AU2017204107A1 - An exercise device and its method of use - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A press-up exercise device, characterised in that the exercise device has a conical shaped body comprising a base portion having an exterior base surface, the base portion converging to a head portion having a concave recess for housing a substantially spherical object, or the head portion may be bulbous shaped. In both instances, the head portion provide a handgrip for a user of the press-up exercise device. Figure 5A Figure 7

Description

AN EXERCISE DEVICE AND ITS METHOD OF USE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an exercise device and its method of use, and particularly, but not solely, towards a device for conducting press-up exercises.

BACKGROUND ART

Press-ups (also known as push-ups) are widely considered by many to be one of the best forms of exercises to target a set of core muscles in a person's back, stomach, chest and arms. It is also highly popular because of the ease for most people to conduct the exercise in many settings and without extensive equipment or machinery.

However, despite these benefits, the press-up exercise can be difficult or painful for many people who suffer from sore wrists, hands or fingers, or immobility in these joints.

Conditions such as arthritis can be a major problem for users to extend the angle on the wrist, making it difficult to perform a standard press-up (as shown in Figure 1).

At least partially for this reason, a number of press-up devices (such as those shown in Figures 2 and 3 of this specification) with dumb-bell like gripping portions have been developed in order to aid the press-up movement and avoid over extension of the wrists. However, these can also prove difficult to use for arthritic people because of problems with forming a fist, and/or curling the fingers around such an object. Similar issues can arise with performing a standard press-up or using a dumb-bell style grip on press-up device with those that have a general lack of flexibility, sore or immobile joints, being overweight, or being old in age.

Marketing companies also claim such devices can offer new ways to perform a press-up, with improved muscle toning results. Yet, it is unclear if this is the case.

Another disadvantage of the "dumb-bell" style grips of these devices is that the user's weight may be applied at a concentrated position on the bar, so it could cause discomfort or injury during use.

Another problem faced with many of the currently available press-up devices is they are often bulky and heavy, making them difficult to store, transport or use. This defeats one of the major advantages of the press-up exercise - being versatile without the need for bulky or heavy equipment.

Furthermore, often, such devices have mechanical moving parts such as the device in Figure 3 which is configured to swivel. This increases manufacturing costs and/or potential risk of malfunction.

Other products may have problems with not having suitable gripping surfaces, and could slip or topple over during use.

Further still, other devices can be limited substantially in use by their potential press-up style exercise options.

It would also be beneficial to have a press-up device that may also be used for various different activities beyond just press-ups. For instance, Cross-fit and Bootcamp style training sessions may require a variety of different exercise tools. It would be ideal if the press-up device may also be used to fill one or more needs to more easily perform non-push up style exercises.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words "comprise", "comprising", and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense, that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a press-up exercise device, characterised in that the exercise device has a conical shaped body comprising a) a base portion having an exterior base surface, and b) a head portion having a concave recess; wherein the base portion converges to the head portion, and wherein the concave recess in the head portion is adapted to house a substantially spherical object so as to provide a handgrip for a user.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a press-up exercise device, characterised in that the exercise device has a conical shaped body comprising a) a base portion having an exterior base surface, and b) a head portion that is bulbous shaped having a substantially spherical or semi-spherical surface; wherein the base portion converges to the head portion and wherein the head portion is configured to provide a handgrip for a user.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of using the press-up exercise device described herein wherein the method of use includes: a) a user pressing downwards with the palms of his or her hands on the head portion of two exercise devices, and extending the fingers of each hand around a substantially spherical object or a substantially spherical or semi-spherical surface of the head portion; and b) conducting a press-up while maintaining downward pressure on the two exercise devices.

Brief discussion of the invention

The present invention provides an improved device to enable users to perform press-up related exercises. The device allows users with stiff, immobile or sore fingers, hands or wrists to more easily conduct press-ups. The configuration and preferred features of the device address problems with current methods to perform standard press-ups that currently require hyper extension of the wrist close to or beyond 90°. This is not required by the present invention, which allows the wrist to remain at a less angled position.

Compared to other press-up devices on the market, the invention also avoids the need to form a closed grip, which can also be problematic for many users.

Moreover, the substantially spherical object or bulbous shape of the head portion enables a user to curve their fingers around the head portion, providing an ergonomic yet steady grip on the press-up device.

Also, investigation by the inventor suggests that the device helps to extenuate the exercise outcomes, and helps to better target core muscle groups.

Because of its simplicity in configuration and use, the device is advantageous because a user may easily and effectively use it to conduct a wide range of different exercises including different press-up exercises.

Compared to other devices available, the current invention also can be manufactured to be lightweight, to have no mechanical or moving parts by having a unitary conical shaped body, and to be easy to carry and store. The present invention can also be easy to manufacture.

These advantages will be further discussed in the description below.

Definitions and Preferred Embodiments

Throughout the specification the term press-up (or often also called push-up) should be taken as meaning an exercise where a person lies facing the floor, and keeping their back straight, raises their body by pressing down on their hands, as illustrated by Figure 1.

The present invention has been developed primarily to aid, improve or provide a useful alternative to the conventional press-up exercise as illustrated in Figure 1. Flowever, it should not be taken as limiting, as it is possible the device may be used for a wide number of alternative exercise uses, some of which are discussed further below.

The exercise device has a conical shaped body.

This provides a number of advantages including: compressibility of the conical shaped body; a large surface area base to grip a ground surface (especially while under a user's weight), avoid slippage and avoid toppling over of the device in use; the substantially spherical object or bulbous shape of the head portion providing sufficient surface area to rest fingers, or at least fingertips in an extended (non-gripped) configuration, which also helps stabilise one's self, yet without placing undue weight or pressure on the fingers themselves (instead the weight bearing is in the palms of one's hand, whilst the fingers extend around the curvature, and rest on external surface, of the substantially spherical head portion); and with the conical body elevating the position of the head portion, as well as the height provided by the substantially spherical object or bulbous shape of the head portion, it allows the wrist / hand to be oriented in a more natural position without hyper flexing at 90° (as per normal position during press-ups shown in Figure 1).

Preferably, the conical shaped body and /or device is made of a resiliently deformable material. For example only, the resilient deformable material may be foam, silicone, rubber or plastic material. This helps to provide padding, cushioning and compressibility during use. Furthermore, material such as foam, silicone (e.g. silicone elastomer), rubber or plastics helps to maintain low weight, lowers manufacturing and shipping costs, and more easily enables a user to transport and use the device conveniently.

Preferably, the conical shaped body of the present invention contains one or more cut-outs or recesses therein.

Preferably, the conical shaped body of the present invention (excluding the substantially spherical object or bulbous shape of the head portion) has a height or length in the range of about 25 - 70 mm, more preferably about 30 - 60 mm or most preferably about 40 - 60, or even 50 - 60 mm. For example, the height or length of the conical shaped body may be about 35, 39, 42, 47, 50, 53, 55 or 60 mm.

Throughout the specification, the term head portion should be taken as meaning the apex, tip or top area or top section of the conical shaped body.

Preferably, the concave recess in the head portion of the conical shaped body has a maximum depth in the range of about 10 - 30 mm, more preferably about 12 - 25 mm and most preferably about 14 - 20 mm. For example, the conical recess may have a maximum depth of about 12,15,16,18,19 or 22 mm.

The concave recess may have a diameter significantly less than or substantially equal to the width of the head portion of the conical shaped body.

The dimension of the concave recess is such that it may be adapted, depending on the size of the substantially spherical object, so as to securely house the substantially spherical object.

Throughout the specification, the term "substantially spherical" should be taken as meaning a shape or structure that takes at least 60% of the shape or configuration of a sphere, a ball, an orb, a globe or a bulb.

Throughout the specification, the term "exterior base surface", "base surface" or variations thereof should be taken as meaning an outer contacting surface of the conical shaped body opposing the head portion, the surface being substantially circular and having the largest diameter or perimeter in the cone shaped body. The base surface enables the present exercise device to be rested and stabilised on a surface for placing the exercise device, e.g. a ground surface or wall surface. In one embodiment of the present invention, the circular base surface is a substantially flat and/or solid surface. In another embodiment, the base surface has one or more cut-outs or recesses. In this instance, the exterior base surface will still be an overall levelled surface for resting the present device on the ground or on the wall, for example.

In certain embodiments of the present exercise device, each cut-out or recess may extend from the exterior base surface inwards into an interior of the conical shaped body. The cut-outs or recesses may have a depth in the range of about 0.1-40 mm or more preferably about 0.1 - 35 mm. For example, the cut-outs or recesses may have a depth of about 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, 2.2, 4.7, 6.0, 11.0, 15.7, 18.0, 23.0, 27.4, 30, 32, 33.5 or 36 mm.

In other embodiments, the cut-outs or recesses may not have an even depth, e.g. a recess may have a depth gradient (or a number of depth gradients) in the range of 0 to about 40 mm, or more preferably 0 to about 35 mm. For example, the recess may have one or more depth gradients of 0 to 0.7 mm, 0 to 2mm, 0 to 5mm, 0 to 10.5 mm, 0 to 15 mm, 0 to 20 mm, 0 to 24.8 mm, 0 to 29.5 mm, 0 to 33.5 mm, 0.1 to 11 mm, 0.2 to 30 mm, 0.5 to 35 mm, 3 to 34 mm or 8 to 20 mm.

The cut-outs or recesses may bring a number of advantages, including: i) increasing deformability or compressibility of the cone shaped body, ii) reducing the weight of each exercise device of the present invention; iii) providing material savings (since less material is required to manufacture the same device); iv) reducing the time period required for producing one exercise device of the present invention; v) reducing the production costs; and vi) reducing transport costs.

As will be elaborated further below, it should be appreciated that the invention may include a number of different embodiments.

In the first embodiment, the head portion is concave.

In this embodiment, the concavity is configured to house a substantially spherical object, e.g. a ballshaped structure, such that the ball or the spherical object sits within the concavity like a "ball-insocket" configuration. The substantially spherical object or ball-shaped structure may form part of the invention (e.g. for sale), or it may be sourced separately by the user to be used with the invention.

Preferably, the substantially spherical object or ball-shaped structure has at least one or more of the following features: gripping surface; absorptive surface; resiliently deformable (including compressible); and/or sufficient height.

The Applicant notes that the substantially spherical object or ball-shaped structure may be the likes of a standard sports ball, such as a tennis ball. A tennis ball fulfils a number of preferred features discussed above. For instance, the fibrous felt on the tennis ball's surface is beneficial because it provides a good gripping surface for the user's hand, and also the concave surface on the conical shaped body. Furthermore, the felt provides absorptive function to helps to absorb sweat and avoid slippage.

The deformable yet sturdy nature of a tennis ball also allows the ball to fit and deform slightly to the shape of the user's palm and the grip of the fingers during use, and helps to cushion the weight bearing down on the user's palm in a substantially even fashion.

The deformable sturdy features of the substantially spherical object or ball shaped structure, in combination with the deformable nature of the conical shaped body also is a major advantage of the invention. This provides dual compressibility of "ball and base" together, providing considerable and highly beneficial cushioning. This is very advantageous to users, especially those with medical problems such as arthritis. Furthermore, the cushioning also may help to enhance the exercise effectiveness, much like running on sand.

The substantially spherical object or ball shaped structure also enables the user's palm to take the majority of the weight, while the user's fingers extend outwards and downwards around the ball shaped structure resting on the surface of the conical shaped body as discussed before.

Tennis balls, as an embodiment of the substantially spherical object, are also considered convenient because they are relatively cheap and easy to source. However, it should be appreciated that such beneficial features may also be found on other pre-existing ball types or ball shapes, or may be used to develop a structure specific for use with the present invention.

This embodiment is also considered to be advantageous because in an exercise environment such as Cross-fit of Bootcamp, the device and tennis balls may also be used for a wide variety of other exercises beyond press-ups. For instance, the device may be used as marker cones which is a common tool used for many different exercises. Furthermore, the tennis ball may be used separately or in conjunction with the device for exercises involving squats, side touch ball placements and so forth. Many other uses could be developed.

Equally, it is within the scope of the invention to provide a ball-shaped or substantially spherical shaped structure as part of the device. The ball, or substantially spherical, shaped structure may have a wide variety of features without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In an alternative embodiment, the conical shaped body has a bulbous shaped head. In this embodiment, the ball shape is built into the body of the device, in much the same shape as shown in Figure 5. This may be advantageous as it permits the device to be sold and used in a 'ready to go' format.

With either or both of the above described embodiments, or in any other alternative embodiment of the present invention, the exercise device may have one or more cut-outs or recesses extending from the exterior base surface inwards into the interior of the conical shaped body as described hereinbefore. The cut-outs or recesses may also have the depth or depth gradient(s) and the advantages as described hereinbefore.

Method of use

The press-up exercise device may be used in a wide number of ways without limitation.

There are many different forms and styles of press-ups, and the present invention may be used with many if not all of these simply by suitably adjusting the position of the devices. For example, the devices may be spread further apart for a wider stance, or brought closer together to target different muscle groups. Regardless, the same beneficial effects in terms of orientation of the wrist, hands and fingers is applicable, which makes the device particularly well suited to those with joint problems.

Even with those without joint problems, the device is considered to more accurately and efficiently target toning and development of muscles, in much the same fashion as running on sand can improve the effectiveness of exercise efficiency and avoidance of injury / pain.

In the instance of the first embodiment with the cone shaped body having a concave recess in the head portion, a cone shaped body (or one pair of the cone shaped bodies) may be put into a position, into an an arrangement, that suits the user. Then a substantially spherical object, such as a tennis ball, may be placed in the concave recess (or in each concave recess). Then a user may press downwards with the palms of his or her hands on the substantially spherical object of the one or two exercise devices, and extend the fingers of his or her hand(s) around the substantially spherical object; and conduct a press-up while maintaining downward pressure on the one or two exercise devices.

This embodiment containing the conical shaped body and the substantially spherical object such as a tennis ball may also be used in other exercise environments such as Cross-fit training or Bootcamps. For instance, the device may be used as marker cones which is a common tool used for many different exercises. Furthermore, the tennis ball may be used separately or in conjunction with the device for press-up exercises, or exercises involving squats, side touch ball placements and so forth. Many other uses could be developed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 Schematic representation of a standard press-up exercise without any device (- image taken from: https://noexcuseshealth.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/chest-exercise-the-perfect-push-up/);

Figure 2 Commercially available press-up exercise device (- image taken from: (http://www.bestreviewshub.com/best-pushup-bars-reviews/);

Figure 3 Commercially available press-up exercise device ("Perfect push-up Elite" - image taken from https://perfectonline.com/category/push/pushup);

Figure 4A A cross-section side view of one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4B A top view of the embodiment shown in Figure 4A.

Figure 5 A cross-sectional side of a further embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5B A top view of the embodiment shown in Figure 5A;

Figure 6 A photograph representation of a further embodiment of the present invention showing a plurality of recesses;

Figure 7 A photograph representation of one pair of press-up exercise devices according to the present invention; and

Figure 8 A photograph representation of another pair of press-up exercise devices according to the present invention.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Figure 1 illustrates a conventional press-up exercise. It can be seen that the person needs to hyper-extend the wrists to about 90°, which can be problematic for people, especially those with soreness, or immobility in the wrist/hand joints.

Figures 2 and 3 show commercially available devices to aid the press-up exercise. Figure 2 shows a fixed device, which the user grasps on the padded handles in a gripping fashion and then performs press-ups in a standard fashion. Figure 3 shows a patented product that involves a horizontally rotatable unit with gripping portions with a fixed base platform which engages with a surface such that the user can rotate the hands during the press-up action.

Figures 4(a) and (b) show a press-up exercise device (1), with a conical shaped body (4), a base (2) which is substantially flat, a head portion (5) and a concave recess or a concavity (3). The base (2) is approximately 160 mm in diameter with a circular shaped perimeter. The height of the exercise device (1) is about 40 mm. The circular shaped head portion (5) of the device (1) is about 48 mm inwards compared to any one position on the perimeter of the base (2). The concavity (3) of the head portion (5) has a rounded surface, and is about 15 mm deep and 62 mm in diameter at its widest point. Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional side view, and Figure 4(b) is a top view.

Figures 5(a) and (b) show a press-up exercise device (1), with a conical shaped body (4), a head portion (5) and a concavity (3) in the same fashion as shown in Figure 4. The concavity (3) is configured to house a tennis ball (6) which can be easily removed or replaced as needed. Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional side view, and Figure 5(b) is a top view (showing the perimeter of the head portion (5) as a dotted line.

Figure 6 is a photograph representation of a press-up exercise device (1) having an exterior base surface (7) showing a plurality of recesses (8). The base surface (7) has a diameter in the range of approximately 180 mm. Other than the centrally disposed recess (9), the remaining recesses (10) each has a sloped surface (11) with a depth gradient in the range of 5 - 40 mm, or more likely 10 - 30 mm. The depth gradient may not extend the full width of each recess (10), resulting in each recess (10) having a sloped portion and a portion having an even maximum depth of approximately 30 mm. The centrally disposed recess (9) has a substantially even depth of approximately 30 mm. Each recess (10) and recess (9) have a diameter of approximately 40 mm.

Figure 7 is a photograph taken at a perspective angle of a pair of press-up exercise devices (1) side-by-side. Whilst not shown, the exterior base surface of each exercise device (1) in this instance is substantially flat (i.e. without any cut-out or recess). In this embodiment, each exercise device (1) is made from foam.

Figure 8 is another photograph taken at a perspective angle of another pair of press-up exercise device (1) side by side. In this instance, whilst not shown, each exercise device (1) has a plurality of recesses similar to those shown in Figure 6. In this embodiment, each exercise device (1) is made from a silicone material such as a silicone elastomer, although other materials may be used.

Other than the recesses, each exercise device (1) of Figure 7 or 8 has a conical shaped body (4), a head portion (5) having a tennis ball (6) housed therein (by the cavity (3), as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b). In use, a user may place one conical shaped body (4) in a desired position, or one pairs of conical shaped bodies (4) in a desired arrangement, first, before placing the tennis ball(s) in position.

For a standard press-up exercise, the user may place each hand over an exercise device (1), with the palm of the user's hand centered on the tennis ball (6), and the fingers of each hand extending around and resting on the substantially spherical surface of the tennis ball (6). Then the user may conduct press-ups by pressing downwards on the tennis balls (6) and maintaining the downward pressure through the palms of the user's hands. With the conical shaped body (4) elevating the position of the tennis ball above grounds, and the height provided by the tennis ball, the exercise device (1) avoids the need of hyper extension of the wrist. Moreover, with the compressible nature of the tennis ball (6) and the conical shaped body (4) being formed from a deformable material, the exercise device (1) also provides dual compressibility and therefore superb cushioning to those with medical problems such as arthritis while conducting press-ups. The compressibility of the conical shaped body (4) may be further improved by having a plurality of cut-outs or recesses in the conical shaped body.

The present inventor also found that in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the cut-outs or recesses has not only improved the compressibility of the conical shape body (4), but has also reduced the time for the curing of the silicone elastomer material, thus reduced the time for preparing an exercise device (1).

Other advantages provided by the exercise device (1) are as described hereinbefore. The entire disclosures of all applications, patents and publications cited above and below, if any, are herein incorporated by reference.

Reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour in any country in the world.

The invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of two or more of said parts, elements or features.

Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to integers or components having known equivalents thereof, those integers are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.

It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be included within the present invention.

The invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of two or more of said parts, elements or features.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims (20)

1. A press-up exercise device, characterised in that the exercise device has a conical shaped body comprising a) a base portion having an exterior base surface, and b) a head portion having a concave recess; wherein the base portion converges to the head portion, and wherein the concave recess in the head portion is adapted to house a substantially spherical object so as to provide a handgrip for a user.

2. The press-up exercise device of claim 1, wherein the conical shaped body is made of a resiliently deformable material.

3. The press-up exercise device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the conical shaped body is compressible.

4. The press-up exercise device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conical shaped body is made of a material selected from foam, silicone, rubber and plastics.

5. The press-up exercise device of claim 4, wherein the conical shaped body is made of a silicone elastomer.

6. The press-up exercise device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the conical shaped body has a plurality of cut-outs or recesses therein.

7. The press-up exercise device of claim 6, wherein one or more cut-outs or recesses extend from the exterior base surface inwards into an interior of the conical shaped body.

8. The press-up exercise device of claim 6 or claim 7, wherein one or more of the cut-outs or recesses have one or more depth gradients.

9. The press-up exercise device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the substantially spherical object is disposed in the concave recess of the head portion.

10. The press-up exercise device of claim 9, wherein the substantially spherical object is formed from a resiliently deformable material.

11. The press-up exercise device of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the substantially spherical object is compressible.

12. The press-up exercise device of any one of the claims 9 -11, wherein the substantially spherical object is a tennis ball.

13. A press-up exercise device, characterised in that the exercise device has a conical shaped body comprising a) a base portion having an exterior base surface, and b) a head portion that is bulbous shaped having a substantially spherical or semi-spherical surface; wherein the base portion converges to the head portion, and wherein the head portion is configured to provide a handgrip for a user.

14. The press-up exercise device of claim 13, wherein the conical shaped body, including the bulbous shaped head portion, is formed from a resiliently deformable material;

15. The press-up exercise device of claim 13 or 14, wherein the conical shaped body, including the bulbous shaped head portion, is compressible.

16. The press-up exercise device of any one of claims 13-15, wherein the conical shaped body, including the bulbous shaped head portion, is made of a material selected from foam, rubber and plastics.

17. The press-up exercise device of any one of claims 13-16, wherein the conical shaped body has a plurality of cut-outs or recesses therein.

18. The press-up exercise device of claim 17, wherein one or more cut-outs or recesses extend from the exterior base surface inwards into an interior of the conical shaped body.

19. A method of using a press-up exercise device of any one of claims 1-18, the method including a) a user pressing downwards with the palms of his or her hands on the head portion of two exercise devices, and extending the fingers of each hand around a substantially spherical object or surface of the head portion; and b) conducting a press-up while maintaining downward pressure on the two exercise devices.

20. A method of using a press-up exercise device of any one of claims 1-12, wherein the method further comprises a step prior to step a) of placing two conical shaped bodies in a desired arrangement, then placing a tennis ball in the concave recess of the head portion of each conical shaped body.