Patent Publication Number: US-11376467-B2

Title: Exercise device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a U.S. national stage application of PCT International Application No. PCT/AU2018/051057, filed Sep. 27, 2018, and published as PCT Publication WO/2019/060958 on Apr. 4, 2019, which claims priority to Australian Application No. AU 2017903948, filed on Sep. 28, 2017. The disclosures of all the foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into the present application. 
     FIELD 
     The invention concerns an exercise device, in particular but not exclusively, an exercise device for strength/resistance training. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Strength training (also referred to as resistance training) is the use of resistance to effect muscular contraction to build strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles. Strength training is based on the principle that muscles of the body will work to overcome a resistance force when required to do so. Athletes engaged in a repeated and consistent resistance training program will experience strengthening in those muscles being exercised. A well-rounded fitness program includes resistance training to improve bone, joint function, bone density, muscle, tendon and ligament strength as well as aerobic exercise to improve heart and lung fitness, flexibility and balance exercises. 
     Various types of exercise equipment are known for use in resistance training. Many such resistance training equipment include pull handles connected to cables, weights or other forms of resistance. In use, a person will grip the handle to cause some movement against a resistive force, for example the force required to lift an amount of weights. One drawback of conventional handles is the fact that they normally have a fixed point of attachment, therefor offering a limited range of movement which do not account for the rotation of a user&#39;s hand or wrist as the user&#39;s hand extends through the range of motions required to perform a particular type of exercise. Such limitation may result in injury due to unnatural stresses imparted to a user&#39;s joints, tendons and/or ligaments. 
     Published US patent application 2010/0113234 seeks to address the above problems by providing an ergonomically designed pull handle which avoids unnatural stresses in a user&#39;s body. The pull handle of that US application includes one or more axes of rotation in the pull handle. 
     Object 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative exercise device for use in strength/resistance training. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to a first aspect there is disclosed herein an exercise device for strength training, the exercise device including: 
     a device frame for operative coupling to a load during a strength training exercise, the device frame defining a device track; and 
     a handle assembly for operative attachment to the device frame, the handle assembly including (i) a hand grip to be held by a user during the strength training exercise, and (ii) a track follower formation attached to the hand grip, the track follower formation operatively adapted for movement along the device track during the strength training exercise. 
     Preferably the device frame includes at least one connector for operative coupling to an elongate body. 
     Preferably the at least one connector includes a flange having an aperture to facilitate attachment to the elongate body. 
     Preferably the device frame includes a plurality of connectors. 
     Preferably the device frame includes a first frame member and an opposing second frame member. 
     Preferably the first frame member is releasably secured to the second frame member. 
     Preferably the first frame member is releasably secured to the second frame member with a plurality of fasteners. 
     Preferably each fastener includes a nut and a bolt. 
     Preferably the first frame member and the second frame member are of identical construction. 
     Preferably the handle grip is elongate and longitudinally extends along a handle grip axis, the handle grip being attached to the track follower so as to be adapted for pivotal motion about the handle grip axis. 
     Preferably the device frame defines a curved device track. 
     Preferably the track follower is curved as to be complemental to the curved device track. 
     Preferably the handle assembly is adapted to undergo rotational movement as the track follower is moved along the device track. 
     Preferably the handle assembly includes a device track engagement formation adapted for engaging a complemental handle assembly engagement formation of the device track. 
     Preferably the device track engagement formation includes at least one groove and the handle assembly includes at least one outwardly extending protrusion adapted to be received within the at least one groove. 
     Preferably the device frame defines a connector track. 
     Preferably the connector track includes a connector track base and a connector slot formed within the device frame. 
     Preferably the flange of the at least one connector is adapted to pass through the connector slot. 
     Preferably the at least one connector includes a connector body wherein the flange outwardly extends from the connector body, the connector body adapted to be secured between the connector track base and the connector slot with the flange passing through the connector slot, wherein the connector flange is adapted to be moved along the connector slot. 
     Preferably the at least one connector is a first connector and the device frame includes two connectors, wherein the flange of each connector passes through the connector slot and wherein each connector flange is adapted to be moved along the connector slot. 
     In an embodiment (i) the device track is a first device track and the exercise device includes a second device track, and (ii) the handle assembly is a first handle assembly and the exercise device includes a second handle assembly. 
     In a second aspect there is disclosed herein an exercise device for strength training, the exercise device including: 
     a device frame for operative coupling to a load during a strength training exercise, the device frame defining a device track; 
     a handle assembly for operative attachment to the device frame, the handle assembly including (i) a hand grip to be held by a user during the strength training exercise, and (ii) a track follower formation attached to the hand grip, the track follower formation operatively adapted for movement along the device track during the strength training exercise; and 
     a resilient body operatively coupled to the device frame. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompany drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a user employing a first embodiment exercise device during a strength training exercise; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of the embodiment exercise device of  FIG. 1  without a resilient body; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic exploded perspective view of the exercise device of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic representation of different positions of a handle assembly of the exercise device of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic representation of different positions of a connector of the exercise device frame of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the handle assembly illustrating pivotal movement of a grip handle about a longitudinal grip handle axis; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic perspective view of a user employing a second embodiment exercise device during a strength training exercise; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic front view of exercise device of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic exploded perspective view of the exercise device of  FIG. 7   
         FIG. 10  is a schematic perspective view of a third embodiment exercise device. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a user employing an embodiment exercise device, generally indicated with the reference numeral  10 , to perform a strength training exercise. The exercise device  10  includes two device frames  12  which are connected to a resilient body  14 . The resilient body  14  includes a plurality of resilient bands  16 . By having the user stand on the resilient bands  16 , the device frames  12  are coupled to a load when the resilient bands  16  are stretched. As a result, the muscles of the user&#39;s body are caused to work to overcome the resistance force created by the stretched resilient bands  16 . During this strength training exercise muscle fibres of the user are broken down. In the days following the exercise the fibres will repair and grow stronger to meet demands placed thereon when next using the exercise device  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the device frame  12  frame includes a first frame member  18  and an opposing second frame member  20  which are releasably secured to each other. The first and second frame members  18 ,  20  each includes a track portion  22  which co-operate to define a device track  24  when the first and second frame members  18 ,  20  are secured to one another. The first and second frame members  18 ,  20  are of identical construction and can be aligned so that fastener openings  26  of the first and second frame members are located in register so as to be secured with fasteners  28 . In this embodiment the fasteners  28  each include a bolt  30  and nut  32 . 
     The exercise device  10  further includes a handle assembly  34  for operative attachment to the device frame  12 . The handle assembly  34  includes a hand grip  36  held by a user during a strength training exercise. The handle assembly  34  further includes a track follower formation  38  attached to the hand grip  30 . The track follower formation  38  is operatively adapted for movement along the device track  24  during the strength training exercise. 
     As shown, the device frame  12  defines a curved device track  24 . The track follower formation  38  is curved so as to be complemental to the curved device track  24 . The handle assembly  34  is adapted to undergo rotational/pivotal movement as the track follower formation  38  is moved along the device track  24 . The rotational/pivotal movement of the handle assembly  34  is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     The handle assembly  34  includes a device track engagement formation  40  adapted for engaging a complemental handle assembly engagement formation  42  of the device track  24 . The device track engagement formation  40  includes a number of grooves  44  and the handle assembly  34  includes a number of outwardly extending protrusions  46  adapted to be received within the grooves  44 . The device track engagement formation  40  also includes a number of outwardly extending protrusions  48  and the handle assembly  34  includes a number of non-illustrated grooves for receiving the protrusions  48 . 
     The device frame  12  includes two connectors  50  which are operatively adapted to couple to an elongate body, in this embodiment the resilient body  14 . Each connector  50  includes a connector body  51  and a connector flange  52  outwardly extending from the connector body  51 . The connector flange  52  defines an aperture  54  to facilitate attachment to the resilient body  14 . 
     The device frame  12  defines a connector track  56  which includes a connector track base  58  and a connector slot  60  formed within the device frame  12 . The dimensions of the connector flange  52  and the connector slot  60  is such that the flange  52  is adapted to pass through the connector slot  60 . Furthermore, the dimensions of the connector body  51  is such that the connector body  51  is adapted to be secured between the connector track base  58  and the connector slot  60 . The connector flange  52  is adapted to be moved along the connector slot  60  so that the connector  50  can be moved around the device frame  12  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The purpose of the movable connectors  50  is to provide a user with the ability to change direction of the device frame  12  orientation when the user is required to do a pull forward to the chest exercise, the device frame  12  does not get in the way of the user&#39;s wrist. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  the handle grip  36  is elongate and longitudinally extends along a handle grip axis  62 . The handle grip  36  is attached to the track follower formation  38  so as to be adapted for pivotal motion about the handle grip axis  62 . This pivotal movement is illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
       FIGS. 7 to 9  show a second embodiment exercise device  70 . In this embodiment the exercise device  70  includes a first and second device track  72 ,  74 , coupled via a central portion  73 , which respectively engage a first handle and second handle assembly  76 ,  78 . The first and second handle assemblies  76 ,  78  are adapted to undergo rotational movement respectively within the first and second device track  72 ,  74  in the manner discussed above. The exercise device  70  also includes a number of connectors  80  which, unlike the connectors  50  of the exercise device  10 , are fixed in numerous positions about the exercise device  70 . By securing a resilient body in different positions a user is provided with numerous exercise positions. 
     The exercise device  70  allows a user to conduct exercises on both sides of the body independently. The rotating handle assemblies  34  allow a user to position their hand grip at different angles to work different parts of the body. Typically, the hand assemblies  76 ,  78  are adapted for rotation through 360°. 
       FIG. 10  shows a third embodiment exercise device  90 . The exercise device  90  is similar to the exercise device  70  in that it includes a first and second device track  92 ,  94  coupled via a central portion  93 , which respectively engage a first handle and second handle assembly  96 ,  98 . The first and second handle assemblies  96 ,  98  are adapted to undergo rotational movement respectively within the first and second device track  92 ,  94  as discussed above. The exercise device  70  also includes a number of connectors  100  which are fixed in numerous positions about the exercise device  90 . However, unlike the exercise device  70 , the exercise device  90  also includes a number of connectors  102  which are able to undergo movement in a manner similar to the connectors  50  of the exercise device  10 . 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.