Varying force vector exercise device for inducing musculature perturbations
First Claim
1. An exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body of an exerciser, comprising:
- a contact member movable in at least one direction through a distance defining a range of motion;
a source of force;
a mechanical connection that transmits a resistive force from the source of force along a resistive force vector in opposition to movement of the contact member through its range of motion; and
a support for the mechanical connection that changes the resistive force vector during movement of the contact member through any one range of motion in accordance with at least one of the patterns selected from the group consisting of;
two or more sinusoidal fluctuations,two or more sawtooth fluctuations,two or more pulses, andtwo or more square wave changes.
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Abstract
A method for exercising one or more muscles of the body wherein one or more muscle(s) are contracted to move a limb through a range of motion in opposition to an oscillating resistive force. During a muscular contraction, the direction and/or the magnitude of the resistive force changes in an oscillatory fashion thereby inducing perturbations in the musculature. The oscillations in the magnitude and/or the direction of the resistive force include a plurality of cycles during a single repetition of muscular contraction. The waveform and frequency of the oscillations may vary during a repetition or remain constant. Embodiments of devices providing an oscillatory resistive force are presented. The embodiments provide means for enabling an exerciser to perform resistance-type exercises in accordance with the method. A guided spherical bearing may be used for rotating a lead pulley or a rigid arm to create lateral resistive force oscillations. Non-circular lead pulleys may be used to fluctuate the resistive force magnitude. The oscillations in magnitude and/or direction of the resistive force may be periodic or randomized such that during subsequent repetitions the oscillations occur at differing points.
27 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body of an exerciser, comprising:
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a contact member movable in at least one direction through a distance defining a range of motion; a source of force; a mechanical connection that transmits a resistive force from the source of force along a resistive force vector in opposition to movement of the contact member through its range of motion; and a support for the mechanical connection that changes the resistive force vector during movement of the contact member through any one range of motion in accordance with at least one of the patterns selected from the group consisting of; two or more sinusoidal fluctuations, two or more sawtooth fluctuations, two or more pulses, and two or more square wave changes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body of an exerciser, comprising:
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a contact member movable in at least one direction through a distance defining a range of motion; a source of force; a mechanical connection that transmits a resistive force from the source of force along a resistive force vector in opposition to movement of the contact member through its range of motion; and a support for the mechanical connection that changes the resistive force vector in an oscillating manner during movement of the contact member through any one range of motion and randomly modifies the resistive force vector change from one contact member range of motion to the next. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A pulley-based exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body, comprising:
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a contact member movable in at least one direction through a distance defining a range of motion; a source of force; a mechanical connection that transmits a resistive force from the source of force along a resistive force vector in opposition to movement of the contact member through its range of motion; and a support for the mechanical connection mounted for rotation about a guided bearing that changes the orientation of the support as the support rotates; and wherein rotation of the support changes the direction of the resistive force a plurality of times during movement of the contact member through its range of motion such that the exerciser experiences an oscillating direction of the resistive force. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body of an exerciser, comprising:
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a contact member movable in at least one direction through a distance defining a range of motion; a source of force; a flexible transmission member that transmits a resistive force from the source of force along a resistive force vector in opposition to movement of the contact member through its range of motion; and a pulley for the flexible transmission member that changes the magnitude of the resistive force vector during movement of the contact member through its range of motion and randomly modifies the resistive force vector change from one contact member range of motion to the next, wherein the pulley has a rotational axis and a groove by which the flexible transmission member is guided, wherein the pulley groove is non-circular and rotates on bearings that permit some variance such that the rotational orientation of the pulley is not always the same at the beginning of each range of motion of the contact member.
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21. An exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body of an exerciser, comprising:
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a contact member movable in at least one direction through a distance defining a range of motion; a source of force; a mechanical connection that transmits a resistive force from the source of force along a resistive force vector in opposition to movement of the contact member through its range of motion; and a support for the mechanical connection that changes the direction of the resistive force vector during movement of the contact member through its range of motion and randomly modifies the resistive force vector change from one contact member range of motion to the next. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification