Patent ID: 8070657

Claim:
Portable exercise apparatus having a pull-cord unit, said unit comprising: a chassis; a drum pivotally mounted to the chassis; a pull-cord having a first and second end with a flexible member extending there between, the first end attached to a handle to be grasped by a user and the second end connected to the drum, the pull-cord movable between a wound configuration in which the flexible member is wound around the drum and an unwound configuration in which the pull-cord is unwound from the drum; a recoil means cooperating with the chassis and the drum to rotationally bias the drum in a direction to cause the pull-cord to be in the wound configuration; and a resistance means that resists movement of the pull-cord from the wound to the unwound configuration, the resistance means comprising a light weight high speed flywheel pivotally mounted to the chassis and a resistance mechanism affixed to the chassis and applying a resisting torque to the flywheel, the flywheel coupled to the drum by a one-directional transmission that causes the flywheel to rotate in a constant direction at a higher speed than the drum when the pull-cord is being unwound from the drum, wherein said one-directional transmission couples the drum to the flywheel using a compact planetary gear arrangement; wherein, during use of the apparatus the user performs a repetitive pull-return motion with the pull-cord unit held in a stationary position so that the user holding the handle can perform a pulling motion causing the drum to rotate as the pull-cord unwinds overcoming the resisting torque on the flywheel applied by the resistance mechanism and then perform a return motion whereupon the recoil means rotates the drum in a direction to cause the pull-cord return to the wound configuration ready for the next pull motion.