GB2297273A - Adjustable exercise bar - Google Patents

Description

Adjustable exercise bar The present invention relates to physical exercise equipment, used as an aid to performing physical exercises to improve health and fitness.

The great increase in awareness of personal fitness in recent times has led to the availability of a very wide variety of equipment which is intended to be used as an aid to performing physical exercises. The type of exercises which may be performed on any one piece of equipment may be quite varied but often it is restricted to a particular type of movement or set of movements.

A greater rangeof exercises may be achieved using relatively expensive equipment which is often found in a gymnasium but this facility may not be available to every person who wishes to use it.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise bar which is useful in performing a range of exercises and which is portable for personal use.

According to the invention an exercise bar comprises a stand and a cranked bar, said stand being adapted to support said bar in a generally horizontal position.

The bar is divided along its length into three sections, namely two co-linear end sections and a mid-section which is offset from the end sections to form a generally cranked shape over the bar as a whole. The mid-section preferably comprises a part of the bar which is generally straight and parallel to the end sections of the bar. The bar is preferably of circular cross-section.

In a preferred form of the invention, the bar has a pad or sleeve of relatively soft material located on or around the mid-section of the bar to provide a relatively comfortable point of contact between the user and the bar. The pad or sleeve is preferably made of a resilient plastics foam or a natural or synthetic rubber material.

The bar may be made of any rigid, durable material but it is preferred to form the bar from a metal, preferably from steel. The bar may be painted or otherwise coated, e.g. in a plastics material. It is preferred to provide a coating which may be gripped easily, securely, and comfortably. The surface of the bar may be formed with different tactile properties in different parts of the bar.

The stand is preferably a tubular frame which preferably comprises a generally flat, elongate base and at least one upright support post located near each end of the base. The support posts each comprise a means for supporting the bar in a horizontal position above the base. Preferably the bar may be supported in more than one position above the base, i.e. its height may be selected or adjusted by selecting an appropriate position at which to support the bar. The bar is preferably supported between the upright support posts by means of pins which may be inserted through a hole in the support and a hole in the bar. By providing holes at various positions along the posts, the height at which the bar is pinned may be chosen.In a preferred form the bar has a pair of adjacent support posts at or near each end of the base, arranged so that the bar may be supported between the two posts of each pair. In a preferred arrangement, the two posts of each pair are located so that a line drawn between them intersects a longitudinal axis of the stand generally perpendicularly. Where the bar is supported by means of pins, one or more holes preferably extend through each post, each hole of one post being aligned with a corresponding hole in the other post. Alternative support means may include grooves or cradles in the support posts in which the bar or an extension of the bar may rest or support blocks which may be secured to the support posts and on which the bar may be rested.

The bar is preferably supported by the stand on either side of the mid-section at a point on the bar between the mid-section and the respective end section. The bar may have a hole extending through it at each support point or other means to cooperate with a support means on the stand.

The bar and stand are preferably made of relatively heavy materials to provide stability when the bar and stand are supporting a user's weight. It may also be advantageous to provide an anti-slip surface on the base of the stand.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, which are: Fig.l a view of the exercise bar from the front (or back), Fig.2 a plan view of the exercise bar.

Fig.3 an exploded perspective view of the exercise bar, Fig.4 a schematic view of a person performing one exercise with the bar, Fig.5 a schematic view of a second exercise being performed using the bar.

In Figs. 1 to 3, an exercise bar comprises a stand 10 and a cranked bar 11. The stand 10 is of tubular steel construction and includes a flat base 12 and two pairs of support posts 14 secured to crosspieces 13, each post having three holes 15 machined transversely through the post in a direction transverse to the axis of the stand.

The bar 11, which is made of coated steel, has a tubular resilient foam sleeve 16 around its offset mid-section. Two holes 17 extend transversely through the bar, one on each side of the midsection. The bar 11 may be mounted on the stand 10 in any of six positions by aligning holes 17 with one set of holes 15 in each pair of support posts 14. Pins 18 may then be inserted through the holes in the crosspieces and bar, thereby securing the bar to the stand 10. By selecting either possible orientation of the bar 11 (i.e.

crank-up or crank down) and any of three sets of holes 15 in the posts 14 , any of six combinations may be chosen to set the height of the bar appropriate to the exercise to be undertaken.

The exercise bar may be used in a number of different ways. When the bar 11 is mounted on the stand 10 it may be used as a variable height bar for jumping over, e.g. side-to-side. The bar may be used to support a person doing "push-up" exercises, as shown in Fig.4, or to provide a firm handgrip for "leg-raises", for which the user may rest his head on the sleeve 16. In each of the latter two cases the user would normally grip the end sections 19 of the bar 11. By adjusting the height of the bar, the difficulty of the exercise, and/or the muscle groups used, may be varied.

Fig.5 shows how the bar 11 may be used alone for a twisting exercise. In this situation, the cranked shape of the bar allows the exercise to be performed more comfortably than would be possible using a straight bar.

The exercise bar shown in Figs. 1-3 is about lm - 1.5m in length and does not need to be fixed to a wall or floor. It is therefore particularly suitable for personal use, i.e. to provide the facility of an adjustable bar when a purpose-built gymnasium facility is not available. The exercise bar of the invention is easily transportable between locations and may be stored away when not in use.

Claims (13)

1. Exercise apparatus comprising a stand and a cranked bar, said stand being adapted to support said bar in a generally horizontal position.

2. Exercise apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said bar is divided along its length into three sections, namely two co-linear end sections and a mid-section offset from the end sections.

3. Exercise apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said mid-section is generally straight and parallel to said end sections.

4. Exercise apparatus as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the bar is of circular cross-section.

5. Exercise apparatus as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the bar is of steel.

6. Exercise apparatus as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, having a pad or sleeve of relatively soft material located on or around the mid-section of the bar.

7. Exercise apparatus as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein said stand comprises a tubular frame.

8. Exercise apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said tubular frame comprises a generally flat, elongate base and at least one upright support post located near each end of the base, which support posts each comprise a means for supporting the bar.

9. Exercise apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, comprising a pair of said support posts at or near each end of the base.

10. Exercise apparatus as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, wherein said bar is supported by pins which may each be inserted through a hole in the support post and a hole in the bar.

11. Exercise apparatus as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, wherein said bar is supported by grooves or cradles in the support posts or upon blocks securable to said posts.

12. Exercise apparatus as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the bar may be supported in more than one position upon said stand.

13. Exercise apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.