Abstract:
The Companion is an exercise mat that lies on the floor beneath the TRX Suspension Training System (TRX), and includes visual and/or tactile markings (such as numeric measurements) to indicate the proper placement of feet when exercising with the TRX. The mat facilitates correct placement of the feet in terms of proximity to the TRX anchor point to ensure safe and effective exercise technique and the proper degree of resistance as it pertains to body weight. Contours or ridges may also be provided on the mat in order to facilitate proper foot positioning.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates generally to systems and method for facilitating exercise within a TRX Suspension Training System (TRX), and more specifically to a mat and method of using same used in conjunction with a TRX or other training system. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The TRX Suspension Training System (TRX) was born out of necessity by a Navy SEAL. While on deployment in 1997, founder Randy Hetrick needed a way for himself and crew to maintain their endurance and strength. With that, he began to experiment with resistance training using a belt. Four years later, he would develop his jujitsu belt into what we now recognize as the TRX Suspension Trainer. 
         [0003]    TRX Suspension Training is the flagship name associated with functional training in the fitness industry. Functional training is defined as movements your body performs in everyday life. Reaching far beyond the execution of a bicep curl or chest press, functional training prepares the body to act efficiently, effectively, and react subconsciously to perform real life movements safely. Examples include squatting to pick up a pencil or placing your suitcase in an overhead compartment on the airplane. 
         [0004]    TRX leverages gravity and an individual&#39;s body weight to perform, quite literally, countless variations of exercises and every day movements to increase lean body mass. The beauty lies in its simplicity—a simple movement of your feet forward or backward on the floor instantly increases the resistance on your muscles. Resistance training, as it pertains to exercising, is defined as “a form of physical activity that is designed to improve muscular fitness by exercising a muscle or a muscle group against external resistance” according to the American College of Sports Medicine (AGSM). 
         [0005]    Many people have difficulty in safely and effectively exercising using TRX Suspension Training. As mentioned above, the simplicity of the TRX is as basic as the proper movement of a client&#39;s feet to adjust bodyweight resistance. Many users of TRX, however, do not understand where the exerciser should place his or her feet to achieve the proper degree of resistance. In addition, there is no tracking tool to track or record quantifiable gains in strength. 
         [0006]    Exercise mats have been used in the fitness industry for years, Currently, they come in a variety of designs, predominantly rectangular in shape. Many pertain to education of yoga positions and other various exercises. However, none have been designed to dictate foot placement while using a TRX or help a client record gains in strength when using TRX. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    An exercise mat, called Companion, that can be used in conjunction with a TRX system is provided. The mat may be used by a Fitness Professional utilizing the TRX with his or her clients, or may be used an educated TRX exerciser to track quantifiable gains in strength. The mat may allow clients to both record and subsequently assess any gains in strength using visibly printed or embedded markers on the exercise mat. 
         [0008]    The Companion is a substantially planar (flat) mat, placed on the floor beneath the TRX anchor point. Visual or tactile markings corresponding to measurements are printed on the mat, alerting the exerciser of the degree of difficulty for each specific foot placement. Feet further from the anchor point will make the exercise easier, while feet closer to the anchor point make the exercise more challenging. The mat material may be resilient and cushioned, comfortable to use barefoot or with shoes. The exerciser is thus able to have a visual or tactile benchmark on the mat to assess gains in strength directly correlated to foot placement when used in conjunction with TRX Suspension Training. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    For a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary system in accordance with embodiments of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    In this disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a sufficient understanding of the present invention. Those skilled in the art, however, will appreciate that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known elements have been illustrated in schematic or block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. Additionally, some details have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not considered necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention, and are considered to be within the understanding of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. 
         [0012]    The following discussion is also directed to various embodiments of the invention. Although one or more of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, unless otherwise specified. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be illustrative of that embodiment, and not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment. 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exercise mat in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. A TRX exerciser stands on the Companion mat, which lies flat on any floor. The exerciser in the example of  FIG. 1  demonstrates an exercise called the bicep curl. The TRX attaches to any load bearing wall via a TRX X-mount (reference anchor point X) and hangs in a resting state hovering above the floor. The handles of the TRX, which are equal in length and hang distally, are held in the hands of the exerciser to engage in an exercise. 
         [0014]    Currently the exerciser&#39;s feet are placed at the 3′ mark of the Companion. By walking the feet forward to the 2′ mark of the Companion, the bicep curl instantly bears greater resistance and thus becomes more challenging. Conversely, if the exerciser walks their feet backward to the 4′ mark of the Companion, the exercise becomes instantly easier and utilizes less body weight. 
         [0015]    The TRX Suspension Training System (TRX) is a piece of exercise equipment centralized around the utilization of body weight as a means of resistance training for muscle gain. By simply adjusting foot placement forward or backward, the degree of difficulty of a given exercise becomes instantly easier or more difficult. Identical to the means with which an exerciser may know he or she can squat  100  pounds while weight training, for example, a TRX exerciser must know proper foot placement to achieve desired body weight resistance. 
         [0016]    The Companion mat is substantially planar (flat) and measures roughly 72″ long by 24″ wide in some embodiments. The foot placement-suggestive measurements are visibly marked on the Companion mat using numeric markings, such as inches according to the U.S. Customary System. The markings may be substantially equally spaced from one another in some embodiments. For example, each 1′ measurement may be visibly marked on the mat in some embodiments. In other embodiments, letter or graphic indications are included on the mat instead of or in addition to the numeric markings. For example, instead of the numeric markings, visible difficulty indications (such as “easy,” “average,” “hard,” “very hard”) may be included on the mat. Graphic or pictorial markings may also be used. In other embodiments, the markings on the mat are unequally spaced, whereby markings further away from the TRX anchor point are spaced closer together than markings closer to the TRX anchor point. Other arrangements and spacings of the markings may be used in other embodiments. 
         [0017]    TRX is mounted on a wall or ceiling using TRX patented mounting equipment, and is thus the system&#39;s anchor point. “X” represents the anchor point, where the TRX is affixed to the wall and suspended above the floor. Measurement “Q”, or the zero inch point is the edge of the Companion, which is to be situated directly beneath the anchor point X of the TRX in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the zero inch point is positioned at some fixed, known, or predetermined distance from the anchor point X. From measurement “A”, the visible measurements may count up in increments of 1′, terminating at “Z”, or the 6′ mark which may represent the end of the mat. These 1′ increments, therefore, can dictate foot placement for desired degrees of exercise difficulty and also indicate the distance from the TRX anchor point X. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments, contours or ridges are included on the Companion mat to assist a user in locating the correct footing position. These contours or ridges may take the form of embossed or embedded lines or edges in the mat or may be placed on the mat after manufacture (for example by way of an adhesive). The contours or ridges may be associated with the visual markings and provide another means of facilitating the proper foot positions. Other forms of visual and/or tactile markings may be used in other embodiments. Preferably, both visual and tactile markings are used in some embodiments so that the exerciser can both see and feel the desired foot positions. The use of both types of markings may assist the exerciser in locating the desired foot positions. 
         [0019]    In the example of  FIG. 1 , the exerciser is performing a bicep curl. Item “F” represents physical foot movement forward, or toward the anchor point “X”, which would increase resistance and make the bicep curl more difficult as it utilizes more body weight. Item “B” represents physical foot movement backward, toward item “Z”. This, converse to “F”, decreases resistance and makes the bicep curl easier as it utilizes less body weight. “B” and “F” oppose each other in summation. “R” represents a freely hanging TRX, in its resting state not being used by an exerciser. Item “A”, represents an active TRX being utilized by an exerciser performing a TRX bicep curl. 
         [0020]    In some embodiments, the Companion is roughly ⅛″ in thickness and is made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), known for both its durability and sticky characteristics, strong gripping surface to combat slippage of the Companion on the floor, but also foot slippage on the mat. In other embodiments, natural rubber or a synthetic material is used. The mat may also be conveniently rolled up for quick transport. 
         [0021]    The drawing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Because there are countless exercises and subsequent modifications of these exercises, the drawing is not intended to limit the invention to the exact exercise shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and exercises will certainly fall within the scope of the invention. 
         [0022]    The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. For example, although a substantially flat and rectangular exercise mat is described in some embodiments herein, the mat may also take other shapes and sizes, including oblong, circular, semi-circular, square, or triangular shapes. In addition the mat material may be formed from any non-slip soft or porous material, such as natural rubber, plastic, or foam, and may be designed to have a sealed cell hygienic surface. Various contours, ridges, or edges, may also be included to facilitate proper foot position. In addition, the visual markings need not be equally spaced from one another in all embodiments. For example, markings farther away from the TRX anchor point may be spaced closer together than markings closer to the TRX anchor point. This allows more granularity in the measurements for more difficult foot positions. Other arrangements and spacings of the markings may be used in other embodiments. 
         [0023]    It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.