Patent ID: 8241188

Claim:
An exercise apparatus comprising: a frame having a horizontal frame component and a vertical frame component; a rotatable endless belt mounted on the horizontal component, the belt having a surface for supporting a user and driven manually by a force exerted by the user; an upper body engaging element for engaging the user's upper body during an exercise cycle, the upper body engaging element connected to the vertical frame component by an arm; a pivotable connection between the vertical frame and the arm, allowing the upper body engaging element to rotate about the pivotable connection and adapt to the user's changing position throughout use of the apparatus; an actuator of adjustable length disposed between the arm and the vertical frame component, wherein an increase in actuator length raises the height of the upper body engaging element relative to the belt; a sensor to detect rotation of the belt; a programmable computer to count a number of belt rotations, measure the performance of individual exercise cycles, and control movement of the actuator using measured parameters, including the number of belt rotations.