Exercise apparatus with resilient foot support

• US 20040142800A1
• Filed: 10/27/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stamina Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stamina Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Gerschefske, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 7,179,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/142
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/023 Wound springs
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0428 the ends moving relatively by linear reciprocation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/055 extension element type
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/068 using user's body weight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0023 the inclination of the main axis of the movement path being adjustable, e.g. the inclination of an endless band
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0087 with a seat or torso support moving during the exercise, e.g. reformers A63B22/0076 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0252 supine
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0257 prone
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0405 involving a bending of the knee and hip joints simultaneously A63B23/0476 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 5/00 Apparatus for jumping mats for jumping A63B6/00; for racing or riding sports, e.g. hurdles A63K
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 5/11 Trampolines

Abstract

An exerciser including a movable body support mounted on an exerciser frame for movement along tracks provided by the frame. A movable foot support extends from the exerciser frame. The movable foot support is adapted to be engaged by the user'"'"'s feet to absorb the energy of movement in a first direction and to provide the user with a bouncing movement, which the user may translate into a movement of the movable body support in the opposite direction. The movable foot support may be provided as an attachment and retrofitted to existing exercisers. The exerciser may include a resilient resistance system coupled to the movable body support and a set of pull lines with user grips trained over pulleys carried by the exerciser frame. Also disclosed are methods for enabling users to exercise.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a person to exercise comprising:

providing a movable body support for the exercising person which supports the exercising person in a position which allows the body of the exercising person to move with the movable body support while the feet of the exercising person are free to be moved with respect to the movable body support;

providing a movable foot support separate from said body support in a position to be engaged by the feet of the exercising person supported on the movable body support;

providing for the absorption of the energy of the movement of the movable body support in a first direction away from the movable foot support by the exercising person supported thereon and the conversion of the absorbed energy to a movement of the movable body support with the exercising person supported thereon in a second direction toward the movable foot support;

providing for the controlled yielding of the movable foot support caused by the engagement thereof by the feet of an exercising person moving with the movable body support in said second direction; and

establishing as a result of the controlled yielding of the movable foot support a bouncing movement by the movable foot support in the first direction, which the exercising person can translate into a movement of the movable body support in the first direction, the arrangement being such that the exercising person can control the repetition and magnitude of the movements of the movable body support by flexure of the legs at the knees.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a movement of the movable body support in the first direction is accomplished by a leg movement of the exercising person against the resiliently movable foot support, which, together with said bouncing movement, is translated into a movement of the movable body support in the first direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a movement of the movable body support in the second direction is accomplished, at least in part, by an arm movement of the exercising person in the first direction, which is translated into a movement of the movable body support in the second direction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the movable body support is movable in a generally horizontal plane, and

wherein the absorption of the energy of movement of the movable body support in the first direction is effected by one or more tensile resilient resistance elements coupled to the movable body support.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the movable body support is movably supported in an inclined plane above a horizontal surface;

and

wherein the first direction is upwardly along the inclined plane and the second direction is downwardly along the inclined plane.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the absorption of the energy of movement of the movable body support is by the upward movement of the exercising person supported on the movable body support along the inclined plane against the influence of gravity;

and

wherein the conversion of the energy of movement of the movable body support is by the downward movement of the exercising person supported on the movable body support along the inclined plane under the influence of gravity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the absorption and conversion of the resiliently movable foot rest are effected, at least in part, by movements of resilient elastomeric cords.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the movable foot support comprises an individual, independently movable foot support portion for each foot.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controlled yielding of the movable foot support comprises controlled yielding of one or both of the individual, independently movable foot support portions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the individual, independently movable foot support portions yield independently of one another.

11. An exerciser comprising:

a frame assembly;

a movable body support disposed on said frame assembly and constructed and arranged to support the body of an exercising person in a position which allows the body of the exercising person to move with the movable body support while enabling the feet of the exercising person to be free to be moved with respect to said movable body support; and

a movable foot support coupled to said frame assembly and constructed and arranged to be engaged by the feet of the exercising person supported on said movable body support,

said movable body support being mounted on said frame assembly for movement in a first direction away from said movable foot support and a second direction toward said movable foot support and being constructed and arranged to absorb the energy of a movement thereof in the first direction by a user supported thereon and to convert the absorbed energy into a movement thereof with the user supported thereon in said second direction; and

said movable foot support being constructed and arranged to yield resiliently in response to the engagement of the feet of the exercising person moving with the movable body support in said second direction and to establish, as a result of the resilient yielding, a bouncing movement by the movable foot support in said first direction which can be translated by the exercising person into a movement of said movable body support in said first direction.

12. The exerciser of claim 11, wherein said movable foot support comprises a peripheral frame constructed and arranged to be mounted on said frame assembly, and a flexible sheet member constructed and arranged to be mounted within the peripheral frame.

13. The exerciser of claim 12, wherein the resilient yielding of said movable foot support are effected, at least in part, by movements of resilient elastomeric cords connecting said peripheral frame and said flexible sheet member.

14. The exerciser of claim 11, wherein said movable foot support includes leg portions constructed and arranged to be detachably mounted on said frame assembly.

15. The exerciser of claim 11, wherein the movable foot support is detachably mounted on said frame assembly.

16. The exerciser of claim 11, wherein the movable foot support comprises two resiliently movable individual foot support portions.

17. The exerciser of claim 11, wherein said frame assembly includes a set of generally parallel tracks constructed and arranged to be rollingly engaged by rollers provided on said movable body support.

18. The exerciser of claim 17, wherein movable body support is rollingly movable along said tracks in a generally horizontal plane.

19. The exerciser of claim 17, wherein said frame assembly includes a stand structure constructed and arranged to support said tracks.

20. The exerciser of claim 19, wherein said stand structure is constructed and arranged to support said tracks in a generally inclined plane above a horizontal surface.

21. The exerciser of claim 20, wherein said stand structure defines a number of support positions so as to allow said tracks to be mounted on said stand structure in any one of the number of support positions, each of the number of support positions defining an inclined plane above the horizontal surface.

22. The exerciser of claim 21, wherein the absorption of the energy of movement of the movable body support is by movement of the exercising person supported on the movable body support against the influence of gravity;

and

wherein the conversion of the energy of movement of the moveable body support is by movement of the exercising person supported on the movable body support under the influence of gravity.

23. The exerciser of claim 11, further comprising one or more elongated tensile resilient resistance elements selectively coupled between said frame assembly and said movable body support;

wherein said elongated tensile resilient resistance elements absorb the energy of movement of said moveable body support with the exercising person supported thereon in said first direction and convert it to the movement thereof with the exercising person supported thereon in said second direction.

24. The exerciser of claim 11, said movable body support further comprising hand grips mounted thereto, said hand grips being arranged on said movable body support such that they may be gripped by the hands of the exercising person.

25. The exerciser of claim 11, firther comprising a set of pull lines, said pull lines being connected to said movable body support at respective first ends thereof, having grips constructed and arranged to be engaged by the exercising person at respective second ends thereof, and being trained between said first and second ends over a set of pulleys carried by the frame assembly;

the arrangement being such that a movement in the second direction of said pull lines by the arms of the exercising person engaging said grips is translated into a movement of said movable body support in said first direction.

26. An attachment for an exerciser of the type including a movable body support disposed on a frame assembly in a position to support the body of an exercising person in a position which allows the body of the exercising person to move with the movable body support while enabling the feet of the exercising person to be free to be moved with respect to the movable body support, a foot assembly adapted to be mounted on the frame assembly in a position to be engaged by the feet of the exercising person supported on said movable body support, and mounting structure disposed on the frame assembly, the mounting structure being constructed and arranged to detachably mount the foot assembly to the frame structure,

said attachment comprising:

a movable foot support constructed and arranged to cooperate with the mounting structure to be mounted on the frame assembly in lieu of the foot assembly in a position to be engaged by the feet of the exercising person supported on the movable body support;

said movable foot support being constructed and arranged to yield resiliently in response to the engagement of the feet of the exercising person supported on the movable body support therewith in a second direction toward said movable foot support and to establish, as a result of the resilient yielding, a bouncing movement by the movable foot support in a first direction which can be translated by the exercising person into a movement in said first direction of said movable body support.

27. The attachment of claim 26, wherein the movable foot support comprises a peripheral frame and a flexible sheet member constructed and arranged to be mounted within the peripheral frame.

28. The attachment of claim 27, wherein the absorption and conversion of said movable foot support are effected, at least in part, by movements of resilient elastomeric cords connecting said peripheral frame and said flexible sheet member.

29. The attachment of claim 28, wherein said movable foot support further comprises leg portions constructed and arranged to cooperate with the mounting structure to be mounted on the frame assembly.