U.S. patent application number 12/407453 was filed with the patent office on 2010-09-23 for modular isometric and speed training device.
Invention is credited to David Law, Ryan Mongan.
Application Number | 20100240495 12/407453 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42738147 |
Filed Date | 2010-09-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100240495 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Law; David ; et al. |
September 23, 2010 |
Modular Isometric and Speed Training Device
Abstract
A modular exercise device that provides isometric and speed
training in a plurality of embodiments by providing a single
sensing core that can be encased in multiple housings. A force
measurement smart core is an electronic piece although a pressure
indicator or physical force gauge could be used also. A feedback
interface providing visual/auditory tactile interaction could be
visual using an LCD or LEDS, audible, or tactile (vibration
feedback) Means to setup the device include buttons or dials to set
the goal force or change the exercise program. A memory allows the
device to be programmed to walk the user through a routine or to
allow the user to see previous workouts. A connection means to
connect to a computer, the network or other electronic device using
standard known architecture would be utilized. This could be
wireless, wired or through memory cards.
Inventors: |
Law; David; (Seattle,
WA) ; Mongan; Ryan; (Sammamish, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WHITE-WELKER & WELKER, LLC
P.O. BOX 199
CLEAR SPRING
MD
21722-0199
US
|
Family ID: |
42738147 |
Appl. No.: |
12/407453 |
Filed: |
March 19, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/9 ;
482/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/4045 20151001;
A63B 21/00058 20130101; A63B 2071/0655 20130101; A63B 2220/51
20130101; A63B 21/0023 20130101; A63B 2220/58 20130101; A63B
2220/54 20130101; A63B 21/0004 20130101; A63B 21/4035 20151001;
A63B 21/4047 20151001; A63B 21/00043 20130101; A63B 2071/0625
20130101; A63B 2220/62 20130101; A63B 2225/20 20130101; A63B 23/12
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/9 ;
482/1 |
International
Class: |
A63B 71/00 20060101
A63B071/00 |
Claims
1. Modular isometric device comprising: a smart core consisting of:
a housing or frame; a force and time measurement component, a
feedback interface providing at least one of visual, auditory, or
tactile interaction, and a housing.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the smart core is further
comprised of wireless connection means to connect the device to a
wireless network.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the smart core is further
comprised of an electronic memory allowing the device to be
programmed to walk the user through a routine or to allow the user
to see previous workouts.
4. The device of claim 1 further comprising one or more physical
extensions removeably attached to the housing.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein, the force and time measurement
component is electronic.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein, the force and time measurement
component is a pressure indicator or physical force gauge.
7. The device of claim 4 wherein, the physical extensions include
upper body and core extensions.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein, the physical extensions for upper
body and core extensions include: fixed handgrips, scissor
handgrips, T-handle grips, cord pulls, a medicine ball, or moveable
handle bars attached to the smart core as alternative housings.
9. The device of claim 4 wherein, the physical extensions include
lower body and core extensions.
10. The device of claim 3 wherein, a memory card is provided to
transfer information from the device to a computer.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein, the housing is further comprised
of two receiving arms for attachably receiving numerous grips.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein, the grips include a short
handle, balled handle, and an extended handle
13. The device of claim 2 wherein, the wireless connection means
connect the device to a wireless computer network.
14. The device of claim 2 wherein, the wireless connection means
connects the device to a mobile wireless device; said mobile
wireless device provides a continuous network connection; said
mobile wireless device provides a memory for storing exercise data
locally on the smart phone or remotely to server or other computer;
said mobile wireless device provides a user access to said exercise
data; said mobile wireless device provides software that would
automatically connect and synchronize any data or exercise
program.
15. The device of claim 14 wherein the mobile wireless device is a
smart phone.
16. The device of claim 1 comprising two smart cores whereby the
two smart cores are press together, pulled apart, or apply
pressuring in opposing directions during an isometric exercise
routine.
17. The device of claim 2 wherein, the memory includes a users
history of exercise will show what their peak performance and
abilities are and is able to scale the forces generated so that the
users can compete based on their effort compared to their
historical performance and not based on actual force measured.
18. The device of claim 17 wherein, users compete on speed to see
how fast they can apply a force.
19. The device of claim 1 wherein, said device is provided with
accessories that mount it to stationary objects.
20. The device of claim 1 wherein, the device consists of a core
measurement unit that can measure the force being applied by the
user and also the force/time; and said device provides direct
feedback to the user to indicate force applied, the time taken to
reach a predefined force, and the neural reaction time.
21. The device of claim 1 further comprising means of measuring
force, torque, and pressure that are correlated to the external
force applied by the user.
22. The device of claim 11 further comprising a controlled motion
attachment attached to the two receiving arms for attachably
receiving numerous grips providing very slow movement during the
exercise of the receiving arms and attached grips while the user
maintained the desired force on the grips.
23. The device of claim 22 wherein the controlled motion attachment
is either a stepper motor or a governor.
24. The device of claim 22 wherein the controlled motion apparatus
allows the device to walk a user through an exercise routine by
moving the handles to different positions for a variety of
different exercises.
Description
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0001] Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
[0002] Not Applicable
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0003] Not Applicable
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates generally to an exercise
device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a
modular exercise device that provides isometric and speed training
in a plurality of embodiments by providing a single sensing core
that can be encased in multiple housings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Isometric exercise is a type of strength training where the
practitioner's joint angle and muscle length do not change during
the muscle contraction. Isometric exercises are performed in a
static position with no movement involved. A classic example of an
isometric exercise is to hold your hands together with the palms
touching and press them together as hard as you can for ten
seconds. The joint and muscle are worked against themselves with no
movement. Isometric exercising has a long history and elements
appear in yoga and martial arts.
[0006] Isometrics has a number of benefits: it is a very safe form
of exercising, as it is difficult to inadvertently overload your
muscles. Isometrics are frequently used for physical therapy
treatment, and it increases maximum strength beyond that achievable
while using straight strength training Isometrics strength training
helps build fast twitch muscle fiber, the key component for speed,
which is important in many sports. Traditional strength training
does not. No heavy equipment or weights are required.
[0007] Given the known benefits of isometrics it is very noticeable
that Isometric exercising is little practiced compared to other
forms of strength training and physical exercises. One of the main
reasons for this is that there is little or no feedback when doing
isometric exercises. It is impossible to know from one exercise to
the next whether you are using a similar effort level. During a
prolonged exercise regime over a couple of weeks or months there is
no way to track improvement except through other forms of exercise.
Therefore average exercisers have not adopted isometrics even
though the benefits of isometrics have been documented in numerous
studies.
[0008] The other major advantage of isometrics is they have been
shown to increase the ratio of fast twitch muscle to slow twitch
muscle fiber of a practitioner. Speed is one of the most difficult
things to train for; therefore being able to use isometrics is an
important aspect of any serious speed training
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A modular exercise device that provides isometric and speed
training in a plurality of embodiments by providing a single
sensing core that can be encased in multiple housings. The device
is modular and consists of a smart core that can be used with a
number of physical extensions that expand and build on the device
and allow it to be used in a huge variety of ways to exercise
different muscles for different sports. The major components of the
system are: a smart core which is comprised of a memory, force and
time measurement core, power means, visual/auditory tactile
interaction component, and a housing or frame.
[0010] A force measurement smart core is an electronic piece
although a pressure indicator or physical force gauge could be used
also. A feedback interface providing visual/auditory tactile
interaction could be visual using an LCD or OLED or any other type
of visual display or LEDS, audible, or tactile (vibration
feedback). In an alternative embodiment, tactic feedback is
measured in a similar fashion to that of a torque wrench. When
using a torque wrench, a user is not watching the wrench; they are
watching the workpiece. When the user reaches the proper torque,
there is an audible click and a slight motion of the handle to let
them know they are there. The present invention, in some
embodiments may use a combination of audio and slight motion to
provide visual/auditory tactile interaction and feedback.
[0011] The present invention also teaches means to setup the
device, which include buttons or dials to set the goal force or
change the exercise program. Memory allows the device to be
programmed to walk the user through a routine or to allow the user
to see previous workouts. A connection means to connect to a
computer, the network or other electronic device using standard
known architecture would be utilized. This could be wireless, wired
or through memory cards.
[0012] One interesting use for the device of the present invention
is that because there is little or no muscle movement it is
possible to be doing other things while exercising. Imagine a force
gauge that attached to a steering wheel, allowing you to flex your
muscle and receive feedback while stuck in traffic. Or more likely
one could use this device while watching television.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and
form a part of the specification, illustrate the present invention
and, together with the description, further serve to explain the
principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the
pertinent art to make and use the invention.
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates the smart core with accessory interfaces
taught by the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates the smart core in an alternative
configuration taught by the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative configuration taught by
the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 5 illustrates the device in use in one upper body
workout embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 6 shows how force is plotted against time for the user
for three different measurements;
[0020] FIGS. 7 and 8 show how the force is plotted against time for
the user during an exercise routine;
[0021] FIG. 9 illustrates the architecture where the basic device
of the present invention is reconfigured to simply be the force and
time measurement core and an interface to an existing computer, or
smart phone;
[0022] FIGS. 10-12 illustrate an alternative embodiment providing a
device that consists of two separate sensors that would both
measure the force that is being applied to them;
[0023] FIG. 13 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present
invention comprising a stepper motor in addition to the force
measurement device's handles that provides means for allowing very
slow movement during the exercise; and
[0024] FIGS. 14-16 illustrate the device in use in one lower body
workout embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] In the following detailed description of the invention of
exemplary embodiments of the invention, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings (where like numbers represent like elements),
which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of
illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention
may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient
detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the
invention, but other embodiments may be utilized and logical,
mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made without
departing from the scope of the present invention. The following
detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting
sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by
the appended claims.
[0026] In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.
However, it is understood that the invention may be practiced
without these specific details. In other instances, well-known
structures and techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art
have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the
invention.
[0027] Referring to the figures, it is possible to see the various
major elements constituting the apparatus of the present invention.
The present invention is a modular isometric and speed-training
device. The core of the device 100 is where the majority of the
cost exists; once that has been purchased the device can be
reconfigured with many different inexpensive physical extensions
202, 203, 204, 205, 206. The extensions 202, 203, 204, 205, 206
allow the user to easily alter the device to exercise specific
muscle groups or add sport specific extensions 202, 203, 204, 205,
206 that target strength routines that benefit the desired
attributes for that sport. No device of this small and portable
size can measure muscle speed and reaction time simultaneously and
track progress towards a goal. This device is one of the only
exercise devices that can help train speed one of the main
attributes of an athletes training regime. The device is modular
and consists of a smart core 100 that can be used with a number of
physical extensions 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 that expand and build
on the device and allow it to be used in a huge variety of ways to
exercise different muscles for different sports. In the figures,
the physical extensions 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 shown are all for
use with upper body exercises although it would be obvious to one
of ordinary skill in the art to replace or include lower body
attachments 1400 as shown in FIGS. 14-16 for lower body core
training as taught by many other exercise machines in the prior art
as lower body and core training is a big component of speed in
sports. The major components of the system are: a smart core 100
which is comprised of a memory 101, connection means 102, force and
time measurement core 103, power means 104, visual/auditory tactile
interaction component 105, and a housing or frame 106. A force
measurement smart core 103 is an electronic piece although a
pressure indicator or physical force gauge could be used also. A
feedback interface providing visual/auditory tactile interaction
105 could be visual using an LCD or LEDS, audible, or tactile
(vibration feedback) Means to setup the device include buttons or
dials to set the goal force or change the exercise program. A
memory 102 allows the device to be programmed to walk the user
through a routine or to allow the user to see previous workouts. A
connection means 102 to connect to a computer, the network or other
electronic device using standard known architecture would be
utilized. This could be wireless, wired or through memory
cards.
[0028] Different shapes and devices to allow a variety of exercises
to be performed through connection to a central housing or frame
106 are taught by the present invention. Now referring to FIG. 2,
several embodiments of the present invention are shown. The central
house 106 contains the smart core 100. The smart core 100 can then
be attached to any number of physical extensions 202, 203, 204,
205, 206 that expand and build on the device and allow it to be
used in a huge variety of ways to exercise different muscles for
different sports. For example, fixed handgrips 206, scissor
handgrips 202, T-handle grips 203, cord pulls 204, a medicine ball
207 or moveable handle bars 205 can be attached as alternative
housings to the smart core 100 to create several exercise
embodiments of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention
where the smart core 100 is secured in a housing affixed with two
receiving arms 301 and 302 for attachably receiving numerous grips.
The grips can come in many shapes such as the short handle, 303,
balled handle 304, and extended handle 305 shown. A user can simply
attach the desired handle or grip to the receiving arms 301 and 302
as desired.
[0030] Now referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, another embodiment of the
present invention where the smart core 100 is secured in a housing
400 affixed with two handles 401 and 402 as shown. In practice, a
user 500 would grip each handle 401 and 402 and attempt to spread
the handles 401 and 402 apart or push them together in an upper
body isometric exercise of this embodiment.
[0031] FIG. 14 illustrates another embodiment of the present
invention where the smart core 100 is secured to two handles 1401
and 1402 as shown. In practice, a user 1403 would place each handle
1401 and 1402 against their inner thigh and attempt to squeeze the
handles 1401 and 1402 together in a lower body isometric exercise
of this embodiment.
[0032] Speed is a key component of many athletic endeavors, however
it is difficult to specifically train or measure speed. The three
main areas for athletic training are speed, strength, and
endurance. Most sports incorporate two to three of these areas,
however the majority of training and training equipment is biased
towards Strength and Endurance. Isometric training has been shown
to positively impact speed in addition to strength, even though no
movement occurs during. To measure speed the device measures the
force applied over time. In one scenario the user is required to
get into position and apply and hold an initial lower force. The
device would then indicate by visual, audio or tactile means to
rapidly increase the force as quickly as possible. No movement
happens, the user is simply increasing the force they apply to the
device. The graph of FIG. 6 shows how the force is plotted against
time for the user for three different measurements. FIGS. 7 and 8
show how the force is plotted against time for the user during an
exercise routine. In FIG. 7, the user is increasing the force and
attempting to hold the constant target force for a given period of
time. In FIG. 8 the user is increasing the force and attempting to
hold the constant target force for a given period of time and then
apply a smaller force in a lower target zone during a relaxing
period in the exercise. Other variations have the muscle reaction
be relaxing to a lower force the opposite of a tense.
[0033] The basic device could be completely reconfigured to simply
be the force and time measurement core 900 and an interface to an
existing computer 901, or smart phone 902 as shown in FIG. 9.
Phones 902 that have great computing power, large displays, touch
screen or smart button interfaces and a continuous network
connection are becoming ubiquitous. Two examples are the IPHONE and
the GOOGLE ANDROID phone. These devices have a well-developed SDK
(software development kit) an application store and an always-on
Internet connection 903 that would allow the exercise data to be
stored on servers and accessed by the user anywhere. This would
allow the user to track their progress and activity with no effort
other than plugging the phone 902 into the device 900 and
performing their exercise routine. The software would automatically
connect and synchronize any data or exercise program. This would
also allow the device to be programmed either on a computer or via
the Internet. The connection to a computer and Internet or other
communications network would allow someone to compete against
themselves or other users as desired.
[0034] In an alternative embodiment shown in FIGS. 10-12, rather
than have a single connected device there may be some interesting
uses for a device that consists of two separate sensors 901 and 902
that would both measure the force that is being applied to them. In
FIGS. 10-12, a user can use the two sensing halves 901 and 902 to
press together (FIG. 10), pull apart (FIG. 11), or apply pressuring
in opposing directions (FIG. 12) in an isometric exercise
routine.
[0035] One of the main issues preventing success with any exercise
programs is that it is hard to stay motivated. Introducing some
competition is a great way to motivate people to try harder or to
continue doing something. The issue with competition and strength
contests is that it is extremely hard to find someone who is local
and willing to work with you and who has a similar schedule and
then it is even harder to find someone who is at a similar strength
level to you. This device solves this issue.
[0036] With networked exercise equipment it is easy to find someone
who is interested in exercising at the same time as you are given
the much larger pool of potential exercise partners. This is very
similar to online game playing. Games start throughout the day and
people join a server, which places them in a queue where they
generally wait only a few seconds before being joined to a game.
The users history of exercise will show what their peak performance
and abilities are and the software will be able to scale the forces
generated so that the users can compete based on their effort
compared to their historical performance and not based on actual
force measured. This allows the weakest user to compete against the
strongest. The time for each user can be altered also. For example,
if one of the users can only hold their maximum force for twelve
seconds and the other competitor can hold it for thirty seconds the
two would still be able to compete to see who was able to hold it
closer to their personal record. Additionally the users could
compete on speed to see how fast they can apply a force. With a
stored history of a users performance, the user would also be able
to compete against themselves and see how their performance on a
routine differs on a daily basis or to compete in an open
competition where the absolute measurements are compared.
[0037] The device can be handheld, but it also could be used by the
feet or knees or other parts of the body to exercise different
muscle groups. It is also imagined that the device could have
accessories that mount it to chairs, tables, doorways etc. to
facilitate a multitude of different exercises.
[0038] The typical way to train for sports is to play the sport
itself. This improves coordination, muscle memory and instinct on
the playing field. But to excel, the athlete utilizes specialty
training to augment. The football player who only plays football
would be at a disadvantage to a similarly talented player who also
works strength training into his routine. That is because strength
training produces muscle forces beyond those that the player would
see just playing the game. The body adapts to this training load
because it is above a habitual level. This is the theory of super
compensation; after a stress period (workout) and a restorative
period (rest), the preparedness level (fitness) is higher than it
was originally. The weight-training player will become stronger
than the non-weight training player. This specialty training
typically takes one of two directions: strength or endurance. This
is typical and, for some sports, all that is needed. In fact, for
the fitness oriented person (as opposed to athletic oriented
person), strength and endurance is all that is needed/desired.
[0039] However, in order to be more competitive in many sports, the
other dimension that is needed is speed. In some sports it is the
dominant dimension. There are few if any devices for speed training
and even fewer that can measure progress created by the training.
The invention presented here can be used to both train for speed
and to measure progress. It is generally accepted that muscle fiber
types can be broken down into two main types: slow twitch (Type I)
muscle fibers and fast twitch (Type II) muscle fibers. These
distinctions seem to influence how muscles respond to training and
physical activity, and each fiber type is unique in its ability to
contract in a certain way. The majority of people have
approximately the same distribution of muscle fibers. Studies have
shown that sedentary people have about 50 percent slow twitch and
50 percent fast twitch fibers in most of the muscles used for
movement. The activity and training that has been undertaken will
change muscle type distribution. E.g a distance runner may have
only 25% fast twitch muscle fiber, while a sprinter may have
>80% fast twitch muscle fiber.
[0040] Slow Twitch (Type I).
[0041] The slow muscles are more efficient at using oxygen to
generate more fuel (known as ATP) for continuous, extended muscle
contractions over a long time. They fire more slowly than fast
twitch fibers and can go for a long time before they fatigue.
Therefore, slow twitch fibers are great at helping athletes run
marathons and bicycle for hours.
[0042] Fast Twitch (Type II).
[0043] Because fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to
create fuel, they are much better at generating short bursts of
strength or speed than slow muscles. However, they fatigue more
quickly. Fast twitch fibers generally produce the same amount of
force per contraction as slow muscles, but they get their name
because they are able to fire more rapidly. Having more fast twitch
fibers can be an asset to a sprinter since she needs to quickly
generate a lot of force. It is obvious how you create the overload
conditions for strength and endurance that will produce super
compensation? However in most cases for speed training, you can't
just do the motion faster in order to get the overload.
[0044] If you are a baseball player you can't just swing your bat
three times faster in training Currently there is no device on the
market that can show conclusively over a training period of
days/weeks that the athlete has directly increased the speed of the
muscle group that they are training. Training effectiveness is
measured through ancillary observations of sport performance, which
is extremely difficult to correlate with training. The device is
used for isometric exercising. Isometric exercise is a type of
training where the joint angle and muscle length do not change
during the exercise muscle contraction. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
the device consists of a core measurement unit that can measure the
force being applied by the user and also the force/time.
[0045] In the preferred embodiment the device would be provide
direct feedback to the user to indicate both force applied but also
the time taken to reach a predefined force. There have been a
number of studies that have shown that isometrics/resistance
training is one of the most effective methods of increasing the
percentage of fast twitch muscle and therefore of increasing the
speed of the practitioner. The core of the device would have some
means of measuring force, torque, pressure etc. that can be
correlated to the external force applied by the user. There would
be a user interface component that would provide feedback to the
user (e.g. When to commence applying force, what level of force
they are applying).
[0046] To measure speed the device measures the force applied over
time. In one scenario the user is required to get into position and
apply and hold an initial lower force as shown in FIG. 7. The
device would then indicate by visual, audio or tactile means to
rapidly increase the force as quickly as possible. No movement
happens, the user is simply increasing the force they apply to the
device. The graph of FIG. 6 shows how the force is plotted against
time for the user for three different measurements.
[0047] There are two components that affect speed. The first is a
neural response--the body's reaction time. The second is the force
time curve that your muscles can produce--your explosiveness.
Combined, these two components represent the speed of the athletic
movement. The device of the present invention is specifically
intended to improve the second component, the force time curve of
the muscle or muscle group. However, this device has the added
benefit of being able to measure the neural reaction time as a
separate component of the overall speed, which can be advantageous
from a training standpoint.
[0048] The explosiveness is correlated to the percentage of fast
twitch muscle fibers that exist in the muscle group being measured.
The slope of the Force/Time curve as illustrated in FIG. 6, shows
the speed (explosiveness) of the exerciser. This shows how the
device could directly show the speed of the muscle response.
[0049] One of the complaints held against isometric exercise is
that the muscles do not move and therefore the muscle is only
exercised in one position. In yet another alternative embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 13, by adding a stepper motor 1303 or some form
of controlled clutch in addition to the force measurement the
device's handles 1301 and 1302 would very slowly move during the
exercise. This gives the benefit of isometric exercising while also
increasing the range over which the muscles are exercised. The
stepper motor 1303 or clutch would move or allow the handles 1301
and 1302 to move while the user maintained the desired force on the
device 1300. Alternatively the motor could simply allow the device
to walk the user through an exercise routine by moving the handles
to different positions for a variety of different exercises.
[0050] Furthermore, other areas of art may benefit from this method
and adjustments to the design are anticipated. Thus, the scope of
the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their
legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.
* * * * *