Abstract:
A portable exerciser for abdominal and gluteal exercise has a pivoting backrest with handgrips and a leg support extension which is alternately fixed or allowed to pivot for different exercises. The exerciser is easily disassembled and stored in very little space for later reassembly and use.

Description:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of exercise and physical fitness and in particular to a new and useful multi-purpose exercise bench for aiding a person performing a variety of abdominal and gluteal toning and strengthening exercises.  
           [0002]    Many different types of exercise equipment are presently available, including stationary bicycles, elliptical trainers, and resistance weight machines such as those sold under the name UNIVERSAL or LIFECYCLE, among others. Most exercise equipment is made for use in club gyms, like WORLD GYM, BALLYS or NEW YORK SPORTS CLUBS, and it is very bulky and not intended to be easily moved or stored.  
           [0003]    Many people prefer to exercise in their own home for a number of reasons, including convenience and embarrassment at being seen exercising in public. Home exercise equipment is often smaller or designed to be portable or compact for easier storage and movement compared to commercial gym equipment. Home exercise equipment ranges from simple benches or single function, portable exercisers, like the THIGHMASTER exerciser to more complex, all-in-one resistance weightlifting machines, such as the BOWFLEX or SOLOFLEX exercise machines.  
           [0004]    Home exercise benches for supporting a person&#39;s body during a workout are generally known. A common type of bench is a raised horizontal padded support for use performing bench press and other weightlifting exercises with a barbell or dumbbells. Often these benches have an integrated pair of vertical supports for holding a barbell above the bench between lifting exercises.  
           [0005]    Weightlifting benches sometimes have a pivoting backrest separate from a seat as well. The backrest pivots between horizontal to nearly vertical. Changing the angle of the backrest allows a person to perform different weightlifting exercises using the bench.  
           [0006]    Other than a pivoting backrest, or perhaps adjustable height vertical barbell supports, conventional weightlifting benches do not have any moving parts. Weightlifting benches are not usually capable of being significantly reduced in size for storage, mainly due to the size and rigidity of the frame needed for safely supporting a barbell over the backrest.  
           [0007]    Resistance exercise devices are sometimes attached to weightlifting benches to provide additional exercise function. Resistance exercise apparatus includes bulky leg lift or arm curl levers pivotally attached to the bench and having a cable or strap connected to a weight to provide resistance against movement. These levers and their associated weights add several feet in length to the bench and are usually complex and difficult to disassemble for storage, when possible. Leg extension and leg lift exercises for toning and strengthening the upper legs and gluteal muscles can be performed using these machines.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,586, for example, discloses a more complex weightlifting bench which includes adjustable barbell supports, a pivoting backrest, and fixed seat, and, as well, a leg exercise attachment for connection to a resistance device. The bench is rigidly formed, however, and although the bench can be moved to a storage position, the attached frame of the barbell supports cannot be reduced in size for storage.  
           [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,324 teaches an exercise bench which can be reconfigured between a horizontal bench and an incline bench at different angles. The bench does not have an integrated frame for supporting a barbell and can be folded to a flat storage position. The bench does not include any resistance exercise equipment.  
           [0010]    As is apparent from the prior patents, multi-purpose gyms and weightlifting benches are not well suited to performing sit-ups or other abdominal exercises because of the location of components which interfere with the necessary movements or issues with stability of the bench.  
           [0011]    Sit-ups and other abdominal exercises can be performed by simply laying on a floor and bending the knees. One known exercise requires the person to position their body adjacent a wall and extend their legs straight against the wall, with their back on the floor. Back injuries can result from uncushioned contact with a floor when performing such exercises, however. Injuries can also result from exercising without proper support for the back.  
           [0012]    Exercise mats are known for providing some padding between a person stretching or performing sit-ups and other exercises and the floor of a gym. Exercise mats are commonly a sheet of a flexible rubber-like material which is compressible when a person&#39;s weight is applied to the mat. Such mats help cushion parts of a person&#39;s body, such as the tailbone or head, against contact with the floor and provide only minimal support in one position. Exercise mats are easily stored, usually by rolling them up. But, exercise mats do not include any attachments, such as leg supports or handles.  
           [0013]    Other simple support equipment for exercising is known as well, including the exercise appliance of U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,647. The exercise appliance is essentially a semi-circular pillow for placing at the small of a person&#39;s back to provide resistance and support while performing sit-up exercises. The appliance enhances the exercise by creating additional resistance that the person doing the sit-ups must overcome.  
           [0014]    Mechanical devices for exercising the stomach and buttocks are also known. For instance, the hand-held abdominal exerciser disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,275, is operated by a person placing a pad of the exerciser against their stomach and pulling a housing toward them. The pad is mounted on a plunger held in the housing for sliding movement resisted by elastic cords. In an alternate use, the pad can be placed against the buttocks and the housing pulled to exercise those muscles.  
           [0015]    These mechanical exercisers typically require some minimum strength or skill to use properly and effectively. Also, they do not provide good back or leg support while exercising.  
           [0016]    A multiple configuration, portable exercise support for abdominal and gluteal exercises that is easily stored is not presently known. Such a device is needed to provide a simple, yet effective support for performing different exercises, while occupying little space when stored.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0017]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable abdominal and gluteal exerciser having good back support.  
           [0018]    Yet another object of the invention is to provide an exerciser for performing abdominal and gluteal exercises that is stored easily between uses.  
           [0019]    Accordingly, an exerciser of the invention has a frame horizontally supporting a seat and a pivoting backrest, sit-up handles attached to the backrest, and a leg support positionable at different elevation angles mounted to the frame. The leg support has an adjustable length elongated bar supporting two pads adjacent one end. The other end of the leg support bar is made to pivotally connect to a support hinge on the frame at the end adjacent the seat. The exerciser is adaptable for use performing either sit-ups or gluteal muscle exercises.  
           [0020]    When sit-ups or a similar abdominal exercise will be performed, the exerciser is arranged to support a person&#39;s legs in an elevated position. The leg support bar has a pin opening for aligning with a selected one of three or more corresponding openings in the support hinge to select an elevation angle. A locking pin is inserted through the aligned openings to secure the bar at the desired angle for use. A person can place their legs over the pads and grasp the handles to pull the pivoting backrest forward as they perform sit-ups or a similar abdominal exercise.  
           [0021]    In an alternate configuration for performing gluteal muscle exercises, the locking pin is not used. An elastic band is connected between the leg support bar and the frame to provide resistance when the leg support bar is pivoted toward the backrest. The elastic band may be connected by hooks or similar connectors at each of the leg support bar and frame. To perform the exercise, a person lays on their stomach and adjusts the leg support bar length so their ankles are behind the pads and their knees bend at about the same position as the pivot connection of leg support bar and support hinge. Then, the feet and legs are brought toward the buttocks repeatedly to exercise the gluteal muscles.  
           [0022]    The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]    In the drawings:  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a top, left side perspective view of an exerciser of the invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a top, left side perspective view of the exerciser of FIG. 1 in a second position;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a top, left, front perspective view of the leg support of FIG. 1;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3A is an end sectional view of the leg support taken along line  3 - 3  of FIG. 3;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a front, left side perspective view of the hinge of FIG. 1; and  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the locking pin used in FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]    Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar elements, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an exerciser  10  of the invention having a horizontal frame  30  supporting a seat  12  and pivotable backrest  14 . The backrest is connected to the frame  20  via hinge  16 . The opposing edges of the seat  12  and backrest  14  are both beveled to permit generally unhindered movement of the backrest  14  toward the seat  12 . The backrest  14  can pivot forward toward seat  12  up to 90° from the horizontal position, as illustrated by angle C in FIG. 2.  
         [0031]    Handgrips  80  are removably or permanently connected to the end of the backrest  14 . The handgrips  80  may be connected, for instance, by stitching, corresponding hook and loop fasteners (such as VELCRO fasteners), snap connectors, rivets or other connectors which provide a strong connection, regardless of the permanence of the connection. The handgrips  80  should be connected so they are not pulled free when the exerciser  10  is used to perform sit-ups or other abdominal exercises in which the handgrips are gripped and pulled forward with the backrest  14 . The handgrips preferably consist of a strap connected to the backrest and a handle, such as a D-ring, O-ring or cylindrical rod handle.  
         [0032]    Frame  30  may include a cross member  32  for shape stability and to help support the backrest  14  in the horizontal rest position. The cross member  32  extends across the frame  30  to make the rectangular frame  30  more rigid and resistant to shifting out of square.  
         [0033]    Short, skid-resistant feet  35 , preferably made from rubber, are mounted to the bottom of the frame  30 , preferably at the ends. The feet  35  are provided only to help prevent the frame  30  from sliding across the planar surface, such as a tile or carpeted floor, where the exerciser  10  is used. The feet  35  should not significantly raise the frame  30  above the surface where it is used.  
         [0034]    Frame  30  includes a support hinge  40  for pivotally mounting a leg support bar  50  to the exerciser  10 . The support hinge  40  can be removably connected to the frame  30 , such as by a threaded connector, or permanently connected using a rivet.  
         [0035]    The leg support bar  50  carries a pair of leg pads  55  extending perpendicularly from the bar  50 . The leg pads  55  may be mounted to an adjustable bar  52  of the leg support bar  50 .  
         [0036]    [0036]FIGS. 3 and 4 show enlarged views of the support hinge  40  and leg support bar  50 , respectively. The support hinge  40  is preferably formed in a U-shape having a channel  48  for guiding the leg support bar  50 , and the closed end having a bolt hole  49  for securing the support hinge  40  to the frame  30  via a threaded connector or similar connector. The bottom side of the channel  48  may also be closed to make the support hinge  40  more rigid.  
         [0037]    The support hinge  40  includes pivot opening  42  through the side of the U-shape, and at least three locking pin openings  43 ,  44 ,  45  adjacent the arcuate open edge of the hinge  40 . The openings  42 - 45  preferably each have a corresponding aligned opening (not shown) on the opposite side of the channel  48 .  
         [0038]    The leg support bar  50  is connected to the support hinge  40  by aligning end hole  58  with pivot opening  42  and inserting a pin or bolt through the openings  42 ,  58  in each component. Thus, the leg support bar  50  is guided within channel  48  of support hinge  40  for pivoting movement up and down.  
         [0039]    The leg support bar  50  can be locked at a specific angle defined by one of the locking pin openings  43 - 45  by inserting a locking pin  70  (shown in FIGS. 1, 5) through the appropriate locking pin opening  43 - 45  aligned with pin hole  56  in leg support bar  50 . The locking pin openings  43 - 45  are preferably arranged to position the leg support at angles of 30°, 50° and 70° relative to horizontal.  
         [0040]    Further, the adjustable bar  52  is preferably adapted to slide within leg support bar  50  to increase or decrease the distance of the leg pads  55  from the frame  30 , such as shown in FIG. 3A. The leg support bar  50  and adjustable bar  52  preferably each have length adjustment openings  53  which can be aligned and a second locking pin  70  inserted through to hold the bars  50 ,  52  in their relative positions.  
         [0041]    In use, the leg support bar  50  is preferably locked at one of the three angles (30°, 50°, 70°) for performing sit-ups or other abdominal exercises. The angle selected will affect the difficulty of the exercise, with a greater angle being more difficult. A person then lays flat on the seat  12  and backrest  14  and places their legs over the pads  55  so the backs of their knees are on the pads in a bent position. The length of the leg support bar  50  is adjusted as needed to achieve this position. The handgrips  80  are grasped with each hand so that the hands are positioned approximately adjacent the head.  
         [0042]    Now that they are in proper position, the person then contracts their abdominal muscles and pulls their torso, and the backrest  14 , forward towards their knees and the leg pads  55 . The muscles are relaxed, and the torso and backrest  14  return to at least near the horizontal position, followed by repeating the contraction and relaxing a number of times. Typically, the exercise is done in sets of 10, 15 or 20 and sometimes more, followed by a period of rest and then additional exercises and rest periods until the person is satisfied with their workout.  
         [0043]    The exerciser  10  can also be used to perform gluteal muscle exercises. For this purpose, the leg support bar  50  is not locked into a particular angle in the support hinge  40 , but, rather, is allowed to pivot within channel  48 . Hooks  62 ,  64  are provided on each of the frame  30  and adjacent the leg pads  55  for connecting a resistance band  60  between them. The resistance band  60  may be an elastic cord, for example, a bungee cord or the elastic straps commonly used in physical therapy to provide varying degrees of resistance.  
         [0044]    To perform the gluteal muscle exercises, the person now lays flat on their stomach on the seat  12  and backrest  14 . The leg support bar  50  length is adjusted so that the leg pads  55  are positioned at about the back of the person&#39;s ankles, with their legs under the leg pads  55 . The knees should be positioned aligned with the pivot connection of the leg support bar  50  at openings  42 ,  58 . The person may choose to grasp the handgrips  80 , or simply place their arms at their sides.  
         [0045]    Once in position, the leg and gluteal muscles are contracted by bringing the ankles and leg pads  55  toward the buttocks and seat  12  against the resistance of the resistance band  60 , if any. The contracted position may be held for a short count, if desired, and then the muscles are relaxed and the legs returned to at least near a resting position. Preferably a resistance band  60  is used which provides at least some small resistance because it also acts to help return the leg support bar  50  to the horizontal position. The rear of channel  48  in the hinge  40  prevents the leg support bar  50  from being moved past vertical (90° to horizontal), so that the leg support bar  50  will usually tend to return to the starting position anyway.  
         [0046]    As with the abdominal exercises, the gluteal muscle exercises may be repeated a set number of times, followed by rest periods and additional repetitions until the person exercising is satisfied.  
         [0047]    The exerciser  10  provides good back and body support when performing either type of exercise so as to minimize the likelihood of injury to the person. The pivoting backrest  14  and handgrips  80  provide continuous support for a person&#39;s back while they perform abdominal exercises. The planar arrangement of the seat  12  and backrest  14  when performing gluteal muscle exercises also provides good support to the person.  
         [0048]    And, the adjustable length leg support bar  50 , which permits changing the position of the leg pads  55  relative to the seat  12 , ensures that leg injuries from poor positioning when performing gluteal muscle exercises is avoided. The knees can be aligned with the pivot connection of the bar  50  and hinge  40  so that the exercise motion and exerciser  10  movements are synchronized.  
         [0049]    The exerciser  10  is easily disassembled for storage, such as in a preferred embodiment, by disconnecting the support hinge  40  and leg support bar  50  from the frame and placing them flat together for storage under a bed, or standing inside a closet.  
         [0050]    The components are all preferably lightweight, and can be made from strong plastics or metals which are both lightweight and structurally sound. Leather, vinyl or hypoallergenic materials can be used for the seat  12  and backrest  14  and leg pads  55 .  
         [0051]    While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.