Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B21/00—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
  • A63B21/00058—Mechanical means for varying the resistance
  • A63B21/00065—Mechanical means for varying the resistance by increasing or reducing the number of resistance units
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B21/00—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
  • A63B21/02—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using resilient force-resisters
  • A63B21/04—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using resilient force-resisters attached to static foundation, e.g. a user
  • A63B21/0407—Anchored at two end points, e.g. installed within an apparatus
  • A63B21/0421—Anchored at two end points, e.g. installed within an apparatus the ends moving relatively by a pivoting arrangement
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B21/00—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
  • A63B21/02—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using resilient force-resisters
  • A63B21/055—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using resilient force-resisters extension element type
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B21/00—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
  • A63B21/02—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using resilient force-resisters
  • A63B21/055—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices using resilient force-resisters extension element type
  • A63B21/0552—Elastic ropes or bands
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B21/00—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
  • A63B21/40—Interfaces with the user related to strength training; Details thereof
  • A63B21/4027—Specific exercise interfaces
  • A63B21/4029—Benches specifically adapted for exercising
  • A63B21/4031—Benches specifically adapted for exercising with parts of the bench moving against a resistance during exercise
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B21/00—Exercising apparatus for developing or strengthening the muscles or joints of the body by working against a counterforce, with or without measuring devices
  • A63B21/40—Interfaces with the user related to strength training; Details thereof
  • A63B21/4041—Interfaces with the user related to strength training; Details thereof characterised by the movements of the interface
  • A63B21/4047—Pivoting movement
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B23/00—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body
  • A63B23/02—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body for the abdomen, the spinal column or the torso muscles related to shoulders (e.g. chest muscles)
  • A63B23/0233—Muscles of the back, e.g. by an extension of the body against a resistance, reverse crunch

Definitions

• the following description relates generally to the field of exercise equipment and more specifically to the field of low impact abdominal exercisers.
• a resistance chair with wheels assists users with performing correct abdominal crunches by guiding the user's effort and eliminating the initial jerking motion commonly experienced when doing an abdominal crunch.
• the resistance chair includes a seat connected to a hinged back with back support that extends to support the user's back and assist in the crunch recovery following the crunch extension.
• a resistance chair provides support for a user's back, adjustable resistance moving from the start position to the extended position thus exercising muscles that ordinarily don't receive work in abdominal crunches.
• the back support and the adjustable resistance of the resistance chair also assist the user by overcoming a portion of gravity to help the user perform a correct crunch moving from the extended position to the start position.
• the user By providing resistance to the backwards movement, the user engages the lower back muscles and thereby exercises the front and the back of the abdominal muscles.
• the backrest further permits core rotation providing the user the ability to do a sideways twist and engage the oblique muscles.
• a resistance chair in another embodiment, includes an elevated stationary seat with a front edge and a back edge.
• An arm is rotatably engaged with the back edge of the seat and is rotatable to a position below horizontal with respect to the elevated stationary seat.
• a back support is secured to the arm and supports the back of a user sitting on the elevated stationary seat.
• At least one resistance element is connected to the elevated stationary seat and urges the first arm to an upright start position and assists a user performing an abdominal crunch to return to an upright abdominal crunch position from a fully extended abdominal crunch position with the arm below horizontal with respect to the elevated stationary seat.
• the resistance element also resists against rotation of the arm away from the upright start position and resists against the user moving from the upright abdominal crunch position to the fully extended abdominal crunch position.
• a resistance chair also includes a second arm having a first end and a second.
• An adjustable hinge is attached to the first arm and is movable between fixed locations along the first arm.
• the first end of the second arm is connected to the adjustable hinge and the second end of the second arm is connected to a roller, for example an axle with wheels.
• Moving the adjustable hinge along the first arm changes a maximum recline angle of the first arm. For example, moving the adjustable hinge upward along the first arm increases the maximum recline angle of the first arm, and moving the adjustable hinge downward along the first arm decreases the maximum recline angle of the first arm.
• FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a resistance chair with an elevated seat.
• FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the resistance chair with an elevated seat of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the resistance chair with an elevated seat of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of the resistance chair with an elevated seat of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the resistance chair with an elevated seat of FIG. 1 , showing the arm rotated beyond horizontal with respect to the elevated seat.
• an elevated resistance chair includes an elevated stationary seat.
• the user can recline to a position beyond horizontal relative to the seat because the ground (or other support surface) does not prevent the arm from rotating beyond horizontal with respect to the seat.
• This allows the user to perform more difficult variations of the abdominal crunch because a greater range of motion is permitted.
• the user's torso being in a position below the seat when in the fully extended abdominal crunch position requires the user to perform a more difficult abdominal crunch as the total range of motion is greater as compared to an abdominal crunch performed while seated on the ground.
• resistance chair 100 includes elevated seat 1 12.
• elevated seat 1 12 is spaced above the ground or other support surface upon which resistance chair 100 is resting.
• One advantage of spacing elevated seat 1 12 above the ground is that it allows first ann 1 15 to recline to a position below horizontal with respect to elevated seat 1 12.
• Elevated seat 1 12 may be formed by providing a fabric or mesh panel 1 13 suspended by parallel arms 157 of U-shaped member 156, as shown in the figures.
• U-shaped member 156 also includes rear support member 158 spanning between parallel arms 157.
• elevated seat 1 12 may be a solid flat member made from a suitable material such as plastic or metal.
• Front support legs 150 and rear support legs 1 2 are provided. Elevated seat 1 12 is attached to these support rails near the upper ends of front support legs 150 and rear support legs 152.
• the attachment means may be fasteners such as bolts or screws, welding, adhesive, or any other suitable means.
• Front support legs 150 and rear support legs 152 may be inclined with their upper ends adjacent elevated seat 1 12 and their lower ends spaced in front of and behind the front and rear edges of elevated seat 1 12, respectively. By inclining front support legs 150 and rear support legs 152 relative to vertical, greater stability of elevated seat 1 12 is achieved.
• front support legs 150 and rear support legs 152 may be vertical.
• horizontal support rails 154 may be provided. Horizontal support rails 154 may be integrally formed with front support legs 152 and rear support legs 154 as depicted in the figures. Alternatively, horizontal support rails 154 may be attached to the upper ends of front support legs 150 and rear support legs 152. Also alternatively, horizontal support rails 154 may be attached to or integrally formed with elevated seat 1 12. Horizontal support rails 154 may be spaced above elevated seat 1 12, as shown in the figures, or alternatively may be at the same level as elevated seat 1 12. Additionally, horizontal support rails 154 may be splayed outward relative to parallel arms 157 of U-shaped member 156, as depicted in the figures. Horizontal support rails 154 are gripped by a user sitting on elevated seat to help brace the user and perform abdominal exercises.
• Resistance chair 100 also includes first arm 1 15 and second arm 1 17.
• First arm 1 15 is hinged about its lower end at hinge 1 14.
• At least one shoulder support roller 125 is attached to the front surface of the upper end of first arm 1 15 for rollably supporting the shoulders of a user sitting on elevated seat 112 and reclining against first arm 115.
• at least one back support roller 124 is attached to the front surface of first arm 115 below the upper end of first arm 115 for rollably supporting the back of a user sitting on elevated seat 112 and reclining against first arm 1 15.
• shoulder support roller 125 and back support roller 124 are advantageous because they facilitate sliding movement between the user's back and first arm 115 during abdominal exercises, they are not strictly necessary and may be omitted or replaced by non-rolling support members in some embodiments.
• second arm 1 17 is hingedly connected to first arm 1 15 by hinge 135 which is attached to the rear surface of first arm 1 5 adjacent the upper end of first arm 1 15. As shown in the figures, hinge 135 may be spaced slightly below the ultimate upper terminus of first arm 1 15.
• the lower end of second arm 117 engages with a rolling device such as axle 121.
• Second arm 1 17 may be integrally formed with axle 121 as shown in the figures, but in other embodiments second arm 117 and axle 121 may be formed separately and then attached to one another by welding, fasteners, or other suitable means.
• Axle 121 is rollably supported by rolling means such as wheels 122 that are rollably mounted on each end of axle 121.
• Axle 121 is hingedly connected to lower resistance engagement elements 133.
• lower resistance engagement elements 133 may comprise sleeves that wrap around axle 121 so that lower resistance engagement elements 133 may rotate relative to axle 121.
• upper resistance engagement elements 134 are hingedly attached to the rear edge of elevated seat 1 12.
• upper resistance engagement elements 134 may comprise sleeves that wrap around rear support member 158 of U-shaped member 156 so that upper resistance engagement elements 158 may rotate relative to rear support member 158.
• elastic resistance elements 126 Spanning between lower resistance engagement elements 156 and upper resistance engagement elements 158 are elastic resistance elements 126.
• other configurations are also contemplated.
• Examples of possible elastic resistance elements 126 include rubber bands, resistance bands, springs or any other element that is elastic, resists against stretching and tends to return to its original length after stretching forces are no longer applied.
• elastic resistance elements 126 resist against reclining first arm 115 (i.e., a counter-clockwise rotation of first arm 117 in FIG. 3).
• first arm 115 is reclined, the upper end of second arm 117 is forced to rotate about hinge 135 while the lower end of second arm 117 simultaneously moves away from elevated seat 1 12 due to the rolling of wheels 122. This motion continues until reaching the fully reclined position depicted in FIG. 5.
• first arm 115 is reclined beyond horizontal with respect to elevated seat 1 12.
• elastic resistance elements 126 will pull axle 121 back toward elevated seat 112.
• the force provided by elastic resistance elements 126 is sufficient to return first arm 1 15 and second arm 117 to the starting position depicted in FIG. 3 if there is no reclining force applied to first arm 1 15, but is not sufficient to lift a user from the fully reclined position of FIG. 5 to the starting position of FIG. 3.
• the user must still use abdominal muscles to return to the starting position, but the force provided by elastic resistance elements 126 will assist the user's upward sit-up motion.
• first arm 1 15 or second arm 1 17 may be formed from two telescoping members with multiple apertures that are engageable with a locking pin. By telescoping the two telescoping members to a desired length and engaging the locking pin, a user can vary the length of first arm 115 or second arm 117.
• the location of hinge 135 on the rear surface of first arm 1 15 may be adjustable by sliding hinge 135 along first arm 1 15 and securing the position with a locking pin that engages an aperture in first arm 115.
• Adjusting the position of hinge 135 varies the difficulty of exercises performed by modifying the starting angle between first arm 115 and second arm 117, and also by changing the starting position of axle 121 relative to elevated seat 1 12. It can be seen that moving the position of hinge 135 upward along first arm 115 (i.e. away from elevated seat 112) allows for a greater maximum recline angle of first arm 1 15 in the fully reclined position. Similarly, moving the position of hinge 135 downward along first arm 115 decreases the maximum recline angle of first arm 1 15.
• elastic resistance elements 126 may be adjustable. For example, if elastic resistance elements 126 are multiple resistance bands, it is possible to vary the resistance provided by disengaging one or more resistance bands from lower resistance engagement elements 156 or from upper resistance engagement elements 158.
• a user sits on elevated seat 1 12 with his back and shoulders resting upon back support rollers 124 and shoulder support rollers 125 respectively.
• the user may grip one or both of horizontal support rails 154 with one or both hands, or not grip horizontal support rails 154 at all.
• a basic exercise the user can perform is an assisted extended sit-up.
• the user uses his abdominal muscles to push backwards against first arm 115, a motion which is resisted against by elastic resistance elements 126 pulling against motion of axle 121 away from elevated seat 112.
• the user continues reclining until any desired position is reached, up to the fully reclined position of FIG. 5. It should be noted that the fully reclined position of FIG.
• Resistance chair 100 can also be used for other exercises besides abdominal crunches.
• the user can recline to the fully reclined position of FIG. 5 and perform exercises such as scissor kicks, leg raises, sit and tucks, etc.
• these exercises can be performed with a greater range of motion than is possible while seated on the floor.
• scissor kicks and leg raises can be performed with the users legs having a lowest position that is below horizontal and below the elevated seated of the device.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Biophysics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Neurology (AREA)
• Pulmonology (AREA)
• Rehabilitation Tools (AREA)
• Chairs For Special Purposes, Such As Reclining Chairs (AREA)
• Special Chairs (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=47715331

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 2011
  • 2011-08-16 JP JP2014525976A patent/JP2014521483A/ja active Pending
  • 2011-08-16 CN CN201180073669.8A patent/CN103826708B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2011-08-16 WO PCT/US2011/047970 patent/WO2013025207A1/en active Application Filing
• 2014
  • 2014-11-28 HK HK14112027.6A patent/HK1198523A1/zh unknown

Patent Citations (4)

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