Patent ID: 7837601

Claim:
A method to prepare for and conduct an exercise using free weights while minimizing the risk of injury to an individual during the acquisition, use, and return of the free weights, the individual having a power zone, the method comprising the steps of (a) providing a plurality of cylindrically-shaped free weight plates including a least one pair of said plates comprised of plates of equivalent shape, dimension, and weight, each of said free weight plates having a center of gravity and including a generally cylindrically shaped peripheral edge; (b) providing a staging station including (i) a horizontally oriented support surface located above the ground, and (ii) a plurality of detent units each located above the ground and adjacent said horizontally oriented support surface and shaped and dimensioned to support one of said free weight plates in an upright orientation on a portion of said peripheral edge of said one of said plates such that said one of said free weight plates can be rolled on said peripheral edge of said one of said free weights out of said detent unit onto said horizontally oriented support surface, and said center of gravity of each of said free weight plates is at an elevation above the ground in the power zone of the individual; (c) mounting each of said free weight plates on edge in an upright orientation in one of said detent units of said staging station; (d) manually grasping at least a first one of said free weight plates and rolling said first one of said free weight plates from said detent unit of said one of said free weight plates onto said horizontally oriented support surface; (e) manually removing said first one of said free weight plates from said support surface; (f) utilizing said first one of said free weight plates to perform an exercise; (g) manually returning said first one of said free weight plates to said support surface; and (h) manually rolling said first one of said free weight plates on said peripheral edge of said first one of said free weight plates from said support surface into one of said detent units.