Oscillatory resistance exercise device and method

• US 20070207902A1
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leif Tiahrt
• Original Assignee: Leif Tiahrt
• Inventors: Tiahrt, Leif
• Granted Patent: US 7,695,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/72
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00076 on the fly, i.e. varying the resistance during exercise
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00196 using pulsed counterforce, e.g. vibrating resistance means A61H1/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0628 for vertical array of weights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/155 Cam-shaped pulleys or other non-uniform pulleys, e.g. conical
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2214/00 Training methods

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.

Claims

1. An exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body of an exerciser, comprising:

a contact member movable in 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 a plurality of times during movement of the contact member through its range of motion such that the exerciser experiences an oscillating force vector.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein the support for the mechanical connection also changes the magnitude of the resistive force a plurality of times during movement of the contact member through its range of motion such that the exerciser also experiences an oscillating magnitude of the resistive force.

3. The machine of claim 1, wherein the mechanical connection comprises a cable, and the support comprises a lead pulley having a rotational axis and a groove over which the cable traverses, wherein the lead pulley groove is non-circular which creates the oscillating magnitude of the resistive force.

4. The machine of claim 1, wherein the support for the mechanical connection changes the direction of the resistive force vector randomly.

5. The machine of claim 1, wherein the oscillating force vector changes direction during movement of the contact member through its range of motion at least twice.

6. The machine of claim 1, wherein the mechanical connection comprises a cable, and the support comprises a lead pulley having a rotational axis and a groove in which the cable is supported, wherein as the pulley rotates a cable guide portion of the groove oscillates laterally along the pulley axis of rotation.

7. An exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body of an exerciser, comprising:

a contact member movable in 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

an oscillator that engages the mechanical connection and changes the magnitude 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 magnitude of the resistive force.

8. The machine of claim 7, wherein the oscillator is controlled by a device selected from the group consisting of:

a hydraulic pump,

a pneumatic pump, and

a programmable controller.

9. The machine of claim 7, wherein the oscillator randomly changes the magnitude of the resistive force.

10. The machine of claim 7, wherein the mechanical connection comprises a rigid arm.

11. The machine of claim 7, wherein the mechanical connection comprises a flexible transmission, and the oscillator comprises a lead pulley.

12. The machine of claim 11, wherein the lead pulley has a groove over which the cable traverses, and the groove undergoes lateral oscillating movement relative to an axis of rotation of the pulley.

13. The machine of claim 11, wherein the lead pulley mounts on a guided spherical bearing which creates the oscillating movement of the groove.

14. A pulley-based exercise machine for exercising one or more muscles of the body, comprising:

a contact member movable in one direction through a distance defining a range of motion;

a cable attached to the contact member;

a lead pulley having a rotational axis and a groove in which the cable is supported;

a source of tensile force on the cable on the opposite side of the lead pulley from the contact member which operates to oppose movement of the contact member through its range of motion and manifests in a resistive force in the cable directed along a resistive force vector from the contact member to the lead pulley; and

wherein the lead pulley changes the direction of the resistive force vector a plurality of times during movement of the contact member through its range of motion such that the exerciser experiences an oscillating force vector.

15. The machine of claim 14, further including means for changing the magnitude of the resistive force a plurality of times during movement of the contact member through its range of motion such that the exerciser also experiences an oscillating magnitude of the resistive force.

16. The machine of claim 15, wherein the means for changing the magnitude of the resistive force is provided by the lead pulley which is non-circular.

17. The machine of claim 16, wherein the lead pulley is shaped to induce ballistic changes in the magnitude of the resistive force.

18. The machine of claim 14, wherein the lead pulley randomly changes the direction of the resistive force vector.

19. The machine of claim 14, wherein as the lead pulley rotates a cable guide portion of the groove oscillates laterally along the pulley axis of rotation so that the direction of the resistive force vector oscillates a plurality of times during movement of the contact member through its range of motion.

20. The machine of claim 19, wherein the lead pulley is a disk-shaped pulley having a groove lying in a plane and is mounted for rotation on a guided bearing that changes the orientation of the plane of the pulley groove as the pulley rotates.