Portable dual incline adjustable resistance abdominal muscle exercise machine

[0001] This invention relates to the field of abdominal muscle exercise apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an exercise machine that uses a dual incline with elastic bands to create an adjustable resistance push-pull exercise targeted specifically to building the abdominal muscle group in a kneeling position.

[0002] Exercising the abdominal muscle group has been traditionally performed either with or without the assistance of an apparatus. The common “sit up” or abdominal crunch is performed by laying down flat on the floor with knees bent and facing up. The weight of the upper torso is used as resistance to contract the abdominal muscles during raising the upper torso until the elbows make contact with the knees. Although performing abdominal exercise without machine assistance may be beneficial, it may also cause damage to the body if not performed correctly. Further, the effectiveness of the exercise also varies depending on the techniques used without machines. Consequently, physical fitness trainers realized that exercising the abdominal muscles could be made much more efficient and effective if assisted with a machine.

[0003] There are several well known advantages of using machines to assist in abdominal muscle exercise. One advantage is that a well designed exercise machine may reduce the risk of inadvertent strain damage to other muscle groups, specifically lower back strain which is the most common muscle group damaged by strain during abdominal muscle exercise. A second advantage of using abdominal exercise apparatus is to ensure that the abdominal muscles are efficiently exercised during every repetition by keeping the motion of the body in a uniform, consistent and effective range of motion to maximize workout efficiency.

[0004] A third advantage of using an assisting machine is that as the user becomes more physically fit he may add additional mechanical resistance during his workout to make the abdominal muscles work even harder during the exercise. The resistance of a machine of course may also be reduced on the same machine for the opposite effect. For example, when the user is just beginning an exercise regimen after a period of inactivity, the user may want to start out the exercise with little or no extra resistance so as to avoid overworking the abdominal muscles until strength has been built up.

[0005] Abdominal muscle exercise equipment commonly used in physical fitness centers today range in complexity from basic static inclined benches with adjustable inclination angle that hold the feet locked together to more complex machines that have one or more moving components that assist in maintaining a uniform and consistent range of motion. The group of dynamic abdominal exercise machines of prior art are commonly referred to as “push-pull” devices because they require the user to first pull his elbows and knees together during abdominal muscle contraction followed by a pushing apart of the elbows and knees to return to a relaxed abdominal muscle condition.

[0006] There are several common problems that have been observed by this inventor in the current state of the art of abdominal exercise machines. The first problem is that abdominal exercise machine designs are normally not designed to be portable. Common abdominal exercise machine designs are made from large heavy welded square tubing and are often rigidly mounted into even larger exercise stations. A second common problem observed is those most abdominal exercise machines are not affordable for the average consumer to purchase for home use. As a result, most people who use abdominal exercise machines do not have their own machine for home use but instead spend money at fitness centers and use shared abdominal exercise machines at fitness centers. A further common problem with exercise machines shared in fitness centers is poor hygienic upkeep caused by users throughout the day who do not properly clean off their sweat from the machines after use.

[0007] A third common problem is that current abdominal exercise machine designs do not provide adequate fixed support for the knees and elbows throughout the entire range of motion during each exercise repetition. One byproduct of the lack of fixed support of knees and elbows is that users can cheat during their workouts by decreasing the range of movement when doing multiple repetitions. A fourth problem seen is that most abdominal exercise machines typically do not allow the user to easily adjust the resistance of the machine during exercise. Those machines seen in the current state of the art that do have variable resistance often use bulky rectangular pinned plate and cable pulley designs that are bulky, lack portability and are furthermore too expensive to purchase for the average person. A fifth problem in the current art is that the adjustment of the range of motion is typically made difficult through the use of bulky components such as shear pins.

[0008] This invention solves or ameliorates these problems noted in the current state of the art by providing an abdominal muscle exercise machine that is designed to be portable and inexpensive to purchase while further providing a highly efficient and controlled range of motion including the capability of variable machine resistance against the pushing and pulling work done during each exercise motion.

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide an abdominal muscle push pull exercise machine that is portable. The machine has front and rear sections that can be folded closely together by using two hinged collars that rotate around a center circular rod. The hinged collars also are used to fold out the exercise machine during setup for use. The shafts and rods that are used in the construction of the frame are made from stainless steel hollow tubing. The remaining parts are made from other lightweight materials such as rubber and plastic. This allows the machine to be light enough to be carried by a person of average strength.

[0010] It is a further object of the invention to provide an abdominal push pull exercise machine that is low cost and affordable compared with existing push pull abdominal exercise machines. The machine is to be fabricated using low cost materials such as tubular stainless steel, rubber, and plastics. To save additional cost on assembly labor, the machine will also be packaged only partially assembled similar to how most low cost furniture and toys are packaged. A further cost savings will be achieved through the use of automated equipment such as injection molding machines for plastic parts and CNC controlled machining centers for the metal components.

[0011] It is another object of the invention to provide an abdominal push pull exercise machine that provides fixed support for the knees and elbows. On the upper (hands and elbow section) frame of the machine, a set of padded handle bars are connected to elbow pads that are fixedly mounted on a common block to create a fixed position for the elbows. On the lower (knee section) frame of the machine, a set of padded knee cups are both mounted to a common block. For additional comfort purposes, the knee cups can swivel back and forth 45 degrees from their center point.

[0012] It is an additional object of the invention to provide an abdominal push pull exercise machine that enables the user to easily adjust the resistance of the machine during exercise. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the movement of the elbow and knee platforms provides a fixed degree of resistance due to the angle from the end rods to the center rod on either end. A variable component of resistance is created preferably through the use of elastic bands that can be either added to or removed from brackets located between the end rods and platforms on either end of the machine. In another aspect of the machine small circular weights may be added to posts on either the elbow or knee platforms for additional resistance adjustment.

[0013] It is also an object of the invention to provide an abdominal push pull exercise machine that enables the user to easily adjust the range of motion of the machine. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the range of motion of the elbow and knee bearing blocks can be easily adjusted by using quick release adjustable clamps located on each shafts. Preferably, there are two quick release clamps per shaft which allows for complete adjustment in both the push and pull directions of motion.

[0022] Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of the portable dual incline variable resistance abdominal muscle exercise apparatus is referred to generally by Reference Arrow 1. Said machine 1 has four steel shafts 2 which are attached at one end to hinge 3 and at the other end to stabilizer bar 4. In the preferred embodiment, hinge 3 has an “L” shape such that the hinges are interlocked together at their inside surfaces when the machine 1 is opened up to its fully extended position as shown in FIG. 5A. All four hinges 3 are mounted to a center support rod 5. Said center support rod 5 is rigidly attached to two support legs 6 at each end. Said support legs 6 are made from a high strength material such as cast iron or steel and are designed to support the weight of the body when in the resting prone position. The support legs 6 are further designed to elevate the center support rod 5 off the ground such that the shafts 2 are declined away from the center support rod 5 at a downward angle towards the stabilizer bars 4.

[0023] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 1 and 2, the center support rod 5 has a soft abdominal cushion pad 7 mounted in the center in order to provide comfort to the abdominal area of the body when resting in the prone position. The stabilizer bars 4 are located at the front and rear end of the exercise machine 1 and are made of a heavy material such as cast iron or steel in order to give stability to the machine. Said stabilizer bars 4 have a hole at the far end through which is located an end support bar 8. Said end support bar 8 has end caps 9 preferably made of a material with a degree of friction such as rubber in order to prevent exercise machine 1 from sliding during movement of the body during exercise. Said front and rear stabilizer bars 4 both have attached on their upper surfaces a resistance band mounting bracket 10. Said mounting bracket 10 contains a plurality of mounting slots to which a plurality of resistance bands 11 may be secured to.

[0024] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 1, 2, 5B, and 5C, said exercise machine 1 also has four sliding bearing blocks 14 that slide freely over the four steel shafts 2. In the front section of said exercise machine 1, a first pair of bearing blocks 14 is rigidly attached to an upper platform 12. In the rear section of said exercise machine 1, a second pair of bearing blocks 14 is rigidly attached to a lower platform 13. Both upper platform 12 and lower platform 13 have a weight post 15 rigidly attached which can be used to load weights 16 in order to add extra resistance if desired by the user. Both upper platform 12 and lower platform 13 also each have a mounting bracket 10 attached for use in securing said resistance bands 11. Upper platform 12 has two padded elbow cups 17 that support the elbow and forearms during exercising. A pair of padded handle bars 18 is rigidly attached to the top surface of upper platform 12 and is curved upwards in a comfortable gripping position.

[0025] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 1, 2, 5C, and 6, said exercise machine 1 has eight quick release clamps 19 that slide freely over said steel shafts 2. Each quick release clamp 19 may be locked in position on the shaft 2 at any position for the purpose of adjusting the range of motion of the sliding upper and lower platforms 12 and 13 respectively. Exercise machine 1 also has a pair of padded knee cups 20 that are pinned to the lower platform 13 to allow the knee cup 20 to swivel back and forth as shown in FIG. 5B. The swivel motion of the padded knee cup 20 allows for comfort of the user during exercise and further helps avoid blisters on the knees during exercise by preventing the skin of the knees from rubbing against the cup surface during exercise.

[0026] The exerciser preferably starts out the abdominal exercise by laying face down in a prone position with feet crossed as depicted in FIG. 3. The exerciser preferably grips the padded handle bars 18 while resting the elbows on the padded elbow cups 17. The exerciser places the knees in the padded knee cups 20. The abdominal region of the exerciser, while still in the starting prone position, preferably rests on the abdominal cushion pad 7 shown previously in FIGS. 1 and 2. The abdominal exercise is performed by pulling the elbows and knees together toward the center rod 5 while raising the abdomen up and away from the center rod 5 as shown in FIG. 4. This movement will cause the abdomen muscle group (the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, external and internal oblique) to contract. The exerciser then pushes the knees and elbows apart until the body returns to the flat prone position as shown in FIG. 3.

[0027] The exerciser may increase the difficulty of the abdominal exercise workout in several ways. In one embodiment, the exerciser may create extra resistance during the pulling together of the elbows and knees by increasing the number of resistance bands 11 used on the machine. In another embodiment, the exerciser may create extra resistance during the pulling together of the elbows and knees by increasing the amount of weights 16 on the upper and lower platforms 12 and 13 respectively. In a third embodiment, the exercise may adjust the positions of the quick release clamps 19 such that the range of motion of the front and rear platforms is extended out to its maximum limit. The pulling of the elbows and knees together while working against dual inclines represents an improvement in the effectiveness of push pull abdominal exercise machine design. The present invention, by having a dual incline design which requires pulling against an incline in both the upper and lower platforms, is a substantial improvement in exercise machine efficiency over the prior art which typically have at most a single inclination angle for the muscles to pull against.

[0028] Referring now to FIG. 6, the present exercise machine 1 may be configured for compact storage when not in use. The exercise machine 1 may be folded closed for storage by pulling up on the center rod 5. Pulling upwards on the center rod 5 will cause the upper frame 21 and lower frame 22, which are both hinged to the center rod 5, to come together as shown in FIG. 6. This folded position allows the user to store the machine in a compact storage area such as a closet. By grasping the center rod 5 preferably by cradling the arm under the soft center cushion 7, the folded machine may be comfortably transported by one person of average strength.

[0029] The present invention is designed to be affordable for purchase by both owners of fitness centers as well as for personal exercise use in the home. The shafts 2, center rods 5, and end support rods 8, and handle bars 18 may be preferably made from stainless steel tubing. The tubing material must be made of a gauge thickness that is strong enough to support the body weight. Stainless tubing is typically much lower in cost than square welded frame constructions common in the prior art. Further savings in cost may be achieved by using mechanical fasteners such as threaded cap screws to assemble the upper frame 21 and lower frame 22. Because the exercise machine 1 can preferably be packaged in a shipping box in the compact folded together position as shown in FIG. 6, the costs of shipping the exercise machine are also expected to be substantially lower than exercise machines of the prior art.

[0030] While the principles of the present invention have been made clear in the above illustrative embodiment, it is expected that those skilled in the art may make further modifications in the components of the invention without departing substantially from those principles. Accordingly, it is intended that the description and drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in the limiting sense, and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with the appended claims.