Patent ID: 7798942

Claim:
A method for monitoring and guiding a user through an exercise program, comprising: providing an automated personal trainer device for monitoring at least one exercise repetition, the automated personal trainer device including a portable monitoring device and a pulley unit, wherein the pulley unit includes a first pulley wheel, a second pulley wheel, a clip springably connecting the first pulley wheel to the second pulley wheel, and a potentiometer affixed and operably connected to an axle of the first pulley wheel for recording exercise result data; removably affixing the monitoring unit to a cable-driven workout structure having at least one cable; removably engaging the clip with a cable of the workout structure, wherein the removably engaging includes pinching the cable between the first pulley wheel and the second pulley wheel; determining a result of the exercise repetition, the determining including using the potentiometer to measure a movement of the first pulley wheel as a user completes an exercise, and measuring a speed and a position of the cable relative to a fixed point; wherein the result of the exercise repetition includes a speed at which the user is performing the at least one exercise repetition, a range of motion over which the user is performing the at least one exercise repetition, and a resistance against which the user is performing the at least one exercise repetition; transmitting the result of the exercise repetition to the monitoring unit; and storing the result in a portable memory device for upload to a personal computer for monitoring and guiding the user through the exercise program, the portable memory device being operably connected to the portable monitoring device.