Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ABDOMINAL EXERCISE APPARATUS ~ND ME'r~OD
Fie}d and Background of Invention
Exercising undertaken by persons training for
athletic events of various types or pursuing a course
of treatment for the rehabilitation of an illness,
injury or the like has, in rPcent years, come to
involve the use of various apparatus or machines. Such
apparatus, machines and methods have grown out of
various concepts and studies regarding physiology and
physiologi~al development and function.
One type of apparatus and method which has
been used with significant success is ~ull range exer-
cise such as is possible~ for example, through the use
of the apparatus of Jones, United States Patent
3,858,873. "Full range" exercise as used with
reference to such an apparatus and method, and as used
in the descriptio~ which follows~ is a defined term.
The defined term "full range exercise" refers to exer-
cise having positive work; negative work; rotary form
movement; stretching; prestretching; automatically
variable, balanced, direct resistance; resistance in
the position of full muscular contraction; and substan-
tially unrestricted speed of movement. The interested
reader i5 referred to available publications for
further explication of these characteristic features of
full range exercise.
The general field of such exercise and
relatea apparatus and methods is here referred to as
"exercise physiology". The field of exercise physi-
ology is related ~o sports medicine, beiny the field
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of medical study which is particularly directed to
athletic sports and the like. The development of the
field of exercise physiology has involved, among other
things, the continuing development o~ apparatus and
me-thods to accomplish precise application of exercising
programs to speci~ic muscles or muscle groups. One
such muscle group which has long presented a difficult
problem in approaching effective full range exercise is
the abdominal muscle group.
Description of Invention
It is an object of the present invention to
accomplish exercising of abdominal muscles. In
realizing this object of the present invention, exer-
cising apparatus is provided and has means for engaging
lS the body of a user. In particular, a user's body is
supported in such a manner that the abdominal muscles
of a user's body are essentially isolated and are exer-
cised without substantial interaction with other muscle
sets.
~et a further object of the present invention
is to accomplish exercising of abdominal muscles of a
user in accordance with a method by which rotary form
movement of a user's torso occurs about an axis
extending transversely of the user's body along a line
passing through the user's ~ody below and adjacent the
sternum, and ~orward of and adjacent the spine. In
accomplishing this object of the present invention, the
upper torso and lower torso of the user's body are
engaged and are restricted to movement thereof one
relative to the other about the defined axis.
More particularly, the present invention provides
apparatus for exercising abdominal muscles and comprising
means for supporting a user's body and including upper
torso engaging means and lower torso engaging means,
means mounting the body supporting means for pivotal
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movement of the upp0r torso engaging means and the lower
torso engaging means one relative to the other about an àxis
extending transversely of the usex's body below and adjacen~
the sternum and forward of and adjacenk the spine, and
resistance means operatively connected to the body
supporting means for imposing force resisting l.,ove..cnt to
the upper torso engaging means and the lower torso engaging
means when one of the upper torso engaging means and the
lower torso engaging means moves away from the other,
the body supporting means and the mounting means cooperating
for isolating the abdominal mus¢les of the user's body and
for exercising such abdominal muscles against the force
imposed by the resistance means.
Brief Description of Dra~7ings
The invention will be more apparent as the description
of the preferred embodiment proceeds, when taken in
connection ~ith the accompanying drawings, in which --
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exercise
apparatus embodying the present invention;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, taken
from a differen~ perspective and showing the apparatus
of Figure 1 with shields and cushions removed;
Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus as
illustrated in Figure 2;
Figure ~ is a front elevation view of the
apparatus as illustrated in Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the apparatus
of Figure 1, with a side cover removed to show portions
of the operating mechanism of the apparatus;
-Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, from the
opposite side of the apparatus of Figure l;
Figure 7 is an enlarged scale sectional view,
illustrating a portion of the apparatus of Figure 6
and
Figure 8 is a somewhat schematic representation of
c~rtain of the elements of the exercise apparatus of
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Figures 1 through 6, illustrating the method of exercise
using the apparatus of Figures 1 throuyh 6.
Detailed Descriptioh of The'P'r'e'fe'rr'e'd'Embodil~ent
While an operating embodiment of the present
invention will be described hereinafter with particular
reference ~o the accompanying drawings, it is to be
understood at the outset of the description,which follows
that it is contemplated that apparatus and methods in
accordance with the present invention may be varied
from the specific form described hereinafter while
still attaining the desired result of this invention.
'Accordingly, the description which follows is to be
understood as a broad teaching disclosure directed
to persons of appropriate skill in the appropriate art,
and not as limiting upon the scope of this invention.
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Referring now more particularly to Figures 1
through 6, an apparatus for exercising abdominal
muscles embodying the present invention is
there shown. The apparatus includes a frame structure
preferably fabricated from steel tubing and generally
indicated at 10. Mounted on the frams are means for
~upporting a user's body. In the illustrated form of
the invention, the means for supporting a u~er's body
includes upper torso engaging means generally indicated
at 11 and lower torso engaging means generally indi-
cated at 12.
The upper torso engaging means, in the form
illustrated, includes a backrest cushion (Figures 1, 5,
6 and 8) 14 having a rolled portion 15 adjacent the
upper end thereof so as to cause a person seated in the
apparatus (as described more fully hereinafter) to have
their head rolled forwardly (Figure 8). The cushion 14
is affixed to an upper torso frame 16 which has a pair
of hand grips 18 affixed thereto. The lower torso
engaging means includes a backrest cushion 19 mounted
on a lower torso frame 20. A seat frame generally
indicated at 21 and carrying a seat cushion 22 depends
from the lower torso frame 20. The seat cushion 22 is
provided with a raised central portion 24~ so as to
cause the legs of a user to be somewhat spread apart-
during use of the apparatus of the present invention.
Positloned beneath the seat cushion 22 are a pair of
ankle roll members 24, behind which the feet of a user
may be positioned.
The seat frame 21 is arranged for vertical
adjustment relative to the lower torso frame 20, as
shown more fully in Figure 7. More particularly, a
latch member 25 engages a rack 26 to retain the seat
frame 21 against vertical movement. In order to adju~t
the seat to an appropriate position as described morefully hereinafter, a forward end of the latch member 25
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may be raised as indicated in Figure 7, withdraw~ng ~he
latch member from the rack 26 and permitting the seat
frame 20 to be moved vertically relative to the lower
torso backrest cushion 19.
M~ans are provided which mounk the body supPor~inq
melans described hereinabove for movement of the upper
torso engaging portions and the lower torso engaging
portions one relative to the other about a particular
axis. As wlll be noted particularly from Figures 2
through 6, the upper torso frame 16 is joined with a
palr of arm members 30, 31 mounted for pivotal movement
about an axis defined by a pair of coaxially aligned
~tub shafts 32, 33. By means of a pair of lower arms
36, 37 and a pair of upper arms 38, 39, the lower torso
frame 20 is similarly mounted for rotation about the
axis defined by the aligned shafts 32, 33. To one side
of the apparatus is provided a linkage mechanism which
operatively connects the upper torso arms 30, 31 and
the lower torso arms 36-39 so that movement of the
upper torso engaging means and the lower torso engaging
means is coordinated in a particular ratio. The
linkage mechanism prefexably includes a rock sha~t 40
spaced from one stub shaft 33 and on which is rotatably
mounted a bell crank 41. An upper torso link member 44
extends between the bell crank 41 and an arm 31 con-
nected with the upper torso frame 16. A lower torso
link 45 extends between the bell crank 41 and the arms
37, 39 of the lower torso engaging means. The opera-
3~ tion of the linkage ;s such that rotation of the uppertorso engaging means forward and upwardly is coordi-
nated with rotation of the lower torso engaging means
downwardly and forwardly. Due to the relative length
of the arms, the arcuate path described by the upper
torso engaging means is at a greater radius than the
arcuate path described by the lower torso engaging
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means. Further, due to the ratios of the linkage, the
lower torso engaging means moves through an arc of
approximately two degrees for each three degrees of
movement of the upper torso engaging means.
The coaxially aligned stub shafts 32~ 33 define
an axis of rotation which, during use, extends
transversely of the user's body along a line passing
through the user's torso. The seat 22 is adjusted
vertically rela-tive to the lower torso back rest 19
so that the body of a user is positioned with the
axial line passing through the user's body below
and adjacent the sternum and forward of and adjacent
the spine. As used with reference to the speciflc form
of this invention here described, "below" refers to
displacement in the direction of the feet, and
"forward" refers to displacement toward the frontal
surface of the body. By such adjustment and coopera-
tion of the user with the apparatus as described to
this point, the abdominal muscles of the user's body
are essentially isolated so that user produced movement
of the upper and lower torso engaging means results
solely from contraction and extension of the abdominal
muscles.
Resistance means are provided and are operatively
connected to the body supporting means for imposing
force resisting movement of the upper torso engaging means
and the lower torso engaging means one away from the
other~ In the specific form illustrated, the
resistance means includes a weight stack generally
indicated at 50. The weight stack is constructed in
accordance with known practice so as to permit ready
variation in the number of weights to be moved and thus
in the force imposed. Force is imposed by the weight
stack 50 through a flexible member such as a chain 51.
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The chain 51 is fixed ~Figure 5), at an end remote from
the weight stack 50, to a cam member 52. The cam
member 52 is fixed to an adjacent arm 30 of the upper
torso engaging means, so as to transmit to the body
supporting means force imposed by the action of gravity
on the weight stack 50.
~ As will be appreciated, the movement of the
weight stack 50 results in the tensioning of the asso-
ciated chain 51 to a known, predetermined, and essen-
tially uniform extent. By the provision of the cammember 52, such tension is converted into a torque
acting about the axis of movement of the torso engaging
means described above. Preferably, the cam member
functions as a variation means for varying the force
lS imposed by the resistance means in accommodation of the
body part demonstrable force curves achievable by a
user of the machine, so as to facilitate full range
exercise as mentioned hereinabove.
In use, a user wishing to develop the abdomi-
nal muscles may select an appropriate weight to be
imposed by the weight stack 50, and assume an exer-
cising position }n the apparatus (Figure 8). As the
exercising position is first assumed, the body sup-
porting means is essentially in a chair-like con-
figuration, so that the abdominal muscles will begenerally relaxed. The generally chair-like position
is illustrated by phantom lines in Figure 8. A user
would then position the feet rearwardly of the ankle
roll members 24, and reach upwardly to grasp the hand
grips 18. As so positioned, the muscle systems of the
user's body essentially isolate the abdominal muscles.
It is contemplated that other bodily positions may
similarly isolate the abdominal muscles. Movement of
the apparatus is then dependent upon contraction of the
abdominal muscles, and subjects those muscles to full
range exercise as defined hereinabove.
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In the drawings and specification, there has
been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention,
and although specific terms are employed, they are used
in a yeneric and descriptive sense only and not for
purposes of limitation.
