set of muscles in isolation, with a view to developing strength and building muscle tissue bulk in the specific muscle group.

The exercising of single muscle groups by such equipment, while beneficial to individuals who wish to add muscular bulk in strength training exercises, is less desirable to users who wish to achieve overall improved muscle toning within a limited time.

In addition, conventional exercise equipment does not lend itself to the benefits of fuller body exercises, which encourage muscle coordination and the development of core muscles, such as abdominal muscles, and better replicate everyday life or sport.

In addition, performing repetitions on one body part on one muscle group for an extended time can be fairly monotonous, and typically no opportunities exist to easily “mix up” exercises that involve upper body and lower body.

In addition to the increased cost and space requirements associated with purchasing a number of different exercise machines, conventional exercise apparatus suffer the disadvantage in that more time is required for users to complete a full exercise regime.

Such machines are most frequently marketed for in-home use, and continue to suffer the disadvantage that they are adapted to provide resistance exercise to only a single muscle group at any one time.

Images