FR2719493A1 - Apparatus for performing physical exercises. - Google Patents

Abstract

The exerciser consists of a frame with a central lengthwise beam (3), a seat (7), thrust elements for the feet, and hand levers (10a,10b) connected to the frame by tension springs (13). It also has a supporting leg (17) which forms an inverted V-shape with the beam (3), allowing the beam to be set at an angle to the vertical, while the seat has an adjustable fixing (37) which allows it to be fitted at an angle to the beam. Both the main beam and the supporting leg (17) are telescopic and equipped with locking mechanisms (23,33) which allow them to be set at the required height. The lower end of each sliding member (32,33) of the telescopic sections has a transverse foot (32,28) at the bottom.

Description

APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING PHYSICAL EXERCISES

  The invention relates to an apparatus for performing physical exercises, in particular exercises similar to those developed in the practice of rowing, an apparatus of the type which includes a frame provided with a longitudinal central beam which can be placed substantially. horizontally, a beam on which a seat can be slidably mounted while means for supporting the feet of the user are linked to the beam towards its front end, an articulated lever being provided on at least one side of the beam, while '' a resistant means connects this lever to the frame to slow down the movement of the lever controlled by the user, the beam being provided, towards its front end, with a support substantially orthogonal to the beam oriented upwards when the beam is located substantially horizontally, said beam can be placed in a raised position to allow the user to perform physical exercises of a

different type.

  An apparatus of this type is known, for example from EP-A-0 095 226. This apparatus comprises not only a seat, but in addition a user support. When the device is placed with the beam substantially horizontal, the stability of the assembly is

  satisfactory and the use of the device is done without difficulty.

  By cons, when the device is arranged with its substantially vertical frame, the maintenance of the device involves the user support which plays an important role in stabilizing the device during exercise. This use in a substantially vertical position is relatively delicate, the device itself

  not having great stability.

  The object of the invention is, above all, to provide an apparatus of the kind defined above which is of good stability both in the substantially horizontal position and in the raised position of the frame and which allows rapid passage from a configuration to the 'other. We also want the device to remain simple and economical to build. According to the invention, an apparatus for performing physical exercises, of the kind defined above, is characterized in that, on the one hand, a support leg is articulated under the beam, blocking means being provided for immobilizing the support leg relative to the beam so that it is possible to obtain a first configuration with the substantially horizontal beam, the support leg then forming a very open V with the beam and bearing on the ground towards the end rear of the beam, and a second configuration in which the beam is raised, while being inclined relative to the vertical, the support leg then forming a more closed V with the beam so as to bear on the ground on the side of

  the front end of the beam and, on the other hand, the seat comprises, au-

  1o below, a means of attachment to the above support so that in the raised position of the beam, the seat can be fixed on this support,

  with its mean plane substantially orthogonal to the beam.

  Preferably, the support leg is telescopic and comprises at least two elements capable of sliding relative to one another, with means for stopping these two elements in a position

  corresponding to a desired length.

  The beam can also be telescopic. An advantageous embodiment consists in providing a hollow beam in which a telescopic element can slide, stop means being provided between the element and the beam to immobilize them one relative to

  the other in a determined position.

  Advantageously, the element capable of sliding inside the beam has a cross section substantially smaller than that of the beam, while a sleeve in which said element slides with

  reduced play is attached to the front end of the beam.

  The above support is preferably fixed to the sleeve provided at the end of the beam. This beam preferably has a square or rectangular section, the sleeve having a similar section of smaller dimension, as well as the element capable of sliding in this

muff.

  The means for stopping the interior and exterior telescopic elements of the support leg and of the beam advantageously comprise a series of holes in the interior element and a pin engaged in two holes opposite the exterior element, the locking being obtained by inserting the pin at a time in the holes of

  the outer element and in a set of holes in the inner element.

  The support leg, as well as the element which can slide in the beam, are provided, at their end intended to rest on the ground, with a

  foot constituted by a transverse tubular element.

  Advantageously, the configuration of the device, in the raised position of the beam, is such that the vertical passing through the center of the seat fixed on the support, and corresponding substantially to the application of the weight of the user seated on this seat, cuts the ground between the feet

device support.

  Preferably, an articulated lever is provided on each side of the beam with an associated resistant means. Two crosspieces are advantageously fixed on each side of the beam, these crosspieces being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and being connected by a spar at their outer ends; each lever is articulated on the face

exterior of the associated spar.

  The invention consists, apart from the arrangements set out above

  above, in a number of other provisions which will be more explicitly discussed below in connection with an exemplary embodiment described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but which is in no way limiting. Figure 1 of these drawings is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus according to the invention in a first

  configuration where the beam is substantially horizontal.

  Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the device in its second configuration, with the beam raised, the seat being installed, and the support means of the feet not being shown. Figure 2a is a schematic side view, to a smaller

  scale, of the device according to the configuration in Figure 2.

  Figure 3 shows in perspective the device in a configuration similar to that of Figure 2 but with an adjustment of

  different length at the telescopic elements.

  Figure 3a, finally, is a rear perspective view of the detail

  of the articulation of the upper end of the supporting leg.

  Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, one can see an apparatus 1 for performing physical exercises, in particular exercises similar to those developed in the practice of rowing. The apparatus 1 comprises a frame 2 provided with a longitudinal central beam 3. The beam 3 has a rectangular or square hollow section. On the lateral faces are fixed crosspieces 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, of the same length, oriented in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the beam 3. On each side of this beam, at the ends of the a cross member is fixed respectively 6a, 6b parallel to the beam. The sleepers and the side members are preferably formed by hollow sections with

  rectangular or square cross section.

  In the configuration illustrated in Figure 1, the beam 3 is substantially horizontal with, however, a slight rear tilt

forward from the ground.

  A seat 7 is slidably mounted on the beam 3 towards the rear. The seat 7 can be guided and maintained by wings s15 projecting from the edges of the upper surface of the beam 3, cooperating with rollers 7a (fig. 2) provided under the seat 7, of a

classic way.

  Towards the front end of the beam 3, remote from the seat 7 in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, support means 8 are provided for the feet of the user. These support means 8 comprise, for example, a footrest 9a, 9b provided on each side of the beam 7 and optionally provided with straps for tightening the foot. The footrests 9a, 9b are fixed on the lateral faces of the

  beam 3 or on the crosspieces 4a, 4b located towards the front.

  On each side of the beam 3 is provided a lever 10a, 10b articulated at its lower end on a transverse axis 11 fixed on the outer face of the associated spar 6a, 6b, towards the rear of this spar. Each lever is provided at its upper end with a handle 12 facing inward. A resistant means advantageously constituted by a hydraulic damper 13, connects each lever 10a, 10b, to the frame 2. The hydraulic damper 13 comprises a cylinder 14 and a piston rod 15. The cylinder 14 is provided at its lower end with a clevis articulated on a transverse axis 16 fixed on the external face of the respective spar 6a, 6b substantially at the longitudinal level of the crosspiece 4a, 4b. The upper end of the rod 15 is connected to a yoke articulated on the associated lever 10a, 10b. The damper 13 works at elongation when

  the user pulls the handles 12 backwards.

  A support leg 17 is articulated under the beam 3, the axis of this leg 17 being located in the vertical plane passing through the axis of the beam 3. The upper end of the leg 17, as visible in the figure 3a, is provided with a yoke 18 comprising a transverse bore, this yoke being received between two ears 19 fixed under the underside of the beam 3, perpendicular to this face. Lo blocking means B, for example constituted by a screw provided with a tightening button 20 and an associated nut, are provided for immobilizing the support leg 17 in an adjustable angular position relative to the beam 3. To improve the angular blocking, one can provide, for example, a set of regularly spaced radial grooves, separated by a small angular distance, combined with a set of radial ribs, provided respectively on the inner face of the ears 19 and on the face

next to yoke 18.

  In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the leg

  support 17 forms a very open V with beam 3.

  The support leg 17 consists of a hollow profile 21, for example with a rectangular cross section in which an internal telescopic element 22 can slide, the contour of the section

  outside conforms to the inside contour of profile 21.

  Stop means 23 are provided for locking the inner element 22 relative to the inner element 21, so as to give the support leg 17 a determined length. These means 23 may comprise a series of regularly spaced holes 24 (FIG. 2) provided on the two lateral faces of the element 22 and two facing holes 25 provided in the lateral faces of the profile 21 towards its lower end. A pin 26 provided with a button 27 facilitating the taking, ensures the blocking of the two elements 21, 22 by crossing the

holes 25 and a set of holes 24.

  The lower end of the element 22 is provided with a foot 28 constituted by a transverse tubular element, circular cylindrical,

  provided at each of its ends with a ring 29 made of anti-

  slip, for example in elastomer.

  The beam 3 also comprises an internal telescopic element 30 constituted for example by a profiled tube with a square section, suitable for sliding inside the beam 3. This beam comprises, at its front end, in the configuration of FIG. 1, a sleeve 31 of smaller section, in which the clearance slides reduces the element 30. The latter comprises, at its lower end, a foot 32 arranged similarly to the foot 28. Stop means 33 are provided for blocking the element 30 relative to sleeve 31. These stop means 33 are similar to stop means 23 and include a series of 10 holes 34 on the lateral faces of element 30 and a pin 35

  engaged in holes opposite the sleeve 31.

  A support 36, constituted for example by a piece of tube with square section, is fixed on the upper face of the sleeve 31, upwards, in a direction orthogonal to the plane formed by the axis of the

  beam 3 and the axis of the crosspieces 4a, 4b.

  A sleeve 37, visible in Figure 2, is fixed under the seat 7 along the longitudinal center line of the seat. This sleeve 37 is designed to receive, with reduced play, the support 36. The interior section of the sleeve 37 has a square shape coming to fit around the section of the support 36. A pressure screw, not visible in FIG. 2 , can be provided under the underside of the sleeve 37 to block

this sleeve on the support 36.

  In the raised position illustrated in FIGS. 2, 2a, a configuration such as the vertical G (fig. 2a) passing through the center of the seat 7 is advantageously chosen, and corresponding substantially to the application of the weight of the user seated on this seat 7 cuts the ground inside the lift polygon between the support legs 28, 32,

  which ensures good stability to the device.

  It should be noted that the elongation of the beam 3, by bringing out the telescopic element 30, promotes the passage of the vertical G

  on the same side as foot 28, relative to foot 32.

  According to Figure 3, the element 30 is fully retracted into the

beam 3.

  That said, the implementation and use of the device

  according to the invention are as follows.

  The configuration shown in Figure 1 corresponds to the use of the device as a rower. The support leg 17 is open towards the rear, preferably at most, the element

  telescopic 22 being completely retracted into the profile 21.

  The telescopic element 30 is completely retracted into the beam 3, so that the foot 32 is in abutment against the front end of the sleeve 31. The apparatus rests on the ground by the feet 32 and 29. The beam 3 is slightly tilted from back to front relative to

horizontal plane.

  The seat 7 is slidably engaged on the edges of the face

top of beam 3.

  The user sits on the seat 7 and places his feet on the footrests 9a, 9b. By grasping the handles 12, the user can make movements comparable to those made during the practice of rowing by pulling the levers 10a, 10b backwards with simultaneous push on the legs and recoil of the seat 7, then by bringing back

  the levers 10a, 10b forward with corresponding folding of the legs.

  In a second configuration illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3,

  the device can be used in "press".

  For this, the beam 3 is raised and the angle formed between the leg

  support 17 and the beam 3 is reduced.

  The length of the two branches of the V is adjusted by moving the telescopic elements 22 and 30 and locking them in the desired position. The user can use the device by facing the beam 3 and taking the handles 12 to operate the levers 10a, lob in

raising and lowering them.

  Another possibility is to mount the seat 7 on the support 36 by threading this support 36 into the sleeve 37 of the seat 7 and

  blocking the seat on this support 36.

  The user can then sit on the seat 7 by turning his back on the beam 3. By grasping the handles 12, the user will be able to carry out lifting and lowering movements of the arms 10a, 10b making it possible to make work of other muscles than in exercises

previous.

  In all these uses, the device 1 rests in a way

stable on its feet 28, 32.

  In the case where the user sits on the seat 7, fixed on the support 36, back to the beam 3, it is advantageous, as explained above, to choose the inclination of the beam 3 and the length from which it exits each telescopic element 22, 30 so that the vertical passing through the center of gravity of the user seated on the seat 7 intersects the ground inside the support polygon

  the device 1, that is to say in practice between the feet 28 and 32.

Claims (9)

  1. Apparatus for performing physical exercises, in particular exercises similar to those developed in the practice of rowing, comprising a frame (2) provided with a longitudinal central beam (3) which can be placed substantially horizontally, beam on which can be slidably mounted a seat (7) while support means (8) of the feet of the user are linked to the beam towards its front end, an articulated lever (10a, 10b) being provided on at least one side of the beam, while a resistant means (13) connects this lever to the frame to slow the movement of the lever controlled by the user, the beam being provided, towards its front end, with a support (36) substantially orthogonal to the beam facing upwards when the beam is located substantially horizontal, said beam (3) being able to be placed in a raised position to allow the user to perform physical exercises of a different type, ca characterized by the fact that, on the one hand, a support leg (17) is articulated under the beam (3), locking means (B) being provided for immobilizing the support leg (17) relative to the beam (3) so that it is possible to obtain a first configuration with the beam (3) substantially horizontal, the support leg (17) then forming a very open V with the beam and bearing on the ground towards the rear end of the beam (3), and a second configuration in which the beam (3) is raised, while being inclined relative to the vertical, the support leg (17) then forming a more closed V with the beam so as to rest on the ground on the end side   before the beam (3) and, on the other hand, the seat (7) comprises, au-   below, a fixing means (37) on the aforesaid support (36) so that in the raised position of the beam, the seat (7) can be fixed on   this support, with its mean plane substantially orthogonal to the beam.   2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the support leg (17) is telescopic and comprises at least two elements (21, 22) capable of sliding relative to each other, with means stop (23) of these two elements in a position corresponding to a desired length.   3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the beam (3) is hollow and that a telescopic element (30) can slide in this beam (3), stop means (33) being provided between the element (30) and the beam (3) to immobilize them one by   relation to the other in a determined position.   4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the element (30) capable of sliding inside the beam (3) has a cross section substantially smaller than that of the beam, while a sleeve ( 31) in which said element (30) slides with play   reduced, is fixed to the front end of the beam (3).   5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the support (36) is fixed to the sleeve (31) provided at the end of the beam (3).   6. Apparatus according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that   that the stop means (23, 33) of the interior and exterior telescopic elements of the support leg (18) and of the beam (3) comprise a series of holes (24, 34) in the interior element and a pin (26, 35) engaged in two holes opposite the external element (21, 31), the blocking being obtained by inserting the pin at the same time in the holes   the outer element and in a set of holes in the inner element.   7. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the support leg (17), as well as the element (30) which can slide in the beam (3) are provided, at their end intended to rest on ground,   a foot (28, 32) constituted by a transverse tubular element.   8. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that its configuration, in the raised position of the beam (3), is such that the vertical (G) passing through the center of the seat (7) fixed on the support (36), and corresponding substantially to the application of the weight of the user seated on this seat (7), cuts the ground   between support feet (28, 32) of the device.   9. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that two crosspieces (4a, 4b, Sa, 5b) are fixed on each side of the beam (3), these crosspieces being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and being connected by a beam (6a, 6b) at their ends external, an articulated lever (10a, 10b) being provided on each side of the beam with an associated resistant means (13), each lever (10a, 10b)   being articulated on the outer face of the associated spar (6a, 6b).