Abstract:
The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus that enables a number of exercises to be carried out utilising the apparatus. The present invention provides an aid to a user to perform an exercise using their own body weight. The apparatus comprises a biasing means arranged and configured to provide support for a user when in use, the biasing means including a sleeve and a piston arranged to move relative to the sleeve. The biasing means further includes a chamber provided between the sleeve and the piston wherein movement of the piston from a rest configuration to an extended configuration causes compression of the material in the chamber.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus that enables a number of exercises to be carried out utilising the arrangement. 
         [0003]    2. State of the Art 
         [0004]    With the recent trends in exercising many people seek to attend classes such as aerobics or alternatively become a member of a gym where they can attend and regularly exercise. However, these situations rely on an individual being able to attend either a set class or alternatively transport themselves to a gym which may be inconvenient for individuals as it causes them to modify their schedule accordingly. This often results in a situation wherein an individual misses out on their desired exercise routine. Additionally, most exercise apparatus involves a user pushing or pulling against a resistance, for example lifting a weight. However, it is becoming more widely appreciated that exercising in a manner in which exercise is conducted against the weight of the user more beneficial for the fitness and well being of the user. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention overcomes some of the problems outlined above by providing an exercise apparatus that aids a user to perform an exercise using their own body weight. 
         [0006]    According to a first aspect of the present invention there is an exercise apparatus for providing support for a user when the user is performing an exercise, the apparatus comprising a biasing means arranged and configured to provide support for a user when in use, the biasing means including a sleeve and a piston arranged to move relative to the sleeve, the biasing means further including a chamber provided between the sleeve and the piston wherein movement of the piston from a rest configuration to an extended configuration causes compression of the material in the chamber. 
         [0007]    The material in the chamber may be a fluid or a gas. 
         [0008]    The apparatus preferably further comprises means to adjust the restoring force of the biasing means between an extended configuration and a rest configuration. 
         [0009]    The apparatus preferably further comprises a user contact member arranged to be supported by the biasing means. 
         [0010]    The contact member is preferably supported by the piston. 
         [0011]    The user contact member is preferably tiltable relative to the biasing means 
         [0012]    The user contact member preferably includes an elastically deformable material. 
         [0013]    The biasing means beneficially comprises a valve system arranged to control the movement of piston relative to the sleeve. 
         [0014]    The apparatus further comprises a base onto which the biasing means is mounted. 
         [0015]    A protrusion is preferably arranged to extend generally perpendicular to the biasing means. The protrusion preferably extends generally perpendicular to the sleeve, extending either side of the sleeve. 
         [0016]    The user contact member is preferably arranged to support a user&#39;s midriff and/or a user&#39;s back, and/or a user&#39;s buttocks. 
         [0017]    According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is an exercise apparatus for providing support for at least a part of the torso of a user when the user is performing an exercise, the apparatus comprising a biasing means arranged and configured to provide support for a user when in use, the biasing means being variable to provide an adjustable restoring force between an extended configuration and a rest configuration. 
         [0018]    The exercise apparatus preferably further comprises means to adjust the restoring force of the biasing means between an extended configuration and a rest configuration. 
         [0019]    The exercise apparatus beneficially comprises a support member arranged to extend from a base, the support member being arranged to co-operate with the biasing means. 
         [0020]    The exercise apparatus preferably further comprises a user contact member arranged to be supported by the support member. 
         [0021]    The user contact member is preferably arranged to extend between at least two support points. 
         [0022]    The biasing means is preferably the user contact member in one embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0023]    The user contact member is preferably tilt table relating to the support member. This enables support for a user&#39;s midriff or back dependant on the exercise to be programmed. 
         [0024]    The user contact member may be an elastically deformable material. 
         [0025]    The clamping means is preferably arranged to enable the user contact member to be selectively tensioned to a selectable degree. The clamping means may be averaged to tilt relative to the support member. 
         [0026]    The biasing means is preferably interchangeable between a plurality of biasing means. The biasing means is beneficially a spring. The biasing means may further comprise locking means arranged to lock the biasing means at a selectable configuration in order to enable the restoring force to be adjusted. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exercise apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of a second aspect of the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an exercise apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of a second aspect of the present invention. 
           [0029]      FIGS. 3 and 4  are perspective views of exemplary embodiments of a first aspect of the present invention. 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a gas spring suitable for use in a first aspect of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0031]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary exercise apparatus. The arrangement comprises a base  102  having supports  104  extending generally perpendicular relative to the base  102 . The supports may be height adjustable via a catch mechanism (not shown) whereby depressing a button  106  causes release of a member extending into the upper portion  108  of the support  104  such that the relative height of the upper support  108  to the lower part of the support  104  can be adjusted. This provides adjustability for different sizes and shapes of user. It will be appreciated that any type of mechanism whereby the upper part of the support  104  or in particular the portion at which the user contact member  110  is connected to be height adjustable relative to the base  102 . The user contact member if clamped between the upper portion of the support  104 . In one embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, a plurality of user contact members are provided which may be releasably connected to the upper support  108 . The user contact members are made of a elastically deformable material such as elastic which provided some support to the midriff area of a user for performing exercises such as in particular press-ups. User contact members  110  having different elastic properties can be utilised an releasably connected to the upper supports  108  as necessary. It will be appreciated that user contact members having lower values of elasticity make the exercise easier as more support is provided for the user. This is particularly beneficial for a user who is potentially less fit, or alternatively is recovering from injury. Again, however, a user who is performing an exercise against their own mass rather than against weights or similar thereby improves a user&#39;s core stability rather than solely individual muscle groups. 
         [0032]    Again referring to  FIG. 1 , the user contact member in a more preferred embodiment is fixed to one of the upper supports  108  and is drawn across to the opposing upper support  108 . A releasable clip mechanism is provided on the opposing support such that the user contact member can be extended to the tension as required. It is clear that increasing the tension in the user contact member  110  will reduce the subsequent elastic property of the user contact member and as such will provide more support to a user. Releasing the user contact member reduces the support provided to the user. The user contact member may extend from one of the supports  108  to the opposing support  108  to extend therethrough and may be clamped via a hinged clip which will clamp the user contact member between two surfaces thereby preventing movement. It will be appreciated that a variety of clamping means may be utilised however provided that the tension in the user contact member is adjustable then the object of the invention will be achieved. It is also envisaged that the user contact member could be used to support a user&#39;s back during a sit up exercise. For this reason, it is envisaged that the user contact member may be tilted to provide the devised angle for supporting a user when performing an exercise. 
         [0033]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a second embodiment of an exercise apparatus is provided of the comprising a user contact member  110  that may or may not be deformable but is arranged to be mounted on a support comprising means to enable the user contact member to move relative to the base  102 . The user contact member may comprise a rigid body having a soft covering thereon shaped and configured to receive the generally midriff area of the user to provide support. The support  104  enables the user contact member  110  to move relative to the base and may have a spring  112  or any alternative resilient biasing member which may be deformed when a force is applied to the upper surface of the user contact member  110 . If a spring is used as the biasing member, the spring  112  may be removable such that the restoring force against the weight of the user may be altered as required. 
         [0034]    A further preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in particular with respect to  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a support onto which the contact member  110  is mounted comprises a biasing means which can be generally referred to as a gas strut or a gas spring. A suitable arrangement is shown in more detail in  FIG. 5  but generally comprises a sleeve portion  120  and a piston portion  112  which locates within the sleeve portion  120 . It will be appreciated that with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4  the piston portion  122  is arranged to support the user contact member  110  however the arrangement could simply be reversed such that the sleeve  120  supports the user contact member  110  and the piston portion  122  is connected to the base  102 . Referring back to the drawings, the piston portion  122  is moveable with respect to the sleeve portion  120  and is moveable against a sealed gas compartment which provides resistance to movement of the piston relative to the sleeve. A sealing arrangement  124  ensures that no gas can escape from the sleeve  122  as the piston portion  122  is forced down into the sleeve  124 . It is important in the present invention that there is not an increasing resistance to downward movement as generally downward movement of the piston occurs as would happen with a simple spring arrangement. Accordingly, a valve system (see  FIG. 5  for example) ensures that constant resistance through the movement of the piston within the sleeve is maintained. This is important for a user performing an exercise as will ensure that the user does not rely on the increased resistance provided by the biasing means to perform the exercise successfully. Accordingly, a user will be forced to contract their pelvic muscles, for example, in a press up position in order that the user can return to the starting position. 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , protrusions  126  are arranged to extend from the sleeve  120  to enable further exercises to be carried out, for example to provide support for a user&#39;s feet for completing a sit up. The protrusions may be fixed to the sleeve  120  via any suitable means, and as can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the protrusions may comprise a single piece which clamps to the sleeve  120 . 
         [0036]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , a suitable gas strut  130  is generally indicated comprising a sleeve  120  and piston  132 . The piston moves up and down within the sleeve  132  and the head is provided with a sealing arrangement  134  which prevents release of gas from the chamber  136  out of the system. The head of the piston comprises a protrusion  136  which is arranged such that it will come into contact with the corresponding stopper  138  located at the upper end of the sleeve which acts as a stopper to prevent further movement. When in use, as the piston is forced through the chamber  136  via the weight of the user, movement past the position in which the protrusion  136  contacts the stopper  138  is therefore prevented. An important feature of the present invention is that a valve system  140  is provided which controls the pressure within the chamber  136  such that a constant opposing force is applied against the movement of the piston. This is important as movement of the piston through the chamber  136  will be at a consistent speed (with a constant mass on the piston) and the valve system  140  enables the restoring force to remain substantially constant irrespective of the position of the piston  132  with respect to the sleeve  120 . As such, the resistance against movement of the piston  132  through the cylinder  120  will not increase as the protrusion  136  approaches the stopper  138 . 
         [0037]    It is further appreciated that the pressure within the chamber  136  may be varied as provided for by alternative gas struts currently available. A control or dial may beneficially be provided as indicated in  FIG. 3 , with reference numeral  118 , which can be varied for different user weights, and/or depending on the pressure causes the exercise to be made more difficult as the pressure is lowered, to being easier as the pressure and thus the support increases. 
         [0038]    Benefits of the apparatus is significant and enables a user to perform press ups under range of core body weight exercises by providing support in a generally weak pelvic area. The apparatus provides the necessary support to allow the user to get into the anatomically correct position. It also enables the user to slow down the exercise thus enabling the user to perform the right technique and forces the user to contract the pelvic muscles thus ensuring muscle strengthening and continued progress. 
         [0039]    The present invention has been described by way of example only and it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of protection afforded by the amended claims. It will also be appreciated that aspects of the invention may be combined to form arrangements having features of both first and second aspects of the present invention. For example, the invention as defined with respect to the first aspect may be combined with one or more features of the invention as described in the second aspect to provide an exercise station.