WO2023218114A1

WO2023218114A1 - Foldable multifunctional training equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2023218114A1
Application number: PCT/ES2023/070305
Authority: WO
Inventors: Francisco Javier Marín Alcalá
Original assignee: Marin Alcala Francisco Javier
Priority date: 2022-05-12
Filing date: 2023-05-12
Publication date: 2023-11-16
Also published as: ES1294339Y; ES1294339U

Abstract

An item of foldable multifunctional training equipment characterised in that it comprises: a foldable power cage (100); lower body training means (200); means for positioning a guided bar (300); at least two parallel towers of guided weights (400); and power transmission means (500) comprising a plurality of pulleys (501 to 505) and steel cables (507) that enable the folding of the equipment; wherein, the foldable power cage (100) is the main structure of the lower body training means (200), as well as the means for positioning a guided bar (300), using the weights arranged in the parallel towers of guided weights (400); and wherein, furthermore, the lower body training means (200) and the guided bar (300) are connected by the power transmission means (500) to the towers of guided weights (400).

Description

DESCRIPTION

FOLDABLE MULTIFUNCTIONAL TRAINING EQUIPMENT

Technical field

It is an object of the present invention to provide a solution to athletes, whether professional or amateur, who live in the city or in apartments of a few square meters and want to have a bodybuilding equipment at home, offering them a more complete and configured bodybuilding equipment. to take up as little space as possible.

State of the art

In the current state of the art, there are different bodybuilding equipment for home use, but they are not designed for use in small spaces, and those that are, do not meet the minimum requirements for progressive muscle development, lacking important elements, such as, for example, the lack of more weights to increase the load, or specific exercises important for the muscular development of the lower body, such as a 45° press, quadriceps extensions and lying femoral curls. Therefore, to train the lower body at home, for a bodybuilder, the current domestic machines are insufficient, limiting their training to private gyms.

More specifically, the following exercises are important to work the lower body, and currently, it is not possible to perform them with a home use machine.

Thus, for example, the 45° leg press is an essential element for any gym, since it involves practically all the muscles of the legs, focusing more on the quadriceps and calves, which is why a high volume of load (i.e. greater weight to lift). The main drawbacks why these presses are not used for domestic use are:

In the case of multifunctional home equipment, press tools or accessories that are reliable and have enough load for professional training (which requires heavy weight loads) are not included.

The cost and volume of an independent leg press equipment is high (a minimum cost of 1,000 EUR) and measures approximately 200 cm - 250cm long, 140cm - 150cm high; and 70 cm - 190 cm wide, which makes it unviable in many homes.

It is necessary to have many weighted discs stored (between 400 kg and 600 kg maximum load for a professional team). It is true that there is leg press equipment with a tower of guided weights, where it is not necessary to carry the discs, but they tend to increase their price and reduce their maximum load, since it is a system that works by stretching the weights using a cable. steel and some pulleys.

Another essential leg exercise is leg extensions, as it allows you to work the quadriceps, which is the most powerful and voluminous muscle in the leg, occupying almost a third of its volume. The drawbacks to home training are:

Multifunctional home equipment lacks sufficient load (weight) for professional quadriceps training.

They are uncomfortable, as the backrest seat is not adjustable and the measurements are (often) insufficient to work comfortably.

The cost and volume of professional equipment for leg extensions is also too high to have one at home exclusively for this exercise.

In the lying femoral curl, the femoral muscles of the legs are trained, which are the muscles at the back of the legs, also called hamstrings. The problems for which the femoral leg training cannot be performed lying down are:

In the multifunctional equipment that exists on the market, the femoral curl is usually worked standing up, using the leg extension tool, but it is more uncomfortable and complicated to work on.

There are benches for femoral curls and leg extensions to which weight plates are added as a load, but there is the same drawback, that is, little weight for the extensions, many plates to store, impractical and uncomfortable, as they are measurement benches. insufficient.

Again, as with the rest of the exercises described above, having professional equipment to train the femoral muscle of the leg lying down is expensive and takes up excessive volume for a single exercise. The power rack or cage is a tool that allows you to perform a variety of strength and power exercises, allowing you to lift very heavy loads safely. It is a great help, both for developing muscles and simply toning. The drawbacks of these machines for use in a home environment are:

The main problem is the volume it occupies, which is unviable for most homes. To avoid this problem, folding power cages are known. However, these devices lack the structure to expand with more accessories and remain foldable, so their volume also increases with each accessory added to the equipment. Furthermore, folding systems do not allow for convenient training of all muscle groups, so they are limited only to the specific exercises that each accessory allows, in addition to those of the folding equipment, such as the pull-up bar and exercises with a bar used as a support. this structure.

These types of machines are usually used to do pull-ups and squats, among other exercises, as well as to support a bar (which can optionally be Olympic), with weight plates for different exercises. Its use is limited only to those exercises, unless the equipment is complemented with other tools or accessories such as rings, climbing ropes, bars to do triceps dips, a bench to do pectorals, a pulley system with weight plates guided for loading exercises, among others. In this case, the problem is that you increase its volume more and more with each accessory, while the product becomes more expensive. Many weight plates are also stocked, as there are a variety of exercises that require using this type of load.

In short, the existing bodybuilding equipment on the market for general training of the entire muscles (multifunctional equipment) is not effective or sufficient for lower body bodybuilding work. To solve these deficiencies, a strong economic investment is currently required, with the use of independent equipment that takes up a high volume, which prevents its use in domestic environments, particularly in private homes in large cities.

Therefore, a unique piece of equipment is necessary that allows complete training and with sufficient load on the lower body, so that it can be used by bodybuilders and/or athletes. professionals in a domestic environment, for which it is necessary that it takes up as little space as possible.

Explanation of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a foldable multifunctional training equipment that allows reducing the volume occupied by a multifunctional bodybuilding equipment, while at the same time supplementing it with a foldable equipment configured to perform the exercises most used in train training. lower, increasing the load with the weights corresponding to this type of exercises. It is another object of the invention that the foldable multifunctional training equipment can be closed in a drawer or closet, so that it is stored as if it were any piece of furniture. These objects are achieved with the equipment of claim 1. Particular and/or preferred solutions of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

More specifically, the equipment of the invention comprises a folding power cage, configured to add a system of pulleys and guided weight towers as a load, designed to fold the entire assembly in the smallest possible space, to which is added a removable tool for a guided bar and a second folding set for leg training that includes: a bench and an adjustable position seat; a 45° leg press; a piece of equipment configured to train quadñceps extensions; and equipment configured to train the lying hamstring curl.

Thanks to the equipment of the invention, a multifunctional training equipment different from those described in the state of the art is obtained, more complete and in less space. It is, therefore, a more versatile piece of equipment, since it allows all muscle groups to be exercised in small spaces, facilitating access to those athletes who, because they live in cities or small homes, do not have enough space for a complete gym. In the home.

Throughout the description and claims, the word "comprises" and its variants are not intended to exclude other technical characteristics, additives, components or steps. For those skilled in the art, other objects, advantages and features of the invention will emerge partly from the invention and partly from the practice of the invention. The following examples and drawings are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to restrict the present invention. Furthermore, the invention covers all possible combinations of particular and preferred embodiments indicated herein.

Brief description of the drawings

Next, a series of drawings that help to better understand the invention and that are expressly related to an embodiment of said invention, which is illustrated as a non-limiting example of it, are briefly described.

Figure 1 shows a view of the foldable multifunctional training equipment according to the present invention. Figure 1.1 shows the equipment of the invention in a folded position, with the cabinet doors open. Figure 1.2 shows the equipment of the invention folded inside a closed cabinet.

Figure 2 shows an isolated view of the main structure of the training equipment of the invention, that is, the folding power cage (100).

Figure 3 shows in detail the locking system of the hinges (103) that facilitate the folding of the power cage (100).

Figure 4 shows in detail the lower body training means (200).

Figure 5 shows the structure of the bench and the adjustable seat that are formed by the lower body training means (200) of Figure 4.

Figure 6 shows the configuration of the lower body training means (200) to perform the leg press exercise at 45°.

Figure 7 shows the configuration of the lower body training means (200) for use in leg extensions.

Figure 8 shows the configuration of the lower body training means (200) to perform the lying femoral curl exercise.

Figure 9 shows in detail the means for positioning a guided bar (300).

Figure 10 shows in detail the distribution of the power transmission means (500).

Detailed explanation of an embodiment of the invention

The training equipment according to the present invention is shown in Figure 1. This figure identifies the main parts, technical means or assemblies that make up the equipment of the invention. The training equipment comprises, at least: a folding power cage (100); lower body training means (200) that are foldable and transformable to perform the leg press exercise at 45° (figure 6), leg extensions (figure 7) and/or lying femoral curl (figure 8); means for positioning a guided bar (300); at least two parallel guided weight towers (400); and power transmission means (500) composed of a plurality of pulleys and steel cables -preferably- and which are configured to enable the folding of the training equipment and which, in turn, comprises, at least: two adjustable pulleys in height (501,502); and two lower central pulleys (503, 504); in such a way that the folding power cage (100) is configured as the main structure of the lower body training means (200), as well as the means for positioning a guided bar (300), using the weights arranged in the parallel towers of guided weights (400) to configure the load of each exercise; and where, in addition, the lower body training means (200) and the guided bar (300) are connected by the power transmission means (500) to the guided weight towers (400).

Thanks to this structure, the different parts that make up the entire training equipment of the invention do not interfere with each other, also facilitating the performance of the different training exercises. Likewise, said training means (200) and the guided bar (300) can be used independently.

Figure 2 shows an isolated view of the main structure of the training equipment, that is, the folding power cage (100), whose main characteristic that the cage structure must have is that its folding must not interfere with the other elements. that the machine incorporates, that is, the means for training the lower body (200), the means for positioning the guided bar (300); the guided weight towers (400) and the power transmission means (500). To this end, the structure of the folding power cage (100), in turn, comprises: a first arm (101) and a second arm (102) located respectively on the left and right, made up of bars with a ""L", said arms (101,102) being foldable by means of a plurality of hinges (103) provided with locking means (as shown in detail in Figure 3), and the arms (101,102) also being configured to support the means for positioning the guided bar (300) and the power transmission means (500), for which said arms are provided with an iron or square, chrome-plated or stainless steel profile with holes that will allow placement at height of the aforementioned media; and a first central beam (104) and a second central beam (105) which are a "II" shaped profile configured to fix and/or anchor the lower body training means (200), as well as a guide for the wheels in the deployment of the means of the lower body (200).

Figure 3 shows in detail the locking system of the hinges (103) that facilitate the folding of the power cage (100). The arms (101,102), in addition to their "L" profile, are designed with greater clearance and locking projections (106) configured to block the opening and closing movement of the arms (101,102) of the cage ( 100) at different angles.

Thanks to this arrangement, the arms (101, 102) can be opened more or less depending on the exercise that you want to practice at that moment. In fact, to open or close the arms (101, 102) you would only have to lift said arms (101, 102), while folding or unfolding them, and then letting them fall downward so that they fit into the locking projections ( 106) and are retained in their position. Finally, with a clamping nut or pin (a retainer, 107) the locking position is secured at the chosen angle of the power cage (100).

In a particular embodiment, the arm locking system (101, 102) will be made up of a simple pin, the presence of the locking projections (106) not being required.

The lower body training means (200) are shown in Figure 4.

The lower body training means (200) are configured as a folding seat or bench (figure 5) with which three of the most important exercises can be done to work the leg muscles, making said bench unfold in three different equipment taking up as little space as possible and being able to carry it with weight with the towers (400).

Furthermore, to work the lower body you need robust and strong equipment that can withstand a lot of weight, so its integration is not obvious in a single folding equipment. More specifically, the lower body training means (200) comprise, at least: some guides (201), preferably two, in the shape of a "U", with deployable legs and with wheels and/or bearings, where the guides ( 201) are configured as the structure support of the lower body training means (200); a guided carriage (202) and mobile between the guides (201) thanks to a plurality of wheels and/or bearings; a base (203) for press, foldable and foldable, where said base (203) is configured as a seat on one of its faces and is divisible into two parts to perform the lying femoral curl exercise (better described in Figure 8); a seat backrest (204) removable and adjustable in inclination; a first tool (205) configured to train the quadriceps and femoral muscles, this first tool (205) being independent of the structure of the lower body training means (200) and positionable depending on the exercise to be performed; and a second tool (206) independent and fixable on the guided carriage (202) and is configured to increase the load of the press when the leg press exercise is performed at 45° (see detail in figure 6) with weight plates. external.

The structure of the bench and the adjustable seat are shown in figure 5.

The first function that is available only by deploying the lower body training means (200) in its use as a bench and/or adjustable seat, since without deploying any other element, a bench is obtained with a padded upholstery to perform various types of exercises such as, for example, and not limited to, the lying bench press, the seated shoulder press, among others, for which a rod (207) configured to support the backrest (204) is available. at the appropriate angle with respect to the seat (203).

Figure 6 shows the setup to perform the 45° leg press exercise.

To perform this exercise, the lower face of the base (203) configured as a seat is used and the removable backrest (204) is placed in its corresponding anchor, thereby configuring the typical structure of a 45° leg press. °. Its weight load would be regulated by the towers (400) whose power would be transmitted through the power transmission means (500) and, specifically, through the two lower central pulleys (503,504) and their corresponding transmission cables. Likewise, during the configuration of the structure we have the option of blocking the guided carriage (202) using bars or retaining supports that are activated by levers located on the sides of the "U"-shaped guides (201).

Optionally, it is possible to place the second tool (206) to add weights or loads and increase the load further if necessary. Thanks to the two guided weight towers (400), however, the number of additional weights or loads will always be much less than what would be needed with an independent and specific machine to perform this exercise.

Figure 7 shows the configuration to perform the leg extension exercise.

In this case, the reclining or adjustable seat shown in the configuration of Figure 5 will be used with the support structure of the lower body (201) in its horizontal position, deploying legs, to which only the first tool (205) will be incorporated. ) configured to train the quadriceps and hamstrings, in such a way that it is possible to lift the load configured on the guided weight towers (400) by means of the power transmission means (500) and, specifically, by means of the two lower central pulleys ( 503,504) and their corresponding transmission cables.

Figure 8 shows the setup for performing the lying femoral curl exercise.

As for training the quadriceps, the first tool (205) configured for the femoral curl exercise is also used, completely tipping the bench for practice. The load is configured on the guided weight towers (400) through the power transmission means (500) and, specifically, through the two lower central pulleys (503,504) and their corresponding transmission cables. The particularity in this exercise, as shown in Figure 8, is that the base (203) can be divided into two parts and elevated by its joining area, in such a way that the user can give the necessary inclination to the bench and that It is typical of this type of equipment, for the best use of the load and user comfort.

Figure 9 shows the positioning means of a guided bar (300).

In the state of the art, guided bar equipment has the bar fixed and attached to two bearing guides on each side. This structure poses a problem, since with a fixed crossbar it would be impossible to fold the equipment, so it would have to be dispensed with, which is not desirable.

Therefore, to provide the equipment with a guided bar without losing the folding capacity of the entire equipment, it has been necessary to design an accessory (the positioning means (300), located on the arms (101, 102) of the cage (100)) that allows the guided bar to be placed and removed, in such a way that it is possible to fold the equipment and, in addition, to be able to use the loose bar for other exercises , either as an Olympic bar or a non-Olympic straight bar.

The positioning means of a guided bar (300) comprise: a clamp (301) with bearings configured for different profile measurements; and a latch (302) configured to catch or anchor the guided bar.

In a particular embodiment, the positioning means (300) will be materialized by nylon sheets inside that will act as a sliding element.

Figure 10 shows the power transmission means (500).

The power transmission means (500) are composed of a plurality of pulleys (501 to 505) and cables, preferably made of steel, which allow the structure of the equipment, that is, the power cage (100) to be folded. For this, it has been necessary to solve the following technical problems: a) The steel cables do not allow the structure of the equipment to be folded and unfolded. When folding and unfolding movements are carried out, the cables are tensioned and released, coming out of the guides and pulleys, not allowing the structure to be closed. b) Being a small piece of equipment, there is little space available to place the pulleys and stretching points (the points through which the power of the exercise is transmitted to the weights) without getting in the way or interfering with the other elements of the equipment. set.

To solve these drawbacks, the power transmission means (500) have been designed in such a way that the transmission cables are passed through a conduit (506) located in the opening axis of the arms (101,102) of the cage. of power (100) by adding a double pulley (505), so that the combination between the conduit and the double pulley allows the arms (101, 102) to be folded without releasing the tension of the transmission cables (507). This configuration also allows the other elements not to be hindered and increases the stretching points necessary for working with the equipment of the invention, although the available space is very small.

Claims

1. A foldable multifunctional training equipment characterized in that it comprises: a foldable power cage (100); lower body training means (200) that are foldable and transformable for performing the 45° leg press exercise, leg extensions and/or lying femoral curl; means for positioning a guided bar (300); at least two parallel guided weight towers (400); and power transmission means (500) composed of a plurality of pulleys (501 to 505) and steel cables (507) and which are configured to enable the folding of the training equipment; in such a way that the folding power cage (100) is configured as the main structure of the lower body training means (200), as well as the means for positioning a guided bar (300), using the weights arranged in the parallel towers of guided weights (400) to configure the load of each exercise; and where, in addition, the lower body training means (200) and the guided bar (300) are connected by the power transmission means (500) to the guided weight towers (400).

2. The training equipment of claim 1 wherein the power transmission means comprise at least two height-adjustable pulleys (501,502); and at least two lower central pulleys (503, 504).

3. The training equipment of claim 1 or 2 wherein the structure of the foldable power cage (100), in turn, comprises: a first arm (101) and a second arm (102) located respectively on the left and right made up of bars with an "L"-shaped profile, said arms (101,102) being foldable by means of a plurality of hinges (103) provided with locking means, and the arms (101,102) also being configured to support the means for positioning the guided bar (300) and the power transmission means (500), for which said arms are provided with an iron or square, chrome or stainless steel profile with holes that will allow the height placement of the mentioned media; and a first central beam (104) and a second central beam (105) which are a profile in the form of "II" configured to fix and/or anchor the lower body training means (200), as well as to guide the wheels in the deployment of said lower body means (200).

4. The equipment according to claim 3 wherein the hinge locking means (103) comprise locking projections (106) and retainers (107) configured to ensure the locking position of the arms (101,102). with a certain opening angle.

5. The equipment according to claim 3 wherein the hinge locking means (103) comprise a pin.

6. The equipment according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the lower body training means (200) comprise, at least: some guides (201), preferably two, in the shape of "II", with deployable legs and with wheels and/or bearings, where the guides (201) are configured as the support structure of the lower body training means (200); a guided carriage (202) and mobile between the guides (201) thanks to a plurality of wheels and/or bearings; a base (203) for press, foldable and foldable, where said base (203) is configured as a seat on one of its faces and is divisible into two parts to perform the lying femoral curl exercise; a seat backrest (204) removable and adjustable in inclination; a first tool (205) configured to train the quadriceps and femoral muscles, this first tool (205) being independent of the structure of the lower body training means (200) and positionable depending on the exercise to be performed; and a second tool (206) independent and fixable on the guided carriage (202) and is configured to increase the load of the press when performing the 45° leg press exercise with external weight plates.

7. The equipment according to any one of the preceding claims where the means for positioning a guided bar (300) comprise: a clamp (301) with bearings configured for different profile measurements; and a latch (302) configured to catch or anchor the guided bar.

8. The equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the Positioning means for a guided bar (300) comprise: a clamp (301) that houses nylon sheets inside, as a sliding element; and a latch (302) configured to catch or anchor the guided bar.

9. The equipment according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the power transmission means (500) are configured so that the transmission cables are introduced through a conduit (506) located on the opening axis of the arms (101). ,102) of the power cage (100) adding a double pulley (505), so that the combination between the conduit and the double pulley allows the folding of the arms (101,102) without loosening the transmission cables (507 ).