Abstract:
A training device to induce the proper technique required to perform squatting exercises. The device is designed to be portable and constructed from light weight, cylindrical aluminum tubes, and includes foot guides, and knee guides, and hand grip, all of which may be moved to comply with the user&#39;s body size and degree of comfort. The foot guides are mounted to a foot rod that is secured in place by a pair of support legs, and the foot guides have a lateral range of movement of 3 to 20 inches. The knee guides slide laterally over a knee pole and have a range of movement from 3 to 20 inches. An adjustment rod provides for the knee guides to be varied from a height of 10 inches to a height of 21 inches. The hand grip may be placed at a distance from 44 to 54 inches and be capable of movement of 2 to 6 inches horizontally.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a training device, specifically, to a device that induces the proper technique required to perform squatting exercises. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is a physical exercise training device and more particularly to a self-contained, hand-transportable device for use in rehabilitation clinics, personal home settings, and public and personal training facilities. 
     The squat is a well-known exercise for the muscles of the thighs, knees, hips and buttocks, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body, and is commonly used in rehab programs. The advantage of the squat is that it is a closed-chain exercise where ankle, knee and hip joints must be coordinated, developing a functional movement pattern as well as training the muscles. All the knee muscles—quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius—are involved in the squat to a greater or lesser extent. 
     The squat can be performed in a variety of ways. It may involve the use of barbells or be performed without any resistance weights, but elements such as proper knee angle with the degree of knee flexion, foot position with wide or narrow stance, are always important. 
     Proper squatting technique is crucial because if not performed correctly the squat can cause a great deal of stress and strain on the knees. When performing the squat exercise people tend to have their knees knock inward, which puts stress on the MCL and predisposes them to MCL injuries. Also, when training, people tend to shift their weight forward and allowing their knees to move forward past their toes. This improper technique produces shear force on the ACL and will over develop the quadriceps muscles. 
     During rehabilitation and learning how to train, the clinician or personal trainer needs to spend time over and over again teaching and re-teaching squat technique. A need exists for a device that will insure that extra time is not wasted during the teaching and re-teaching phase, allowing the clinician to work more efficiently. The clinician/trainer needs to be reassured that when their subject is performing squats, under their supervision or not, their technique is flawless. As the individual progresses through their lower body exercise programs, the gap between body weight and weight resisted squats should be bridged. Many lower body exercise equipment are large and bulky and do not monitor safe technique. A need exists for a device that is light weight, easy to setup, take down, store, transport and use. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-contained, hand-transportable exercise training device kit readily assembled which is stable and free-standing, and included in this object is the provision of an exercise device for performing such exercises without the need of weights. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides for a device to aid in performing proper squat exercises. The device is constructed from portable, light weight, cylindrical aluminum tubes, and includes foot guides, and knee guides, both of which may be moved to comply with the user&#39;s body size and degree of comfort. 
     The present invention provides for the foot guides to be mounted to a foot rod that is secured in place by a pair of support legs, and means provided for adjusting and securing the foot guides across a lateral range of from 3 to 20 inches. 
     Another aspect of the invention is providing a pair of knee guides which may slide laterally on a knee pole over a range from 3 to 20 inches. 
     An embodiment of the invention provides for means to vary the elevation of the knees from a point of 10 inches to a height of 21 inches. 
     Another inventive aspect of the invention is a hand grip having means to move towards or away from the user over a range of 2 to 6 inches. The vertical position of the hand grips may vary from a low of 44 inches to a high of 54 inches. 
     One embodiment of the invention comprises a squat bar for placement over the shoulders and behind the neck of the user. To create resistance a pair of rubber bands are employed whereby one end of each rubber band is attached to the squat bar and the other end to a support leg. By varying the resistance levels of the rubber bands, different difficulties may be introduced. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention shall become more readily apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive embodiment of a training device for performing squat exercises, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial view of a squat training device according to the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  are a top plan view and a side view of a foot guide of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the knee support structure; 
         FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  are elevation views of the upper inner rod and the lower outer rod respectively of the knee support structure; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of a knee guide; and 
         FIG. 6  is a pictorial view of a squat bar with resistance bands attached. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The squat training device is designed to induce proper squatting technique to aid in the process of rehabilitation, personal training, overall strength and mass gains in the lower extremities. By guaranteeing perfect squat technique, the device creates the ultimate whole body workout. A squat exercise uses over 200 muscles when performed correctly, and the present invention prevents any possible muscle imbalances to arise. It also develops a strong balanced core, produces proper postural control and aids in injury prevention. The squat exercise is the most functional exercise and should be incorporated into all exercise prescriptions. Not only does the exercise strengthen the lower body, but it eliminates stress and shear forces acting upon the knee joints. Proper technique relieves this stress from both the ACL and MCL, and it helps prevent non-contact injuries to these structures. Proper squat technique will help you run faster and jump higher. The invention is designed to maintain proper alignment of the knees and the toes throughout every repetition. When training, people tend to have their knees knock inward, which puts stress on the MCL and predisposes them to MCL injuries. Also, when training, people tend to shift their weight forward and allowing their knees to move forward past their toes. This improper technique produces shear force on the ACL and will over develop the quadriceps muscles. The invention guarantees that proper knee alignment is maintained and none of these problems will occur. 
     The exercise training device  20  of the present invention as seen in  FIG. 1  will comprise three major portions: a foot portion  30 : a knee portion  50  and a hand portion  70 , with all three portions contributing to the overall stability and correct usage of the device  20 . 
     The foot portion  30  consists of a foot rod  31  that is about 42 inches in length with a 21 inch support leg  33  welded to each end, such that there is 6 inches of each support leg extending in a forward direction and 15 inches extending in a rearward direction. The forward direction being as faced by the user when exercising. The foot rod  31  as well as the support legs  33  are made from 1.50 inch aluminum tube. The foot rod  31  has a plurality of holes  32  defined in the upper side of the rod  31 . These holes are about 0.250 inches in diameter and preferably there are about 16 of them equally spaced (about 2 inches apart), with about 8 inches separating the 8 holes on either side of center. The ends of the support legs  33  have rubber caps  43  to prevent slipping. 
     As previously stated, the crucial element of the device is the proper alignment of the user&#39;s body when conducting the squat exercise. To insure correct foot placement, a pair of foot guides  35  are provided and made from an aluminum diamond plate metal, although other materials may be equally effective. Each foot guide includes a bumper edge  36  in the front perimeter section to maintain the foot position of the user, as better seen in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b . The bumper edge  36  is preferably made from 0.50 inch by 1 inch rectangular aluminum stock. An L-shaped flange  37 , having an inner side  38  curved to conform to the size and shape of the foot rod  31 , is positioned over the rod  31  and can be slid along the rod while being adjusted to the user&#39;s personal preference and comfort. The total range of the foot guides  35  is from 3 inches to 20 inches. For locking down the foot guides  35  at positions along the rod  31 , a threaded pin  39  is provided to fit into a slot of the flange. The head of the pin  39  has a slot for access by a screw driver type tool (not shown) which the user may use to release and move the foot guide and then tighten at a new position. Each support leg  33  has a three inch metal eyelet  34  attached to the top of the leg  33  for attachment of resisting bands which will be discussed later. At the forward center position of the foot rod  31  there is welded a connector piece  40  for attachment to the knee portion  50 . 
     The structural strength of the device is mainly provided by the knee portion  50  as best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . An L-shaped support is formed from welding a 14 inch long aluminum tube to a 24 inch aluminum tube with both tubes having 1.50 inch diameters. The 14 inch tube forming a horizontal section  52  and the 24 inch tube forming a lower vertical section  53 . A distal end  54  of the horizontal section  52  is connected to the connector piece  40  of the foot rod  31 , whereupon the device  20  is in a stand free mode. 
     To insure correct alignment of the user&#39;s knees, a pair of knee guides  55  are provided which are attached to a cross-shaped framework consisting of a 26 inch knee pole  56  welded at its center to one end of a 14.5 inch cross pole  57 . The other end of the cross pole  57  having a male clevis for attachment to a female clevis located on the lower vertical section  53 , about 7 inches from the distal end of the lower vertical section  53 . To provide an adjustable support for the knee pole  56 , an adjustment rod  58  is provided. The adjustment rod  58 , as best shown on  FIGS. 3 ,  4   a  and  4   b , consists of an upper inner pipe 59 (1.25 inch aluminum tube) of about 8 inch length with a male clevis welded to the top section for connecting to a female clevis located on the bottom side of the cross pole  57  at a distance of about 6.65 inches from the clevis located on the lower vertical section  53 , and a lower outer pipe 60 (1.50 inch aluminum tube) of about 7.5 inch in length with a male clevis welded at its lower end for fastening to a female clevis located on the upper side of the horizontal section  52 , with the connection about 3.375 inches from the distal end  54  of the horizontal section. This adjustment feature allows for a vertical movement range of the knee guides  55  to be about 10 inches to 21 inches from the ground level. 
     The knee guides  55  may be positioned at a variety of locations along the knee pole  56 . As best shown in  FIG. 5 , each knee guide  55  is equipped with a 1 inch wide edge  65  that is positioned into one of 10 slots  64  defined along the rear side of the knee pole  56 , with each slot  64  about 1 inch wide and about 1 inch apart. A round pin hole  66  in each edge  65  allows the edge to be aligned with one of the ten round apertures  67  defined in the top side of the knee pole. The user, upon selection of the proper position of the knee guides, can lock in the guides by insertion of a pin  68  passing through the aligned pin hole  66  and aperture  67 . The knee guides  55  have a lateral range of about 3 to 20 inches. 
     For further balance the device  20  is complete with a hand portion  70 , which is formed from the sliding connection of two pieces. The first piece is a result of welding two 1.50 inch diameter aluminum tubes together. An upper vertical section  71 , approximately 20 inches long is welded at a top end perpendicularly to a 4 inch open-ended tube  72 . The upper vertical section  71  has a plurality of alignment holes  73  defined in the lower part of the section. The upper vertical section  71  connects to the lower vertical section  53  by sliding an interlinking short tube  74 , with a 1.25 inch diameter, between the two vertical section  71 ,  53  to create a friction fit and connection the two sections is performed by aligning holes and securing with pins  75 . The vertical arm extension provided by sections  53  and  71 , allows for a vertical range of 44 to 54 inches. 
     The second piece of the hand portion  70  is made by welding together at perpendicular angles 1.25 inch diameter aluminum tubes, one being a 32 inch hand grip  76  and the other a 9 inch long sliding extension  77  welded to the center of the hand grip  76 . The sliding extension  77  has a plurality of 0.250 inch holes  78 , preferably six, and by moving the sliding extension  77  through the open ended tube  72 , the user may select a comfortable position and lock securely by aligning a hole  78  in the sliding extension  77  with a similar sized hole in the open ended tube  72  and secure with a pin  79  through the aligned holes. The range of movement by the hand grip  76  is about 2 to 6 inches. 
     An optional squat bar attachment  80  may be included with the device  20 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the attachment includes a squat pole  81  which is designed to be placed about the shoulders of the user and be made from a lightweight, plastic pole. Preferably, the center of the pole will be padded with foam-like material for comfort around the user&#39;s neck and shoulders, and the pole should be able to bend to the contour of the user&#39;s shoulders. A pair of resistance bands  82 , each having one end connected to an end of the squat pole  81  and the opposing end connected to one of the eyelets  34  of a support leg  33 . The training device  20  will offer a plurality of resistance bands  82 , each having a varying level of resistance to mimic varying weights. The user can simply interchange bands to achieve a different training difficulty. A harness (not shown) could be substituted for the squat pole  81  without affecting the integrity of the device. 
     The individual will first set up the foot braces evenly and at the proper width for their use. They will then place the knee braces in the adjacent holes in the top horizontal pole. This will end up with the knee and foot braces being directly aligned with each other. If the individual is using resistance, they will place the squat pole onto their shoulders. With their hands on the handles, they will slow descend into the squat form by keeping the chest upright and the core engaged, bend at both the knees and hips without allowing the knees to touch the front or sides of the braces and when reached the proper depth of the squat, in a controlled manner stand straight up. This squat device  20  can also be used for single leg squats, split squats and lunges, maintaining the integrity of the knee alignment. When the resistance of the bands pulls upward on the device the body weight of the individual will be actually holding the entire device down. The reason for this is to eliminate the need for a very heavy base to counter the upward resistance from the bands. Attached to the sides of the braces there will be eyelets connected to them in order to attach the resistance bands to them for their use during the exercise. 
     It is essential that the device be capable of easy disassembling and be quickly compacted for transporting or storage. Thus all the main portions foot  30 , knee  50  and hand  70 , are all disconnected by merely pulling pins out of holes. 
     Further, it is readily apparent from the foregoing that a new and useful embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated which fulfills all of the stated objects in an unexpected fashion. It is to be understood that various different modifications are possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. There is no intention, therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.