Patent ID: 7037240

Claim:
A method of exercising a hand, said hand including fingers and a palm, said method including the steps of: (a) providing a doughnut-shaped, compressible, elastic exercise apparatus, said exercise apparatus having a generally circular center line Y and a deformability which permits one portion of the apparatus to be rotated by the fingers while another portion of the apparatus is stationary, wherein said exercise apparatus includes a central opening having a diameter in the range of one and five-eighths inches to two and one-eighth inches, and a generally circular elastic ring circumscribing said opening and having a circular cross-sectional with a diameter in the range of five-eighths to nine-eighths of an inch, and has a durometer in the range of 30 to 50 Shore A; (b) grasping the exercise apparatus in the hand between the fingers and palm such that a first portion of the apparatus having a generally circular cross-section area is grasped by the fingers and a second portion of the apparatus nests in the palm of the hand; and (c) moving the fingers to simultaneously (i) displace said first portion toward said second portion, and (ii) elastically rotate and twist said first portion about said centerline Y while said second portion generally remains nested in and is prevented from rotating by the palm, and said cross-sectional area is reduced by less than 20% during step (c).