WO2010041001A1

WO2010041001A1 - Method and apparatus for improving fitness regimes

Info

Publication number: WO2010041001A1
Application number: PCT/GB2009/002388
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven Barrett
Original assignee: Feel Fit Limited
Priority date: 2008-10-07
Filing date: 2009-10-07
Publication date: 2010-04-15
Also published as: GB0818329D0

Abstract

A system and method is provided for improving the fitness of an individual. The system and method provides the individual with an exercise regime dependent of the individual's exercise experience, exercise competence, health and level of injury. Over a period of time the system updates the exercise regime, registers the users preferred modes of exercise and continually updates and optimises the exercise regime provided for the individual.

Description

Method and Apparatus for Improving Fitness Regimes

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to fitness regimes and to methods for providing an individual with an optimised personal fitness regime. The system and method help an individual to improve their exercise regime thereby to improve their overall fitness and strength.

Background Art

It has become apparent over recent decades that the increasing incidence of obesity in the Western World is generally a result of increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor diets. Many occupations now require the employee to work long or anti-social hours and under conditions that do not involve the expenditure of much physical energy. This means that even if they wanted to, many employees are unable to find a convenient time for regular attendance at an exercise class and do not therefore expend enough physical energy to maintain a basic level of fitness. Further, the stressful nature of many occupations often means that employees consume meals at irregular times or consume food of insufficient nutritional benefit. As a result the collective fitness of the Western population, for example, is worryingly low.

A number of individuals manage to maintain a basic level of physical fitness by visiting a local gym or swimming pool, for example, either before or after work, at lunchtimes or weekends. Others are able to maintain a basic level of fitness by either walking or cycling to work or school.

The benefits of improved fitness to the population as a whole are considerable. In fact, it has been found that regular physical activity contributes to maintaining the health and fitness of the elderly and also reduces the incidence of long term obesity in the young, thereby potentially reducing the long-term burden to health systems. In addition, the benefits of regular activity such as increased muscle tone, strength and cardiovascular capacity have been found to improve the confidence of an individual and contribute to their overall sense of well-being. However, these benefits are only maintained provided that a minimum amount of exercise is undertaken on a regular basis. Ideally an individual should undertake some form of physical activity every day. However, it is not always easy for an individual to assess the benefits of one form of exercise compared to any other and determine the best and most effective exercise for their individual needs. For example, one individual may undertake exercise in order to achieve improved all over strength and muscle tone, whereas another individual may seek to tone and strengthen certain areas of their body to help them to recover from, for example, an injury or the after effects of childbirth.

Current gym based fitness training programmes have historically been designed manually using random exercise selections based on the principle mover muscle required for each particular exercise. The selected exercise is then typically included into an exercise routine such as circuit training, the routine either being designed to provide the individual with a series of exercises that alternately work the muscles through the upper, middle and lower body parts or which work each body part twice by two similar types of exercise in succession (supersets). The formulation of exercise regimes using the present approach selects exercises depending upon the major mover muscle group that each exercise is known to employ. That is the muscle group required to execute the movement associated with a particular exercise. No consideration is made of the subsidiary muscle groups or the principle fixator muscle groups that are employed and as a result the design of exercise routines in accordance with the present industry standards results in exercise regimes that are sub-optimal and may even harm some individuals. By the term "fixator" it should be understood to mean that the muscle is required to keep that part of the body still or inert for correct execution of the exercise. Further, without a detailed analysis of the recruitment of all the principle and subsidiary muscle groups of the body to each exercise type it is difficult for an individual to choose particular exercises or activities that best suit his or her needs.

There is a need therefore for a system and method for designing exercise routines, which is based on a knowledge of all the muscle groups involved in each particular exercise rather than the principle mover muscle group. There is also a need for a system that is able to provide technical information on the benefits of each exercise type therefore to assist in the selection of exercises that are most beneficial to the needs of an individual. The present invention addresses these needs.

A skilled person, such as a gym instructor, will be aware that there are eleven principle muscle groups in the body, a combination of which are required to complete the exercises that are presently used in circuit training and gym situations. These are the shoulder muscles, the chest muscles, the abdominal muscles, the waist muscles, the thigh muscles, the calf muscles, the hamstrings, the gluteals, the lower back muscles, the upper back muscles and the arm muscles. The present inventors have carried out an analysis (Biomechanical analysis) of the exercises currently used in circuit training and gym situations to determine both the principle and subsidiary mover and fixator muscle groups that are required for each exercise. They have also analysed whether each exercise is capable of improving the cardiovascular capacity and flexibility of an individual and whether any equipment is required to complete the exercise. In addition, the present inventors have determined that each exercise can be placed into one of three categories, depending upon whether the exercise contributes to developing the stability, strength or power of an individual. By stability, it is to be understood that the exercise develops coordination, balance and muscle recruitment; such exercises are particularly suitable for a novice or a person who has undertaken very little exercise previously or is in the initial stages of recovering from injury. An exercise falling within the "strength" classification further develops the individual's stability and adds the need for more muscle contractions. An exercise falling within the "power" classification further develops the individual's stability and strength and adds the requirement of speed of muscle contraction.

As a result of their analysis, the present inventors have developed a unique classification system whereby each exercise can be assigned an effect identifier or fingerprint, the nature of the effect identifier or fingerprint being reflective of both the principle muscle groups (both mover and fixator muscles) and subsidiary muscle groups (both mover and fixator muscles) required for each exercise, whether the exercise develops the cardiovascular capacity or flexibility of an individual, whether the exercise requires the use of any equipment and the category (stability, strength, power) into which each category falls.

As an example of the way the classification system is formulated, each of the eleven principle muscles groups referred to above together with the cardiovascular, strength and flexibility aspects are assigned an area identifier, such as a letter, a number or the name (for example, the name by which the muscle group required for or body function affected by the exercise is most usually known). The area identifier is used to indicate those muscle groups or body functions which are required for or affected by any one type of exercise. For example where letters are used to define the area identifiers, the shoulders may be assigned the area identifier "A", the chest the area identifier "B", the abdominals the area identifier "C", the waist the area identifier "D", the thighs the area identifier "E", the calves the area identifier "F", the hamstrings the area identifier "G", the gluteals the area identifier "H", the lower back the area identifier "I", the upper back the area identifier "J", the arms the area identifier "K", cardiovascular function the area identifier "L"and flexibility function the area identifier "M". For each and every exercise each muscle group is then further assigned a grade identifier (using a number or letter system) depending upon whether the muscle group is a principle muscle group (mover or fixator) required for that exercise, a subsidiary muscle group or is not required for the exercise at all. For example, if a muscle group is the, or is one of the principle muscle groups required for the exercise (either as a mover or a fixator) it is assigned the maximum grade identifier (eg 2) to reflect its principle role. If the muscle group is required as a subsidiary muscle group it is assigned a lower grade identifier (eg 1 ). Muscle groups that are not required for the exercise are assigned the lowest grade identifier (eg 0). Further an exercise that has a major impact on the cardiovascular function or flexibility of an individual is assigned a maximum grade identifier (eg 2). Further, if the exercise requires the use of equipment, the effect identifier or fingerprint is also defined by reference to a tag, indicative that equipment is required and the nature of the equipment. Finally, each exercise is placed into one of three categories defined as stability, strength and power. Each category can be assigned a category identifier such as a number or a letter. For example, an exercise which develops stability could be defined as category 1. An exercise which develops strength could be defined as category 2 and an exercise that develops power could be defined as category 3. Using these classification and identifier tags it is possible to formulate a fingerprint, which is characteristic of any one exercise and which provides information to a user regarding the principle and subsidiary muscles required for each exercise, the effects that the exercise has on the flexibility and the cardiovascular function of the individual and the suitability of the exercise to the individual's exercise competence.

As an example, a full body press-up requires as the principle muscle groups the shoulder, chest, abdominal, waist, upper back and arm muscles. The shoulder, chest, upper back and arm muscles are employed to facilitate the movement required for execution of the press-up. The abdominal muscles are employed as fixator muscles which keep the body in the substantially rigid position required for the press-up. The subsidiary muscle groups include the thighs, gluteals and lower back muscles. The calves and hamstring muscles are not required for full body press-ups. Full body press-ups have a moderate effect on the cardiovascular capacity of the individual and no effect on flexibility. The exercise does not require the use of any equipment and develops the strength of an individual. Given the area identifiers and the grade identifiers referred to above, a full body press-up can be assigned the following effect identifier or fingerprint:

2:0(0):A(2); B(2); C(2); D(2); E(1 ); F(O); G(O); H(1 ); 1(1 ); J(2); K(2); L(1 ); M (O)

Where the first number (2 in this instance) indicates the category into which the exercise falls (stability (1), strength (2) or power (3)) and the second identifier (between the first and second colons) indicates whether the exercise requires the use of the equipment and the type of equipment used (0 in this case indicating that no equipment is required). The identifiers A to K represent the following muscle groups respectively: shoulders, chest, abdominals, waist, thighs, calves, hamstrings, gluteals, lower back, upper back and arms. Identifiers L and M represent the involvement of cardiovascular effort and flexibility respectively. The numbers in parenthesis following each letter are the grade identifiers. A grade identifier 2 indicates that the muscle group is involved as a principle muscle. A grade identifier of 1 indicates that the muscle is a subsidiary muscle and a grade identifier of O indicates that the muscle group is not required for that exercise.

A flat footed bridge exercise, for example, can be assigned the following effect identifier or fingerprint:

2:0(0):A(0); B(O); C(1); D(1); E(1 ); F(1 ); G(2); H(2); 1(1 ); J(O); K(O); L(O); M(O)

this effect identifier or fingerprint reflecting the fact that a flat footed bridge requires the recruitment of the hamstrings and gluteals as principle muscle groups and the abdominals, waist, thighs, calves and lower back muscles as subsidiary muscle groups. The shoulder, chest, upper back and arm muscles are not required. In addition the bridge has no effect on their flexibility or cardiovascular capacity. It develops strength but does not require the use of equipment.

These effect identifiers or fingerprints provide a condensed information source whereby a determination can be made of the extent to which each of the eleven (11 ) muscle groups referred to above is involved in each exercise and if so whether they function as principle or subsidiary muscle groups. The effect identifiers or fingerprints can therefore be used as the basis upon which an improved and optimised exercise routine can be designed. Such an exercise routine can be designed by selecting exercises based on a knowledge of the effects of each exercise on each of the eleven muscle groups, the aims of the individual as well as their competence in terms of their exercise experience and ability to undertake the exercises available.

As a result of their detailed biomechanical analysis of the exercises most often used in exercise routines (circuit training or gym based) the present inventors have developed a database, which details which of the eleven muscle groups referred to above is required for each exercise, the effect of the exercise on the cardiovascular capacity of the individual as well as their flexibility. Each exercise is further placed into one of the stability, strength or power categories depending upon whether it is suitable for beginners only or can be performed by individuals having more extensive exercise experience. The database (presented herein as Table 1 ) therefore provides a complete picture of the effects that any one particular exercise has on each of the muscle groups of the body, the cardiovascular system and flexibility of an individual. In addition because the exercises are classified according an individual's exercise competence (stability, strength, power), the exercise regime formulated will only include exercises falling within the individuals level of competence and will avoid exercises outside their individual ability. This minimises the risk of muscle damage and optimises the exercise routine. A first aspect of the invention provides a method of designing an improved exercise routine, the method comprising the steps of determining the area or areas of the body to be exercised and selecting one or more exercises from an exercise database, the selected exercises being known to involve either as a principle muscle group (mover or fixator) or a subsidiary muscle group (mover or fixator) that area or those areas of the body that need exercising. Preferably the method further includes the step of determining the individual's level of exercise competence and optionally their exercise experience and selecting an exercise or exercises that are suited to the individual's exercise competence. It will be appreciated that the selection of exercises for an individual in accordance with the first aspect of the invention is based on a consideration of both the principle (or major) and subsidiary muscle groups required for each exercise rather than the principle muscle groups only in accordance with prior art methods.

Suitability, the database includes in the first three columns the following column headings: the category (stability, strength or power) into which each exercise falls; the name of the exercise and whether it requires the use of equipment. Each of the eleven subsequent columns include as column headings the muscle groups that are required for exercise, optionally together with their associated area identifier. The last two columns include as column headings the terms cardiovascular and flexibility, optionally together with their associated area identifiers. The exercise category (stability (1 ), strength (2) or power (3)) is entered into the category rows of the column. The exercise name eg press-ups, squat thrust, is entered into each row of the "exercise name" column. Where equipment is required for an exercise, the type of equipment required is entered into the appropriate row of the "equipment" column corresponding to its associated exercise type. Finally, the grade identifiers indicating the principle and subsidiary mover and fixator muscle groups required for each exercise are entered into the respective columns of the row relating to the exercise type in question, where a higher grade (eg 2) indicates that the muscle group is required as a principle muscle group (either a mover or a fixator) and a lower grade indicates that the muscle group is required as a subsidiary muscle group (either mover or fixator) (eg 1) or is not required (eg 0). The database can be presented in the form of a chart using the headings referred to above or can be stored electronically. When stored electronically the database can be provided in the form of a list of exercises characterised by their individual effect identifiers consisting numbers and letters as explained above. Thus the use of the database facilitates the choice of exercises, which best fit the needs of an individual for whom an exercise routine is formulated. It will, of course, be understood by a skilled person that different or alternative formats of this basic database are possible and that the column order, for example can be rearranged relative to that described above.

For example, an individual may want an exercise routine, which places most emphasis on exercising his abdominal and thigh muscles. From the database, it can be seen that if the individual chooses to exercise without equipment, a quadruped leg lift will exercise both these muscle groups as will oblique sit-ups. However, a quadruped leg lift is suitable for an individual having a lower level of exercise competence (level 1 ), whereas an oblique sit- up is more suited to an individual wanting to develop strength (level 2). Use of a rower (level 1) will also exercise both these muscle groups as will a bridge pull-over using a medicine ball (level 2). However, if the individual has sustained an injury to the calf muscle such that this area should be rested, it can be readily determined that both the rower and the bridge pull-over using a medicine ball require the calf muscle as a subsidiary muscle and that these exercises should be avoided until the muscle begins to heal. Further once an injured muscle begins to heal, an individual may then undertake exercises which require the use of the injured muscle as a subsidiary muscle group in order to gently build up the strength in and recruitment of that muscle again. It will therefore be appreciated that the method of the present invention provides a route whereby an individual can exercise in relative safety whilst minimising any hereto before unknown negative effects arising from the employment of subsidiary muscles in the execution of any one exercise due to weakness or injury in those subsidiary muscle groups. It will be appreciated that the formulation of exercise routines in accordance with the prior art was based on a knowledge of the principle muscle groups only required for a particular exercise, these prior art methods provided no means whereby the effect of any particular exercise on muscle groups other than the major muscle group could be assessed. Thus using the prior art method, an individual having sustained an injury to one muscle group would know to avoid exercises requiring the injured muscle group as principle muscle and would then select exercises requiring alternative muscle groups as the principle muscle group. However, unbeknownst to the individual these alternative exercises may employ the injured muscle as a principle muscle and it is therefore likely that using the prior art methods an individual may further injure himself by undertaking exercise which involves the injured muscle as a subsidiary muscle. Because the method of the present invention is based on an analysis of all muscle groups required for any particular exercise, it allows even an injured individual to undertake exercise without the risk of further injuring or weakening an injured muscle group.

The database embodying the inventor's analysis of the principle and subsidiary muscle groups required for each type of exercise therefore summarises the technical effect that each exercise has on any one of the eleven muscle groups referred to above. The database can therefore be used to formulate an optimised exercise regime thereby to improve their muscle tone, cardiovascular function, strength and flexibility and therefore overall health.

In one embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method further comprises the steps of assessing an individual to determine their level of exercise competence and optionally their exercise experience and determining body type and selecting one or more exercises from an exercise database which are suited to the individual's exercise competence and optionally body type. It will be appreciated that the database can be used to select exercises that are appropriate to an individual's competence level and body type and which exercise the required areas of the body pursuant either to the aims of the individual or to the direction of a clinician, for example. By the term "body type" it should be understood to include the following definitions: a large individual having a relatively greater amount of muscle compared to fat; a large individual having a relatively greater amount of fat compared to muscle; a normal sized individual with a muscular physique; a normal sized individual having a non-muscular physique; a slight individual having a muscular physique and a slight individual having a non-muscular physique. The database is particularly useful to both fitness professionals and to clinicians alike because the information it provides regarding the muscle groups required for any one particular exercise facilitates an assessment of the overall effect of that exercise. The database therefore represents a source of information regarding the recruitment or otherwise of each of the eleven muscle groups for a particular exercise and facilitates an assessment of the effect that an exercise has on the entire body rather than on the principle muscle groups associated with that exercise. In addition, because the database provides information regarding both the principle and subsidiary muscle groups required for an exercise, improved exercise regimes can be formulated for injured individuals which avoid exercises involving the injured muscle either as a principle or subsidiary muscle group. The database therefore provides the means whereby bespoke optimised exercise routines can be provided for any individual irrespective of their level of competence or exercise experience.

Thus an individual assessed as having little or no exercise experience and a low level of competence will only be assigned exercises falling within category 1 (core stability). If the individual specifies that they would like to focus on strengthening their arm muscles, the exercise regime will be formulated to include a greater proportion of exercises employing the arm muscles as principle or subsidiary muscles. Further, if it is established that the individual has sustained an injury to their thigh muscles, exercises involving the thigh muscle as either principle or subsidiary muscle groups will be excluded.

A second aspect of the invention provides a system for improving the exercise routine of an individual, the system comprising means for determining the areas of the body to be exercised, database means including a list of exercises to be selected together with information indicating the muscle groups required for each exercise and means for selecting exercises from an exercise database, whereby the selected exercises are suitable for exercising the chosen areas of the body. Preferably the system also includes one or more of means for determining the exercise competence and optionally exercise experience of an individual and means for setting parameters for selecting exercises from a database. Means for determining the body type of the individual may also be included. It is particularly preferred that the selected exercise routine is adapted to the exercise competence and optionally level of exercise experience of the individual. The system can also include means for displaying the selected exercises to assist an individual to correctly execute all the movements associated with a particular exercise.

Suitably the system includes one or more input means to allow an individual to enter information regarding their exercise competence and optionally their level of experience. The system may also include means whereby the body type of the individual can be determined. In addition the system suitably contains means for setting parameters from within which exercises can be selected using information provided by the individual. Means for selecting suitable exercises from the database may also be included.

As indicated above, it will be appreciated that the system can be used to select exercises that are appropriate to an individual's competence level and body type and which exercise the required areas of the body pursuant either to the aims of the individual or to the direction of a clinician, for example. In order to determine the body type of an individual, the system includes therein a range of pre-defined body profiles from which the user is required to select one which corresponds most^' closely with their perceived body type. Thus the system includes profiles, which correspond to a large individual having a relatively greater amount of muscle compared to fat; a large individual having a relatively greater amount of fat compared to muscle; a normal sized individual with a muscular physique; a normal sized individual having a non-muscular physique; a slight individual having a muscular physique and a slight individual having a non-muscular physique.

The system is suitably embodied in a computer that either includes a pre-loaded program or a program that is accessible via the internet. The system will typically be accessed on-line via the website of a provider of fitness regimes (hereinafter known as a service provider). An individual would therefore initially access the relevant home page of the service provider and would register to use the fitness regime service. Registration may require the payment of a fee or may require that the individual consent to the payment of a regular subscription after an initial trial period. The system may, therefore, optionally include the relevant security measures to allow an on-line payment or subscription to be easily made.

Once the initial registration is complete, the individual would then be required to complete an on-line assessment questionnaire (assessment means) which requires the individual to provide information regarding their general level of health and fitness. The system uses the information provided to formulate parameters from within which exercises can be selected from the database thereby to provide a bespoke exercise regime for the individual. Typically, in order to provide an individual with an exercise regime, the system requires an assessment of information such as their age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, general health, body type, any specific health issues, current levels of activity, attitude to exercise and preferred types of exercise. Preferably the questionnaire is in the form of a two level questionnaire in which the individual is initially asked questions relevant to their suitability for exercise. In particular the initial stage of the assessment is carried out to ascertain whether the individual is under rehabilitation and/or medical management or whether they have recently sustained any injuries or are taking any form of medication. Once the individual's suitability for exercise has been established the second part of the questionnaire is used to assess the attitude of the individual to exercise. This second part of the assessment process includes a series of questions in which the individual grades themselves on their attitude to their body, mind, time they are able to devote to exercise, previous exercise experience, their emotional well-being and their perceived personal potential. The individual's response is preferably graded, for example being on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents a poor or negative attitude and 5 represents a good or positive attitude. Other grading systems known to a person skilled in the art (eg A to E) may also be used. The individual's response to the assessment questionnaire therefore provides the system with the parameters from within which exercises for inclusion in the exercise routine are selected.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the user is also required to specify that area or those areas of the body that most require exercising.

Thus, once the system has been provided with all the relevant information, it then formulates an individual exercise regime using the individual's answers to assessment questionnaire as the parameters from within which exercises can be selected from the database of Table 1. If, from the assessment questionnaire, it appears that the individual has limited exercise experience, for example, and wants to undertake exercise with the aim of improving their overall health and fitness, the system will set as a parameter the selection of exercises which fall within the lowest category only (for example category 1 ) and which are designed to improve the stability and muscle recruitment of the individual and improve his or her exercise competence. The selected exercises are designed to collectively work each area of the body, thereby to improve the overall health and fitness of the individual. Preferably the exercise routine is arranged so that each muscle group, for example, is alternately worked from, for example, the shoulders through the chest, waist, hamstrings and gluteals to the arms.

For an individual with greater exercise experience and competence the system will set as a selection parameter the selection of exercises falling within either or both category 2 (strength) or category 3 (power) (depending upon their level of experience) and which are designed to work each of the eleven muscle groups alternately unless the individual specifies that the emphasis of the exercise routine should be placed on working one or a subset of the eleven muscle groups in which case this parameter will also be included in the selection criteria. An individual with little exercise experience or a lower level of competence would not be assigned exercises from category 2 or 3 unless or until such time as he or she has built up a minimum level of experience of exercises falling within category 1. Similarly an individual with moderate exercise experience and a medium level of competence would not be assigned exercises falling within category 3 unless or until he or she has built up a minimum level of experience of exercises falling within category 2. The period for which an individual is assigned exercises from any one exercise category will depend in part on the experience, exercise competence and body type of an individual. A muscular individual is likely to progress through the exercise levels more rapidly than an individual having a higher proportion of fat. This is because muscular individuals are able to adapt to different types of exercise more readily.

For example, if an individual having a good to medium exercise competence and experience specifies that they would like to work on their abdominal and thigh muscles, the system would include these requirements as parameters in the selection of exercises and as a result, the system would include in an exercise routine formulated for the individual a greater proportion of exercises falling within category 1 and 2 and which require as the principle muscles (specified as area grade 2) either the abdominal or thigh muscles or both. Further, unless the system specifies that certain muscle groups should not be worked (because of injury, for example), the system will also include in the exercise routine exercises which work the other muscle groups in the body both as principle muscles (area grade 2) and subsidiary muscles (area grade 1) in addition to the abdominal and thigh muscles. There are three ways of formulating an exercise routine of this type. Firstly the exercise routine can be formulated to include only those exercises from category 2 which require the abdominal and/or thigh muscles as principle muscle groups (area grade 2) and as the remaining exercises those exercises from category 1 which require as the principle muscle groups (area grade 2) those muscle groups other than the abdominal and thigh muscles. Alternatively, the exercise routine selects exercises from one exercise category only (for example, 1 , 2 or 3) and includes a greater proportion of exercises which require as principle muscle groups (area grade 2) the abdominal and/or thigh muscles. Finally, the exercise routine can be selected to include exercises from a higher exercise category which require the abdominal and/or thigh muscles as principle muscle groups (area grade 2) and exercises from a lower exercise category, which require any of the eleven muscle groups as the principle (area grade 2) or subsidiary (area grade 1 ) muscle. It will therefore be appreciated that irrespective of how the exercise routine is formulated, the resulting routine focuses on those areas of the body specified as being important to the individual whilst maintaining and developing the strength and stability of the other muscles.

The system may suitably include display means for displaying the selected exercises of the exercise routine formulated by the system. Preferably the display means comprises a list of exercises which includes the name of the exercise and optionally a photographic representation of the movements required to complete the exercise. In a preferred embodiment, the display means include in the list the name of the exercise and a video link whereby a narrated video of each exercise can be displayed thereby to provide the individual with guidance for completing the assigned exercises. The exercises are preferably listed in the order in which they should be completed and will typically include "warm up" exercises and stretches as well as exercises which develop the stability, strength and/or power of the individual. Suitably the list includes information regarding the number of times that each exercise should be repeated and whether the exercise requires the use of any form of exercise equipment and if so, the equipment required.

In one embodiment of the second aspect of the invention there may also be provided a personal electronic device for replacing or augmenting the system of the second aspect of the invention. The personal electronic device can be in the form of a hand held calculator for example and includes in a preferred embodiment means for displaying the exercise routine formulated by the system as described above. The personal electronic device may be in remote communication with the system of the second aspect of the invention and may also comprise one or more of input means to allow an individual to enter information relevant to their competence and optionally level of exercise experience. The calculator optionally contains means for setting parameters from within which exercises can be selected. The calculator may also include database means comprising a list of exercises for inclusion in an exercise routine, the exercises being graded in accordance with the competence and exercise experience of an individual. However, in a preferred embodiment, the access by the calculator to the database means is provided by way of a wireless link. The calculator preferably further provides selection means for selecting exercises from the database that are suitable for an individual's needs and level of competence and are in accordance with the input parameters determined from the input of the individual. If the parameters set in accordance with the individual's input indicate that the individual has limited exercise experience and a low competence level, the calculator will exclude from the selection any exercises falling within category 2 or 3 of the database. Preferably the calculator also includes display means for displaying the exercises selected from the database. More preferably the display means provide the individual with sufficient information to allow him to complete the selected exercises. When provided together with a computer or personal electronic device, the database is suitably in the form of a list of effect identifiers or fingerprints, the formulation of which is discussed above. A database of this type can be readily stored electronically and the data can be compressed for storage if required.

In a more preferred embodiment the personal electronic device is provided with means, which allows an individual to access their bespoke exercise routine from the system either via a website or a memory stick. It is especially preferred that the personal electronic device be provided with a wireless transmitter and/or receiver to facilitate the transmission and download of information to and from the individual's own page of the service provider's website. In this regard provision may also be made to allow an individual to download their individual details from their "web page" to their calculator.

The system or device of the second aspect of the invention may also be provided with means for updating the individual's exercise routine on a regular basis. The updating comprises either the introduction of new exercises which address the individual's needs as discussed before or the replacement of existing exercises with new exercises which exercise the same or substantially similar muscle groups and develop the individuals core stability, strength and power as their level of competence and exercise experience increases. In general the system would initially require an individual to complete their assigned exercise routine at a first level in which the individual was required to complete between eight and twelve, preferably ten repetitions of each exercise in the routine. Unless specified otherwise the system would update the exercise routine to a second level after an initial period such that the number of repetitions was increased to between twelve and twenty, preferably fourteen repetitions per exercise for a subsequent period. Finally the exercise routine would be moved to a third level, where the individual is required to complete between 14 and 20, preferably sixteen repetitions of each exercise within the routine. Once the individual has completed the first three levels of one category, he or she is ready to move up to the next category (eg strength category 2). The system then formulates an exercise routine for the individual in which most of the exercises are selected from category 2. Upon reaching the next exercise category, the individual is required to initially complete the exercise routine at the first activity level (for repetitions) before moving on to the second and third levels as described above. It can therefore be seen that the number of repetitions that an individual is required to do is cyclical depending upon their exercise competence (category) and their level within that category. As indicated above, however, progress from one level to the next will depend, in part, on the body type of the individual.

The updates to the exercise routine made by the system may occur automatically, on a regular basis, or in response to input from the individual. Where the updates occur automatically these may take place every seven to twenty eight days, preferably every seven to twenty one days and especially every seven to fourteen days. Where the updates take place in response to input from the individual, this may be in response to the individual confirming that the exercise routines have been completed for a minimum period of time or in response to a minimum number of responses provided by the individual confirming that an exercise routine has been completed. Typically if an individual has not registered with the system either directly or remotely for a period of time, the system will continue to update the exercise routine on a regular basis but will not increase the intensity of the routine. If an individual knows that they will be unable to complete their exercise routine for a number of days because of extraordinary events such as vacation, for example, they can request either that the system refrain from updating the routine or merely issue an exercise routine of the same intensity on resumption.

The system or calculator of the second aspect of the invention relies for its operation on a computer program which controls the various functions of the calculator. A third aspect of the invention provides a computer program. A fourth aspect of the invention provides a computer program loaded on a data carrier, the computer program including input means whereby an individual can input their exercise requirements, assessment means to determine the exercise competence and exercise experience of the individual, database means including a list of exercises including information classifying each exercise according to the exercise competence and exercise experience required for completion of the exercise, means for setting the parameters from within which exercises are to be selected, means for accessing the database, means for selecting exercises from the database in accordance with the parameters set and means for displaying the selected exercises. In a preferred embodiment the computer program is also provided with video means to allow an individual to view a narrated version of the selected exercises. The computer program may also be provided with means for monitoring the completion of each exercise routine on a regular basis. Means for updating the individual's exercise routine may be provided. Means for varying the individual's exercise routine to account for injury or non- compliance may also be included in the fourth aspect of the invention.

The computer program is preferably loaded onto a computer or personal electronic device such as a Blackberry^® type device personal calculator or a mobile phone. It will be appreciated that irrespective of whether the computer program is loaded onto a computer, hand-held calculator, Blackberry^® or mobile phone its embodiment in each of these devices provides a readily accessible route whereby an individual can access their personal exercise routine. The information obtainable via the medium of the computer program according to the third aspect of the invention facilitates for the individual the selection of exercises that most benefit their overall health and well-being. It will be appreciated that the computer program facilitates the quick selection of exercises that are suitable to the competence and experience of a large number of individuals, the selection being within both the aims of each individual (in terms of any muscle areas that he may wish to focus on, for example) and any constraints (in terms of injury) that need to be considered. The system is able to provide bespoke exercise routines that are optimised to the needs of many individuals and which allows them to safely develop their exercise competence and experience whilst minimising any risk of injury.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the methods and the system of the present invention are based on the biomechanical analysis of each type of circuit training or gym based exercise. Using this analysis it has been determined that each activity can be classified into one of three categories and its effect on each of the eleven muscle groups within the body can be assessed. Each exercise can be assigned a fingerprint, which is indicative of the level of the activity (stability, strength or power) and the effect that it has on both the eleven muscle groups of the body (both principle and subsidiary muscles), the flexibility and cardiovascular capacity of the individual. In order that this information can be easily accessed by a user, be it via a computer program or by the individual, the information has been formed into a database that can be accessed by the user. A fifth aspect of the invention therefore provides a database, the database comprising information classifying each exercise into one of three categories (stability (1 ), strength (2) or power (3)) depending upon the degree of exercise competence required for each exercise and information indicating the muscle groups required for the exercise either as principle muscle groups or subsidiary muscle groups. The database preferably also includes information regarding the effect of the exercise on the flexibility and cardiovascular capacity of an individual.

It will be appreciated that the method and systems of the present invention can be used either alone or in conjunction with an activity monitoring system such as the Feelfit^® Points System described in the inventor's co-pending application filed simultaneously herewith. The exercise routines formulated in accordance with the invention may be associated with different levels of energy expenditure and associated Feelfit^® points values depending upon the category level of the routine. The completion of the exercise routine formulated in accordance with this invention therefore accrues a points value and allows an individual to assess or monitor their overall activity levels in conjunction with the other activities they undertake. The bespoke exercise routines provided by the system are preferably updated via access to the Feelfit Points system described above. In essence the Feelfit points system provides a method for allowing an individual to monitor their activity levels. This is achieved by setting the individual a target points value (which correlates to a minimum level of energy expenditure) to be accrued over a period of, for example, a week. The Feelfit system also includes a database correlating an activity with a points value. Thus an individual can schedule a number of activities that need to be completed within the set period and can also register the completion of these activities. The system monitors the completion of the individual's activities and displays the points accrued by the individual as a result of their completion of these activities. Further, each of the exercise routines formulated by the system of the present invention attracts a Feelfit Points value, the completion of the exercise routines contributing to an individual's weekly Feelfit Points target. The points assigned to any exercise routine will depend upon the category into which the routine falls (stability, strength, power) and the level at which it is being performed. It will therefore be appreciated that as an individual's level of competence increases, their bespoke exercise routine will accordingly contribute a greater proportion of points to their weekly points target.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The following example merely illustrates embodiments of the invention. It will of course be understood that many variations may be made to the embodiments in the light of the foregoing description without departing from the scope of the present invention. Example 1

This describes the manual formulation of an exercise routine for an individual using the database. This can be carried out by an individual, a sports professional or a clinician, for example.

An individual having little or no recent exercise experience and a low level of exercise competence and wishing to improve their overall level of fitness will firstly be assessed and their level of competence and experience determined. The individual will then be assigned an exercise category from which exercises can be selected. A individual with a low level of exercise experience and competence will be advised to only chose exercises from category 1 (core stability) until such time as he or she has accrued enough experience to progress to a higher exercise category. Suitably, the selected exercises will collectively require the alternate working of each of the eleven muscle areas either as individual exercises or as supersets (two or more successive exercises requiring the same or substantially same muscle groups).

If an individual wishes to improve his cardiovascular capacity, he can include in his exercise routine a greater proportion of exercises that improve cardiovascular capacity. Similarly if the individual wishes to strengthen their thigh muscles the selected exercise routine will include a greater proportion of exercises that strengthen their thigh muscles. In addition if the individual has sustained an injury to any part of their body, it is possible to choose exercises that avoid the use of the injured muscles since the database provides information on all the muscles (both principle and subsidiary) that are required for the exercise. Using the database it is therefore possible to carefully formulate an exercise routine that is suitable for the needs of an individual.

Further if from the results of the assessment questionnaire, it is apparent that the individual has a moderate level of exercise competence and experience, they would be advised to select exercises from category 1 and 2 (core stability and strength) only since these would be most suitable to their competence and experience levels. An individual having significant exercise experience would be allowed to include exercises from category 3 into their exercise routine.

Example 2

As indicated above, the formulation of exercise routines can be achieved through the use of a computer program loaded onto a computer for example. An example of a computer generated exercise regime is provided in Figure 1.

Figure 1 illustrates the steps employed by the system in formulating an exercise routine for an individual. Upon accessing the system at (1) the user is required to enter personal information to include their height (2), their weight (3), and their body type or image (4). Information regarding their body type is determined by requiring the individual to seleGt a body image, which they consider most closely corresponds to their own form a series of images provided by the system. Using the information provided the system calculates the body mass index (5). The user can optionally (and in addition) upload a photograph of themselves to the system (6). Once the user's personal information has been provided, the system registers the provision of the relevant information and the time and date that the information has been provided (7). This completes the first level of an assessment questionnaire that the user is required to complete before he or she can use the system. The system then provides the user with a series of lifestyle questions (9) to generate a lifestyle profile (8), which require the user to grade themselves on a level of 1 to 5 aspects such as their attitude to exercise, their own body image, etc, where 1 represents a low score and 5 represents a high score (10). In response to the users answers to the lifestyle questions, the system generates a series of trigger responses (11) which are stored by the system (12). From the answers provided by the user and the information provided by the system, the system calculates a weekly activity points target for an individual (13) whereby the target points value provides a qualitative indication of the minimum amount of energy expenditure that an individual needs to undertake on a regular basis in order to maintain a basic level of fitness. As will be evident from Figure 1 , the target points value is typically set at a value of between 8 and 42 points and is dependent in large part on the trigger responses generated by the system in response to the lifestyle questions. In essence the systems calculates a basic value "X" (14) from the trigger responses provided by the system. This value "X" is manipulated to generate a basic points value "Y" (15) which reflects the minimum amount of energy expenditure that the system calculates for the individual based on their responses to the lifestyle questions. The basic points value may then be further adjusted (16) to take into account the body type of the individual. If the individual profiles as being a large individual having a large amount of muscle, the target points value will be increased by a value of 2. If the individual profiles as being a relatively normal sized individual having a slightly average amount of muscle the target points value will be increased by 1. For normal sized individuals having an average amount of muscle (muscle density) and for slight individuals having an above average muscle density there will be no change to the target points value. The target points value will typically be reduced by 1 for slight individuals having a normal or below average muscle density and by 2 for large individuals having a low muscle density and a relatively higher proportion of fat (17). The final target points value is stored (18) by the system and can be used as the basis for formulating an activity regime for an individual as described in our co-pending application whereby the energy expenditure associated with any one type of activity is qualitatively formulated in terms of a points value and an exercise regime is formulated for the individual which includes activities or combinations of activities, which when completed meet or contribute to the target points value allocated to the individual.

The system then goes on to generate an exercise routine for an individual using as parameter sets the information provided by the user for calculating the target points value; the personal needs and requirements of the individual and the nature of the equipment (if any) available to the individual. The user is therefore required to specify any equipment that is available to them for exercise (18). This information is stored by the system (19). The user is then required to specify any muscle groups that they wish to exercise (20) and any muscle groups that should be avoided (21 ) being exercised (due to injury, for example). These requirements are then stored by the system (22). The system then proceeds to formulate an exercise routine using the stored information together with the target points value allocated to the individual. Thus if an individual specifies that they wish to particularly exercise their shoulder and chest muscles and avoid working their hamstring the system will formulate a list of all possible exercises for inclusion in an exercise routine (23) bearing in mind the equipment available to the individual and which includes a greater proportion of exercises that involve the chest and should muscles, a number of other exercises which involve the other muscle groups of the body but which exclude the hamstring muscles. The number of repetitions that an individual will be required to do will depend on part of the target points value allocate to the individual by the system. Once a list of possible exercises that are suitable for the individual have been generated (24) the system then formulates an exercise routine (25) which includes at least two sets of exercises that require the muscles of the middle body (26) at least two sets of exercises which require the muscles of the lower body (27) and more than two sets of exercises which require the muscles of the upper body (28) the remaining exercise sets are selected from exercises which require muscles of either the upper, middle or lower body (29) and which avoid the hamstring muscles. Once the exercises for the exercise program have been selected, the exercises are- re-ordered (30) to provide a series of exercises, which when carried out in order work the muscles of the upper, middle and lower body sequentially and which avoid repetitive use of the same muscles in succession (31 ). The system then calculates the number of times that each exercise must be repeated using the individual's allocated points value (32). Thus if an individual is allocated a target points value of 29, it will be seen that they will be required to complete the exercise routine either 2 or 3 times, depending upon the intensity at which they are exercising (stability (1 ); strength (2) or power (3)) Thus it can be seen that an individual having a target points value of 29 points will be required to complete ten repetitions of each exercise in the exercise routine (33). If the individual completes the exercise routine twice, this will accrue a points value of 5 points. If three routines are completed this will accrue 10 points. The formulated program is then stored by the system (34) and can be accessed by the user as appropriate. The user can register their completion of the exercise routine with the system, which will automatically calculate the energy expended by the individual (in terms of points) as a result of completing the exercise routine. The accumulated points value is then offset against the weekly target points value allocated to the individual.

The exercise routine is typically updated on a regular basis to provide the user with different sets of exercises, which address the needs of the user and which progress the user as their exercise experience and competence increases.

Of course, if the needs of the user change, this must be entered into the system and a new exercise routine will be calculated, which reflects these changed needs. In particular the system reviews the exercise routine to determine if an exercise has been present in the exercise routine for more than six weeks, and if so the system replaces that exercise with alternative exercises which requires the use of the same or substantially similar muscle groups.

Once the system has selected the exercises and established the number of repetitions for each exercise, the exercise routine so formulated is displayed on a display screen. The display suitably comprises a list of the selected exercises to include warm up and stretching exercises. The list includes the names of each of the exercises together with a series of pictures illustrating the movements required to complete the exercises. Preferably the list includes for each listed exercise a link to a narrated video illustrating the exercise. Video links to all the exercises in the list are provided. Using these video links an individual can safely and easily complete the exercise routines.

Optionally the display screen includes a tick box for the individual to complete every time they have completed the exercise routine. The system may also include a link to the service provider, which indicates the successful completion of each or a predetermined number of exercise routines. This activation of this link triggers the system to update the exercise routine in accordance with the individual's developing experience, thereby constantly providing the individual with an exercise routine that is optimised to their individual needs. Further, the system may also include means by which the individual can provide updates regarding their health and well being.

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Claims

1. A method of designing an improved exercise routine, the method comprising the steps of determining the area or areas of the body to be exercised and selecting one or more exercises from an exercise database, whereby the selected exercises require either as a principle muscle group (mover or fixator) or a subsidiary muscle group (mover or fixator) that area or those areas of the body that need exercising.

2. A method according to claim 1 which further comprises the steps of determining the individual's level of competence and optionally their exercise experience and selecting one or more exercises from an exercise database, the selected exercises being known to involve either as principle muscle groups or subsidiary muscle groups that area or those areas of the body that need exercising and which are suited to the individual's exercise competence.

3. A system for improving the exercise routine of an individual, the system comprising means for determining the areas of the body to be exercised, database means including a list of exercises to be selected together with information indicating the muscle groups required for each exercise and means for selecting exercises from an exercise database, characterised in that the selected exercises are suitable for exercising the chosen areas of the body.

4. A system according to claim 3, which further comprises means for determining the exercise competence and optionally exercise experience of an individual, means for setting parameters for selecting exercises from a database characterised in that the selected exercises are suitable for the determined exercise competence and optionally level of exercise experience of the individual.

5. A system according to claim 3 or claim 5, which further comprises means for displaying the selected exercises.

6. A system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, which further comprises means for allowing an individual to enter information regarding their exercise competence and/or level of experience.

7. A system according to any one of claims 3 to 6, which further comprises means for setting parameters from within which exercises can be selected from the database and optionally means for selecting exercises from the database.

8. A system according to any one of claims 3 to 7, the system being provided in the form of a computer or a personal electronic device selected from a hand held calculator, a mobile phone or a Blackberry® type device.

9. A computer including a computer program configured to design an improved exercise routine when installed on the computer, the computer program comprising means for determining the areas of the body to be exercised, database means including a list of exercises to be selected together with information indicating the muscle groups required for each exercise and means for selecting exercises from an exercise database, characterised in that the selected exercises are suitable for exercising the chosen areas of the body.

10. A computer according to claim 9, in which the computer program further comprises means for determining the exercise competence and optionally exercise experience of an individual, means for setting parameters for selecting exercises from a database characterised in that the selected exercises are suitable for the determined exercise competence and optionally level of exercise experience of the individual.

11. A computer according to claim 9 or claim 10, which further comprises m meeaannss f foorr d diissopllaavyiinnαg t thhee s seelleecctteedd e exxeerrcciisseess..

12. A computer according to any one of claims 9 to 11 , which further comprises means for allowing an individual to enter information regarding their exercise competence and/or level of experience.

13. A computer according to any one of claims 9 to 12, which further comprises means for setting parameters from within which exercises can be selected from the database and optionally means for selecting exercises from the database.

14. A database comprising information indicating the principle and subsidiary mover and fixator muscles required for an exercise.