-Strengtheners-Chest-Strengthe
Year: 1885

page_text: I ANTON PHILLIP LARGIADER, Director of a Seminary at Strassburg Alsace do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In addition to the gymnastic bars now used there are besides other gymnastic
apparatuses for strengthening the arms and the respiratory organs and they are
known under the name of "Leg-Strengtheners-Chest-Strengtheners" etc.
These apparatuses have hitherto been made of a simple or plaited india-rubber or
caoutchouc cord of about metre in length and provided with a handle or ring
at each end; the manner of using them was as follows;-the person using it took
hold of the apparatus at both ends, stretched it and let it draw together again and
combined these exercises with various positions of the body and different motions.
These apparatuses are firstly proportionately very dear, secondly not very durable
and thirdly unpractical in as much as the strength of the patient is only exerted
when he stretches the apparatus beyond its ordinary length the exertion increasing
moreover too quickly and getting disproportionately great as the apparatus
expands.
The present chest and limb strengthener has none of these faults. It is in
proportion very cheap; extremely practical and strong; in using it the patient has
at all times to overcome the pull of two constant or varying weights which he
holds suspended. This apparatus consists of two roller shaped handles bored
lengthways and made of wood or of other material.. A rope or cord passes from
the inner side of one handle through the other handle. Each of these ropes or
cords has a weight of adequate size attached to its other end. These weights are
padded so that when they strike against the body they will not do any injury
to it or cause pain.
The padding is however not of material importance or even necessary. If the
patient separates his hands by stretching his arms the weights are bound to rise;
if he lets his hands approach each other again the weights must necessarily fall
again. But in all cases and positions the patient has to overcome the pull (resist-
ance) of the weights, except, of course when he wants to rest a while and lets the
weight fall to the ground. Details of construction may of course be varied to suit
different purposes,

page_text: Improvements in Chest Expanders and the like.
I ANTON PHILLIP LARGIADER Seminary Director formerly of Strassburg, Alsace,
now of Basle, Switzerland, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In addition to the gymnastic bars now used, there are besides other gymnastic
apparatuses for strengthening the arms and the respiratory organs and they are
known under the name of "Leg-Strengtheners'
""Chest Strengtheners" etc.
These apparatus have hitherto been made of a simple or plaited-rubber or
caoutchouc cord of about metre in length and provided with a handle or ring at
each end the manner of using them was as follows:-the person using it took hold
of the apparatus at both ends stretched it and let it draw together again and
combined these exercises with various positions of the body and different motions.
These apparatuses are, firstly proportionately very dear; secondly not very
durable and thirdly unpractical in as much as the strength of the patient is only
exerted when he stretches the apparatus beyond its ordinary length the exertion
increasing, moreover, too quickly and getting disproportionately great as the
apparatus expands.
The present chest and limb strengthener has none of these faults. It is in
proportion very cheap; extremely practical and strong; in using it the patient has
at all times to overcome the pull of two constant or varying weights which he
holds suspended.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 represents a front view of the apparatus.
Figure 2 a section through the same.
Figure 3 a section on line I II of Figure. 1.
Figure 4 a side view III IV Figure 1.
The apparatus consists of two roller shaped handles or sleeves a b which are
perforated lengthways and made of wood or any other suitable material. A rope
or cord c or d passes from the inner side of one handle b or a through the
perforation e of the other handle or sleeve a or b. Each of these ropes c d has a
weight f g of adequate size attached to its other end. These weights are padded
so that when they strike against the body they will not do any injury to it or
cause pain. The padding is however not of material importance or even necessary.
If the patient grasps the handles or sleeves a b and separates. his hands by
stretching his arms the weights f g are bound to rise; if he lets his hands approach
each other again the weights fg will necessarily fall again. In all cases and
positions however the patient has to overcome the pull (resistance) of the weights f g
except of course when he wants to rest and lets the weights fall to the ground.
Details of construction may of course be varied to suit different purposes.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In an apparatus for chest expanding and the like, the combination of the
sleeves a b with the ropes or cords c d attached to one of the sleeves and passing
loosely through perforations of the other sleeve and carrying weights f g substan-
tially as specified.
2. In an apparatus for chest expanding and the like, the combination of the
sleeves ab having perforations e with the ropes c d and weights fg the whole
operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.