Abstract:
Presented is a curl bar used for lifting weight which has a compressible section in the bar, so a user can compress and uncompress the bar laterally, as well as use the bar for lifting weights or resistance in a direction perpendicular to the bar.

Description:
PRIORITY/CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/157,779, filed Mar. 5, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts generally relates to an apparatus for use in weightlifting, and more particularly to a curl bar which provides resistance in a lateral direction. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    One method that weightlifters use to add resistance to a weightlifting routine is to utilize a stack of flat plates combined with either a low or a high pulley and a handle. The weightlifter pulls the handle and the handle is connected to a cable and the cable lifts as many of the plates as the weightlifter has selected. In this kind of weightlifting setup, the weightlifter can perform hundreds of different exercises using either the low or the high pulley in the same stack of weights to exercise virtually any muscle in the human body. 
         [0004]    One way that weightlifters and other athletes increase the effectiveness of a workout is to find a way to do two exercises at once, or to exercise two muscle groups from the same position. An example of this is when a person stands or sits on a balance ball while performing some form of weightlifting such as dumbbell curls. Part of the athlete&#39;s energy and concentration goes into balance and core muscles and part goes into the specific exercise of using the dumbbells in a bicep curl. 
         [0005]    Any weightlifting device which can incorporate two exercises into one position or one movement is thus a desirable improvement over previous devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0006]    The purpose of the Abstract is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the inventive concept(s) of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the inventive concept(s) in any way. 
         [0007]    The invention is a type of curl bar which allows the user to attach the curl bar to a stack of weights or some other resistance device, and pull against the resistance. In this way, it operates like a conventional handle or bar that is attached to weights. The curl bar of the invention also provides the user with the opportunity to press the gripping handles of the curl bar towards each other, against resistance provided by the design of the curl bar. 
         [0008]    The curl bar is generally cylindrical with a long axis. It has a right and a left grip handle which are configured to move towards each other when they are pressed towards each other by the user. This can be accomplished as a separate exercise, or can be incorporated into the bar&#39;s use as a curl bar. Attached to the curl bar is at least one attachment yoke and typically, one at each end, by which the curl bar is attached to some resistance assembly. The resistance assembly can be a stack of weights, which are well known in the prior art, which are attached to the curl bar of the invention by a cable which passes through a low pulley or a high pulley. The curl bar includes a compressible section which allows the curl bar to shorten and lengthen against resistance along the long axis of the curl bar. The compressible section can be a hollow chamber which is defined in some part of the cylindrical curl bar body. Inside the chamber is a piston which is movable inside the hollow chamber. Moving the piston in and out of the hollow chamber provides resistance in the lateral movement of the left and right gripping handles. This resistance can be caused by a spring inside the hollow chamber, or by the resistance of elastic components such as elastic bands. The resistance to movement of the piston in and out of the hollow chamber may also be caused by the compression of air by movement of the piston in the hollow chamber. The movement of the piston inside the hollow chamber can be controlled and resistance can be adjusted by controlling the size of an opening to the hollow chamber through which air can pass as the piston is moved in and out of the chamber. 
         [0009]    The spring can thus provide resistance to the piston going into the chamber and aid in moving the piston toward the outside of the hollow chamber. The piston or plunger can include an air seal such as one or more O-rings in order to form a more airtight seal within the inner chamber. Although the hollow chamber can be in any part of the curl bar, in one embodiment the hollow chamber is inside one of the grip handles of the curl bar. 
         [0010]    Still other features and advantages of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description describing preferred embodiments of the inventive concept(s), simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out the inventive concept(s). As will be realized, the inventive concept(s) is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the inventive concept(s). Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive in nature. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a plane view of one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an exploded plane view of the curl bar. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the threaded end cap. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the plunger tip. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    While the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the inventive concept(s) to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept(s) as defined in the claims. 
         [0016]    In the following description and in the figures, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The use of “e.g.,” “etc,” and “or” indicates non-exclusive alternatives without limitation unless otherwise noted. The use of “including” means “including, but not limited to,” unless otherwise noted. 
         [0017]    Shown in  FIG. 1  is the curl bar  10  which includes a left grip handle  12 , a right grip handle  14 , a slide bar  34 , and a left attachment yoke  16  and a right attachment yoke  18 . Part of the curl bar  10  is the cylindrical curl bar body  22  which has an obvious long axis. 
         [0018]    The curl bar of the invention is shown in the enclosed figure. One figure shows the curl bar assembled and another figure shows the curl bar in an exploded view. 
         [0019]    The curl bar attaches to a resistance assembly by the attachment yokes  3  which are positioned at either end of the curl bar. The resistance assembly can be a stack of weights, which would typically be enclosed within a conventional weight stack machine in a gym. Other resistance assemblies are possible such as air pistons. The weight can be lifted from a position above the curl bar or below the curl bar, from a low pulley or a high pulley. It would typically be used as a bicep curl, with a cable going from the attachment yokes  3  to a low pulley. While the curl bar of the invention is used to lift a stack of weights, such as in a bicep curl motion, the two grip handles of the curl bar can be pressed together, which provides additional work for the biceps, and work for a different part of the biceps. 
         [0020]    Left Side of the Curl Bar: 
         [0021]    The left grip handle  12  is a tubular piece of metal threaded at both ends, and has no moving parts. The slide bar  34  passes through collar  38  threaded sleeve  40  and collar  38 , and screws into the plunger tip  36 , which is preferably brass. The slide bar  9  is also screwed into the cap  10 , with  10  being screwed into the end of the left grip handle  12 . The left side of left grip handle  12  is sealed by the threaded end cap  42 , into which the bolt  44  is screwed through a hole in the left attachment yoke  16 . The collar  38  is preferably brass, and is a tubular cylinder and is fitted into threaded sleeve  40 . The collar  38  in one version is made of “Oil Light”, which is a self lubricating form of sintered brass. The slide bar  34  passes through both collar  38  and threaded sleeve  40 , and screws into the plunger tip  36 . The slide bar  34  freely rotates within the collar  38  and the threaded sleeve  40 . 
         [0022]    A plunger tip  36  which fits inside the left grip handle  12  on the left hand side. The bolt  44  on the left has a seal which seals the air from escaping from the hollow chamber in the left grip handle  12 . Plunger tip  36  also has a seal in the form of an O ring which stops air from escaping from the right side of the left handle. When the handles are pressed together the air pressure inside the left handle causes resistance so that it is hard to push the right grip handle  14  towards the left grip handle  12 . Part  1  on the left grip handle  12  also has a hole drilled from the end of the screw through the length of the screw and out through the threads. When cap  44  is unscrewed from the handle a little, it allows air to escape through this hole which decreases the resistance to the plunger  36  being inserted into the left grip handle  12 . This hole forms the air release valve  24 . 
         [0023]    There is a spring  28  which is inside the left grip handle  12  between the end cap  42  and the plunger tip  36 . The spring helps the bar return to its original position after it is compressed, thus moving the two grip handles apart. Attachment yoke  16  is present on both the left and the right sides, and provides attachment points to connect the curl bar  10  to a source of resistance, such as a weight stack. 
         [0024]    The person using the bar will grab each handle and do a normal curl using the weight stack or an air cylinder as resistance while the user does a normal curl he may also compress the bar and experience resistance from two different directions. The inward compression targets the inside of the bicep very powerfully. 
         [0025]    The right side of the curl bar is similar to the left side, but may not include a hollow chamber with piston that fits inside. In one embodiment of the invention both sides have the piston and the hollow chamber, and the version shown in  FIG. 2  is a version in which the hollow chamber is only on the left side. The right side of the curl bar starts at the threaded sleeve  40  which is equivalent to the threaded sleeve  40  on the left side. The slide bar  34  passes through the threaded sleeve  40  on the right side and screws into threads in the right grip handle  14 . A threaded end cap  42  fits into the end of the right grip handle  14  and is similar to the threaded end cap  42  on the left side, but it does not have an air release valve. The right side also includes a right attachment yoke  18  which is attached to the curl bar by a threaded end cap  42 . 
         [0026]    Shown in  FIG. 3  is the end cap  42  which shows the air release valve  24 .  FIG. 3  shows the threaded end cap as being hollow, but in a version which did not include the air release valve, the threaded end cap would not need to be hollow. 
         [0027]    Shown in  FIG. 4  is the plunger tip  36  which in this embodiment includes a groove  46  in which is placed an O-ring (not shown). 
         [0028]    While certain exemplary embodiments are shown in Figures and in this disclosure, it is to be distinctly understood that the presently disclosed inventive concept(s) is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.