U.S. patent application number 10/513486 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-25 for physical training equipment.
Invention is credited to Bellamy, Mark James Brian.
Application Number | 20050187075 10/513486 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9936053 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050187075 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bellamy, Mark James Brian |
August 25, 2005 |
Physical training equipment
Abstract
A weight is disclosed for use in performing physical training
exercises. The weight comprising an elongate cylindrical
flexible-walled bag filled with a flowable solid and having at
least axially spaced two handles projecting from the cylindrical
surface of the bag. The packing density of the flowable solid
within the bag is such that the maximum sag at the center of the
bag when it is supported by its ends does not exceed 5% of the
length of the bag.
Inventors: |
Bellamy, Mark James Brian;
(Hereford and Worcester, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SMITH-HILL AND BEDELL, P.C.
16100 NW CORNELL ROAD, SUITE 220
BEAVERTON
OR
97006
US
|
Family ID: |
9936053 |
Appl. No.: |
10/513486 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
May 1, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB03/01854 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/93 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/0004 20130101;
A63B 21/0603 20130101; A63B 21/028 20130101; A63B 69/0028 20130101;
A63B 21/06 20130101; A63B 21/065 20130101; A63B 21/0609 20130101;
A63B 21/072 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/093 |
International
Class: |
A63B 021/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 3, 2002 |
GB |
0210208.5 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A weight for use in performing physical training exercises,
comprising an elongate cylindrical flexible-walled bendable bag
filled with a flowable solid and having at least two handles that
are flexibly attached to the bag and project from the cylindrical
surface of the bag at points that are axially spaced from one
another, characterised in that the packing density of the flowable
solid within the bag is such that the maximum sag at the centre of
the bag when it is supported by its ends does not exceed 5% of the
length of the bag:
12. A weight as claimed in claim 11, wherein the flowable solid is
sand.
13. A weight as claimed in claim 11, wherein the flowable solid
comprises rounded particles having a diameter in the range from 1
mm to 5 mm.
14. A weight as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bag is padded.
15. A weight as claimed in claim 11, having two handles that extend
either parallel to the axis of the bag.
16. A weight as claimed in claim 11, having two handles that extend
circumferentially.
17. A weight as claimed in claim 16, wherein the handles form part
of a continuous web that passes round the entire circumference of
the bag.
18. A weight as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bag has an outer
skin and a separate inner skin.
19. A weight as claimed in claim 18, wherein the outer skin is
formed of a plastics material.
20. A weight as claimed in claim 11, wherein the bag is formed with
a resealable opening to enable the bag to be emptied and refilled
with the flowable solid.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to equipment for use in
performing physical training exercises.
[0002] It is known to exercise by lifting weights usually
constructed as barbells or dumbbells consisting of metal disks
secured to a metal bar. The present invention seeks to provide a
weight for use in performing physical exercises that is a both
safer and more versatile than conventional weights.
[0003] According to the present invention, there is provided a
weight for use in performing physical training exercises,
comprising an elongate cylindrical flexible-walled bendable bag
filled with a flowable solid and having at least two handles that
are flexibly attached to the bag and project from the cylindrical
surface of the bag at points that are axially spaced from one
another, wherein the packing density of the flowable solid within
the bag is such that the maximum sag at the centre of the bag when
it is supported by its ends does not exceed 5% of the length of the
bag.
[0004] The flowable solid is made of incompressible particles, and
in this respect, the bag differs from punch bags, such as described
in U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,210, which are filled with a compressible
material such as rubber. The flowable solid is preferably sand but
may alternatively use pea gravel which comprises rounded particles
having a maximum diameter of around 5 mm. The flowable solid may
comprise less coarse material with a particle size as small as 1 mm
but very fine materials would prove difficult to contain
effectively within the bag.
[0005] The bag is preferably also padded. The thickness of the
padding is preferably such as to permit the surface of the bag to
be depressed by 5 to 25 mm. The padding softens impact with the bag
and allows the bag to be carried comfortably across the shoulders
of the user.
[0006] When exercising with conventional barbells or dumbbells,
exercises are designed to work on one or only a few muscles through
movements in only one plane. If a bag of the invention is used in
the same way as conventional dumbbells, the instability resulting
from the bendable nature of the bag and the movement in the handles
requires the athlete to use many more different muscles to control
the movement of the bag.
[0007] The bag of the invention can additionally be used to perform
many exercises that are not safe or comfortable with dumbbells. For
example, the bag can be carried across the shoulders while
performing such exercises as jumping, running, climbing up and down
stairs, bending forwards, bending sideways and rotating about the
hip.
[0008] The padding of the bag also permits it to be thrown and
caught safely in the same way as a medicine ball.
[0009] The handles of the bag may extend either parallel to its
axis or circumferentially. In the latter case, it is preferred that
the handles form part of a continuous web that passes round the
entire circumference of the bag to provide additional strength and
place less reliance on the stitching of the handles to the material
of the bag.
[0010] Preferably, the bag is of several skins. The inner skin is
conveniently a polypropylene fabric as commonly used for sacks used
to package and store heavy building materials such as sand and
gravel. Such a fabric is inexpensive and well suited to the task of
containing the flowable solid. The outer skin may suitably be
formed of a plastics material or of leather. Between the two skins,
a compressible layer may be used to provide the desired padding.
The compressible layer may be a felt or a closed cell foam.
[0011] To permit the bag to be filled with the flowable solid, it
is preferred to provide the outer skin with an opening having a
resealable fastener, such as a zip fastener, a lace fastener or a
hook and eye fastener (Velcro.RTM.).
[0012] The opening may extend parallel to the axis of the bag or
circumferentially. As a further alternative, the bag may be formed
with a removable end cap that is held in position by means of a
suitable resealable fastener.
[0013] The invention will now be described further, by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first bag, embodying the
invention,
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of
the invention, and
[0016] FIG. 3 is a transverse section through the bag of a still
further embodiment of the invention.
[0017] The exercise bag 10 shown in FIG. 1 has an outer casing 12
made of a suitable plastics material or leather onto which are sewn
two handles 14. The casing has an opening 16 closed by a resealable
fastener, such as a zip or Velcro.RTM., through which the bag is
filled with a flowable solid, preferably sand or pea gravel. As
will be described in further detail by reference to FIG. 3, the bag
10 may have an inner-casing or bladder for increased strength and
better containment of the flowable solid.
[0018] The bag 20 of FIG. 2 has an outer casing 22 and differs from
the bag of FIG. 1 in two respects. First, the handles 24 extend
axially rather than circumferentially and second, in place of an
opening, the bag 20 has a removable end cap 28 attached to the body
of the bag by a resealable fastener.
[0019] The size of an exercise bag will of course depend on the
desired weight and the diameter of the bag can be increased as
necessary to accommodate greater quantities of the flowable solid.
The length of the bag should preferably be greater than 600 cm in
order to afford sufficient space for two handles and less than 1200
cm to avoid it becoming unwieldy.
[0020] The packing density of the pea gravel or sand is important
because the bag should be slightly bendable but should not sag in
the middle under the weight of the contained flowable solid. The
maximum sag at the centre of the bag when it is supported by its
ends should not exceed 5% of the length of the bag. Thus it should
be possible to raise one end of the bag when lying on a horizontal
surface by a distance equal only to about one tenth of the length
of the bag before its opposite end commences to tilt. The bag is
thus able to bend sufficiently to rest on a user's shoulders
without applying pressure directly to the spine.
[0021] The flexibility of the bag and the fact that the handles can
flex relative to the bag have the effect that its centre of gravity
will move around as it is lifted and will call upon the user to use
a larger range of muscles to control the movement.
[0022] FIG. 3 shows a section through an alternative embodiment of
the invention. The bag 30 of FIG. 3 has an outer casing 32 made of
a suitable plastics material, such as high density of polythene.
The outer casing is lined with a padding 36 which is preferably a
resilient closed-cell foam. The bag 30 has an inner skin 40 and is
made of a woven polypropylene fabric, such as used in the building
trade to carry sand. The inner skin 40 is filled with sand 42 of
which the particle size is about 1 mm. It is possible to use finer
material in addition but if the particle size is too small it may
bleed out of the bag. The use of particles larger than 5 mm, on the
other hand, would make the bag uncomfortable to carry across the
shoulders.
[0023] In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the handles 14 and 2
are sewn to the outer casing, which is not preferred because the
stitching will be subjected to severe stresses and may give way.
Instead, in FIG. 3, the gripped part of the handle 34 (which is
itself suitably upholstered) passes through slits in the outer
casing 32 and the padding 36 and is attached to a web 38 that
encircles the entire girth of the bag 30. For additional strength,
it is possible to sew the handle 34 to the casing. Though FIG. 3
shows the web 38 inside in the outer casing 32, it is further
possible to place the web 38 outside the outer casing 32, this
being the construction that offers the maximum strength.
[0024] The outer casing can be formed by folding over and sewing or
welding the opposite sides of a flat sheet or it may be formed from
a seamless extruded plastics tube. The opening 16 in FIG. 1 is
better suited to the former method of construction of the casing,
while the end cap 28 of FIG. 2 is better suited to an extruded tube
and makes for an inexpensive construction in that it can totally
avoid the need for sewing.
[0025] The padding of the casing makes the bag more comfortable to
carry and reduces the risk of injury by impact, which is ever
present when using barbells or dumbbells. The padding may be
between 5 mm and 25 mm thickness to permit a similar degree of
flexibility in the surface of the bag. Thus the padding is
sufficient to prevent the individual particles of the flowable
solid from being discerned.
[0026] The ideal separation of the handles of the bag will depend
on the size of the user and the exercise being performed. To enable
the bag to be used in different ways and by different users, it is
possible to provide more than two handles and these may either be
axially aligned with another or they may be staggered around the
circumference of the bag.
[0027] An elongate padded and slightly flexible bag as described
above has been found to provide a significant advantage over
dumbbells and other devices used in the prior art for resistance
training in that it allows exercise regimes to be designed to
improve the performance of all the muscles that are used by a
particular athlete rather than just a few of the relevant muscles.
The exercises can be tailored to the sport in which the athlete
specialises and can involve a wide range of body movements as
earlier described.
* * * * *