Exercise device

An exercise device for use in connection with various types of exercise and activities, including, for example, Pilates, yoga, core conditioning, stability, stretching, and physical therapy. The exercise device includes an indicator for quantifying resistance force applied by the resistance tube during stretching of the tube. Repeated use of the exercise device can be used to identify strength gains.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to an exercise device and method of using an exercise device to identify strength gains.

Resistance exercise devices are known. An example of a resistance exercise product including a stretchable elongated tube is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,322, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to an exercise device that includes a stretchable elongated tube, indicia for measuring resistance force applied by the elongated tube during stretching of the elongated tube, and an indicator used to quantify the resistance force being applied. The exercise device can be used in connection with various types of exercise, including, for example, Pilates, yoga, core conditioning, stability, and stretching. The exercise device also may be used to gauge incremental strength gains during such exercise or during rehabilitation or physical therapy.

Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

While the present disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, an embodiment with the understanding that the present description is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the disclosure and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.

FIGS. 1-4illustrate an exercise device10in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The illustrated exercise device10comprises an elongated resistance tube12having a pair of ends14and a pair of handles16. The resistance tube12may have any suitable construction, configuration and dimensions and may be sized for different purposes. Resistance tube12may, for example, be constructed of any rubber or any other suitable stretchable material, and may have any suitable dimensions.

The handles16also may have any suitable construction, configuration and dimensions and may be secured to resistance tube12in any suitable manner and at any suitable location. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, each handle16is associated with a respective end14of the resistance tube12. Each handle16comprises a fabric strip18forming a loop and defining a hole20receiving the resistance tube12, a metal grommet22disposed about the hole, and a tubular hand grip24constructed of PVC or the other like disposed about the strip18. A handle sleeve26may be disposed about each end14of the resistance tube12. A ridge28or the like may be disposed within the resistance tube12adjacent each of its two ends14. The ridge28has a diameter30that is greater than the diameter of hole20. The ridge28may be any protrusion that prevents handle16from disengaging the elongated tube12.FIGS. 1-4show a plug form of the ridge28which is received snugly within a channel defined by the resistance tube12adjacent the respective open end of the resistance tube and is configured to expand the channel and portions of the resistance tube12and handle sleeve26disposed about the plug. The handles14may instead comprise any other type of strip18or other structure secured to the resistance tube12in any suitable manner. The strip18or other structure may be constructed of any suitable material and have any suitable configuration in accordance with other embodiments. Similarly, each of the grommet22, the hand grip24, the handle sleeve26, and the ridge28may have any other suitable construction or configuration or may be omitted in accordance with other embodiments. U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,322, which is incorporated herein by reference, provides examples of handles16and of methods of securing the handles to resistance tubes.

The illustrated exercise device10also includes adjacent each end an indicator32disposed on the elongated tube12shown in the form of a sleeve. The illustrated indicator32runs generally parallel to the elongated tube12and covers a portion thereof. The indicator32may be attached to the fabric strip18by one or more flanges34. In a two-flange embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-4, for example, flanges34extend away from the elongated tube12to run adjacent to corresponding portions of fabric strip18and may be attached to such portions by stitching or any other suitable attachment method or structure. The indicator32may be of any suitable length and may be constructed of any suitable flexible or non-flexible material. The indicator32may have any other suitable construction and configuration and may be associated with the elongated tube12in any other suitable manner in accordance with other embodiments.

Exercise device10also includes indicia36disposed on or otherwise associated with each end of the elongated tube12for measuring resistance force applied by the elongated tube12during stretching of the elongated tube12. Indicia36may take the form of one or more numbers, letters, markings, symbols, or other designations. InFIG. 2, a designation38of indicia36is shown in this embodiment as the number “1”. Designation38of indicia36is revealed when the tube12is stretched an appropriate magnitude. (References to right and left in this disclosure are used for illustrative purposes only to correspond to the FIGS. as shown.) Exercise device10can be used in a horizontal, vertical, angled, or multi-directional orientation.

The exercise device10may include two indicators32and indicia38, each indicator and each indicia associated with a respective end of the elongated tube12, as shown, for example, in the embodiments illustrated inFIGS. 1-4and5. Alternatively, the exercise device10may instead include a single indicator32and indicia38associated with one of the ends of the elongated tube12. In accordance with other embodiments, the exercise device10may include one or more indicator and indicia disposed elsewhere along the length of the elongated tube12.

Illustrated designation38corresponds to a first or lowest referenced resistance force level. As shown inFIG. 3, applying a greater force to further stretch the elongated tube12reveals a second designation42shown as the number “2” corresponding to a second resistance force level. Any number of designations may be positioned along elongated tube12to correspond to additional resistance force levels. For example,FIG. 4shows indicia36comprised of four designations38,42,44,46shown as “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4” corresponding to four increasing resistance force levels. Using these designations, the lowest number (and resistance force level) would be positioned farthest from the respective end, with each increasing number and resistance force level being positioned progressively closer to the respective end. The designations may identify specific magnitudes of force or instead may reflect arbitrary or unidentified magnitudes of force.

A resistance force level is identified or otherwise referenced when indicator32aligns with indicia36, or, for embodiments with one or more designations comprising the indicia36, when the indicator32aligns with one of the designations. The illustrated indicator32aligns with the designation when an end48of the indicator moves relative to elongated tube12causing such indicia or other indicia to be revealed. The indicator32may take any form suitable for aligning with the indicia36to quantify a resistance force level in accordance with other embodiments. Aligning may mean revealing, pointing to, obstructing, or in any other way conveying that a designation of indicia36has been indicated.

FIG. 5illustrates the exercise device10in accordance with an alternative embodiment wherein the indicator comprises a sleeve49that defines a window50for identifying the resistance force level. The window50may be a cutout region of the sleeve49, or be formed of a transparent material such as a clear plastic. The illustrated indicator52may include a line, stripe, arrow, or any other marking that can align with indicia36during stretching of the elongated tube12. The indicator may have any other suitable construction and configuration in accordance with other embodiments.

The exercise device10can be used in connection with various types of exercises and activities, including, for example, Pilates, yoga, core conditioning, stability, stretching, rehabilitation, and physical therapy. The exercise device10can be used in any suitable manner. Depending on the exercise, either or both handles of the pair of handles16can be engaged with feet or any other part of the legs, hands or any other part of the arms, or with any structure. Additionally, one of the handles16may be omitted. There are countless exercises that can be performed with the exercise device10.

In use, for the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-4, both indicia36are covered by respective indicators32shown in the form of a sleeve. The elongated tube12is then stretched. During stretching, the location of at least one of the indicators relative to its respective indicia36can be viewed to quantify the resistance force being applied by the elongated tube12during such stretching. This quantifying is accomplished by observing one or more designations of at least one of the indicia36being revealed and attributing increasing resistance force levels to each designation. (Whether one or both of the indicators32and respective indicia36of the illustrated exercise device10can be used to quantify force may depend upon the type of exercise being performed.) A user is thus able to gauge a strength gain by noticing the user can initially only cause a lower designation to be revealed, for example, a “1”, and then during subsequent exercise noticing a higher designation has been revealed, for example, a “3”. This can be useful, for example, to gauge the progress of physical therapy and rehabilitation, to quantify gains during training programs, or for other purposes.

While the concepts of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such an illustration and description is to be considered as exemplary and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the illustrative embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected by the following claims.