U.S. patent application number 14/445005 was filed with the patent office on 2016-02-04 for rocker exercise board and methods of use thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Denice McClure, Jerome Short. Invention is credited to Denice McClure, Jerome Short.
Application Number | 20160030800 14/445005 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55178992 |
Filed Date | 2016-02-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160030800 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McClure; Denice ; et
al. |
February 4, 2016 |
ROCKER EXERCISE BOARD AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF
Abstract
Disclosed are devices, and methods for creating proportional
instability on an exercise board. The disclosed devices and methods
use curved rocker plates to define the rate of change for tilting
on an exercise board.
Inventors: |
McClure; Denice; (Land O'
Lakes, FL) ; Short; Jerome; (Land O' Lakes,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
McClure; Denice
Short; Jerome |
Land O' Lakes
Land O' Lakes |
FL
FL |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
55178992 |
Appl. No.: |
14/445005 |
Filed: |
July 28, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/146 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 22/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 22/18 20060101
A63B022/18 |
Claims
1. An exercise rocker board comprising, an elongated, substantially
planar board comprising an upper surface and a lower surface,
wherein a plurality of plano-convex rockers for contacting an
exercise surface are attached perpendicularly to the lower surface
of the board and in parallel relative to each other, further
wherein the plano-convex rockers comprise at least a central high
rate of angle of deflection arc segment and a flanking low rate of
angle of deflection arc segment relative to central arc
segment.
2. The exercise rocker board of claim 1, wherein the flanking arc
segment terminates with a truncation perpendicular to the board,
thereby preventing a user's hand from being pinned underneath the
board at a maximum angle of deflection of the board.
3. The exercise rocker board of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the plano-convex rockers is monolithic.
4. The exercise rocker board of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the plano-convex rockers comprises an assembly having a central
plano-convex rocker plate fixed in parallel between at least two
parallel flanking plano-convex rocker plates, wherein the central
plate comprises the high rate of angle of deflection arc segment,
and the flanking plate comprises the low rate of angle of
deflection arc segment relative to central arc segment.
5. The exercise rocker board of claim 1, wherein the board folds
laterally into halves.
6. The exercise rocker board of claim 1, wherein the board is
stable in a longitudinal plane and unstable in a lateral plane to
the exercise surface.
7. The exercise rocker board of claim 1, wherein the outer surface
of the board is draped with a pad, a towel, or a mat.
8. The exercise rocker board of claim 1 wherein the exercise
surface is a soft surface selected from the group consisting of a
mat, a carpet, and combinations thereof.
9. The exercise rocker board of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the arc segments comprises a function selected from the group
consisting of an ellipse, a circle, a parabola, and a
hyperbola.
10. An exercise rocker board, wherein the center of gravity of the
board decreases as the board tilts laterally relative to a
substantially planar exercise surface.
11. The exercise rocker board of claim 10, wherein the board
comprises an elongated, substantially planar board comprising an
upper surface and a lower surface, wherein a plurality of
plano-convex rockers for contacting an exercise surface are
attached perpendicularly to the lower surface of the board and in
parallel relative to each other, further wherein the plano-convex
rockers comprise at least a central high rate of angle of
deflection arc segment and a flanking low rate of angle of
deflection arc segment relative to central arc segment.
12. The exercise rocker board of claim 11, wherein the flanking arc
segment terminates with a truncation perpendicular to the board,
thereby preventing a user's hand from being pinned underneath the
board at a maximum angle of deflection of the board.
13. The exercise rocker board of claim 11, wherein at least one of
the plano-convex rockers is monolithic.
14. The exercise rocker board of claim 11, wherein at least one of
the plano-convex rockers comprises an assembly having a central
plano-convex rocker plate fixed in parallel between at least two
parallel flanking plano-convex rocker plates, wherein the central
plate comprises the high rate of angle of deflection arc segment,
and the flanking plate comprises the low rate of angle of
deflection arc segment relative to central arc segment.
15. A method of exercise comprising, a user standing, kneeling,
sitting, or laying on a rocker board wherein the rocker board
comprises an elongated, substantially planar board comprising an
upper surface and a lower surface, wherein a plurality of
plano-convex rockers for contacting the exercise surface are
attached perpendicularly to the lower surface of the board and in
parallel relative to each other, further wherein the plano-convex
rockers comprise at least a central high rate of angle of
deflection arc segment and a flanking low rate of angle of
deflection arc segment relative to central arc segment.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the flanking arc segment
terminates with a truncation perpendicular to the board, thereby
preventing a user's hand from being pinned underneath the board at
a maximum angle of deflection of the board.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the
plano-convex rockers is monolithic.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the
plano-convex rockers comprises an assembly having a central
plano-convex rocker plate fixed in parallel between at least two
parallel flanking plano-convex rocker plates, wherein the central
plate comprises the high rate of angle of deflection arc segment,
and the flanking plate comprises the low rate of angle of
deflection arc segment relative to central arc segment.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the exercise is selected from
the group consisting of yoga, tai chi, Pilates, and physical
rehabilitation.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the exercise surface is a mat
or carpet.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Exercise boards employing rockers to create instability are
useful in increasing workout intensity and improving balance.
Exercise routines such as yoga, Pilates, tai chi, body building,
physical therapy, and rehabilitation on rocker boards are
particularly useful for centering balance and increasing muscle
activity. When integrating an exercise rocker board into an
exercise routine, a user can perform workouts more efficiently with
greater intensity, and with the added benefit of enhanced balance
training.
[0002] However, current methods and devices using exercise rocker
boards suffer serious drawbacks. For example, as a user shifts
balance away from the center of the board to the edge, the user's
position becomes exponentially more difficult to maintain creating
gross bodily over-corrections leading to a cyclic teeter-totter
effect, or flattening out at the maximum angle of deflection from
the center position where balance is lost entirely. Moreover,
current rocker exercise boards require practice to utilize the
board properly in a workout. Therefore, what is needed is an
exercise rocker board that does not induce gross over-correction to
maintain user balance as the user shifts body weight away from the
center of gravity of the board.
SUMMARY
[0003] Disclosed are devices and methods for exercising on a rocker
board that obviate gross body weight shifting resulting in
over-correction or flattening out of an exercise board at a maximum
angle of deflection during a routine. The disclosed devices and
methods reduce the amount of physical force required for users to
maintain a position on a rocker board even when the angle of
deflection of the board increasingly tilts away from the board's
center. Additionally, the described devices and methods provide
exercise routines where only enough instability is created during a
workout to enhance muscular micro-motions without further requiring
gross balance corrections or time-consuming practice in order to
use the board properly. The shape of the rocker underneath the
board comprises differential arc segments. A first central arc
segment allows a greater rate of tilt when the user is centered on
the board, and a second-flanking arc segment provides a lower rate
of tilt of the board as the user shifts weight away from the
center.
[0004] When using the rocker board, the proportionally decreasing
rate of tilt as the user deviates from the center of the board
creates advantages such as increased workout time and increased
workout intensity with more centered balance. Additionally, users
do not require practice or training to use the board safely.
Another advantage is that users can adopt exercise positions that
are otherwise impossible to attain on a floor or mat, increasing
the range of motions a user may use in their exercise routines. Yet
another advantage for embodiments employing rocker assemblies, the
central rocker plate may be changed out to provide greater or
lesser rates of change in tilt, thereby decreasing center position
stability or increasing center position stability at the user's
option.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an exemplary elongated rocker
board comprising rocker plate assemblies.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary elongated rocker
board.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a side view of an exemplary monolithic rocker
plate.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a side view of an exemplary rocker plate
assembly.
[0009] FIG. 5 is a side view of a user balanced on an exemplary
rocker board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Presented herein are devices and methods for creating
proportional instability during an exercise routine. By users
standing, sitting, kneeling, or laying on a rocker board to perform
exercise routines, users benefit from micro-motions naturally
resulting from the user maintaining balance on a rocker board; but,
the disclosed rocker board is more forgiving to users that
over-correct to maintain balance. Moreover, even skilled users
benefit from being able to maintain balance for a longer time even
if the disclosed board is at a high angle of deflection from the
plane of the workout surface. The disclosed embodiments are
suitable for use on both a soft workout surface such as carpets and
mats as well as hard surfaces such as wood or concrete floors.
[0011] FIG. 1 presents a simplified bottom view of a non-limiting
embodiment of the device comprising an elongated planar rocker
board 10 having an upper surface (not shown) on which the user
stands, kneels, sits or lays, and a lower surface 20 comprising
rocker plates 30 which provide proportional lateral instability via
the plano-convex rocker plate assemblies 30 in parallel to the
bottom of an elongated board forming a chord section 40 such that
the rocker assemblies have a central rocker plate 50 with a high
rate of deflection arc segment 60 versus flanking rocker plates 70
having a low rate of deflection arc segment 80. As a safety
feature, the flanking rocker plates terminate in perpendicular
truncations 90 that prevent the board from pinching fingers and
hands underneath the board when the board maximally tilts on a
floor or mat. Further providing strength to the rocker board
assemblies, bolts with wing nuts 100 are used to compress the
central rocker plate 50 in-between the flanking rocker plates 70.
Bolts may be secured by any suitable means such as hex nuts, wing
nuts and other means of attachment optionally using washers,
compression washers, rubber washers and collets, for example.
[0012] FIG. 2 presents a simplified top view of a non-limiting
embodiment of the device comprising a rocker board 10 having an
upper surface 20 on which the user stands, kneels, sits or lays,
and a lower surface (not shown) where rocker assemblies 30 are
affixed underneath the board. Rocker assemblies may be affixed to
the board by any suitable means including welds, glue, screws,
bolts, rivets, and other means of secure attachment.
[0013] FIG. 3 presents a simplified side view of a non-limiting
embodiment of a monolithic rocker plate 200 having two flanking arc
segments 210 and a central arc segment 220 providing proportional
lateral instability in a single rocker plate when affixed to an
exercise board. A plurality of such rocker plates may be attached
at substantially parallel positions to each other underneath the
exercise board to obviate longitudinal instability in the
board.
[0014] FIG. 4 presents a simplified side view of a non-limiting
embodiment of a rocker plate assembly comprising two plano-convex
plates 100 wherein a central rocker plate 120 is fixed between the
flanking rocker plates 100 and the central rocker plate comprises a
high rate of deflection arc segment 130 with the flanking rocker
plates having a lower angle of deflection arc segment 140. For user
safety, the flanking rocker plates are truncated perpendicularly
150 so as to prevent users from pinching fingers and hands
underneath the board. The central plate's arc segment 120
terminates underneath the board so as not to obstruct the function
of the truncations of the flanking arc segments. Additional
strength is imparted to the rocker board assemblies by using bolts
160 and hex nuts 170 to compress the central rocker plate 130 in
between the flanking rocker plates 100.
[0015] FIG. 5 presents a simplified side view of a non-limiting
embodiment of a user 300 positioned on the upper surface of the
rocker board 310 wherein four plano-convex rocker plate assemblies
320 described in FIG. 4 are affixed perpendicularly to the
underside of the board and parallel to each other using screws 330
countersunk into the surface of the board. As the user balances on
the board, the board tilts laterally over an angle of deflection
340 of which the rate of change of the angle is defined by the
curvature of the two differential arc segments previously described
in FIG. 1.
[0016] Specifically, where the board is substantially parallel to
the exercise surface 350, the rate of change of angle of deflection
is high because the central arc segment of the rocker plate is
highly curved so that the instability is greater over the center of
the board. However, as the user tilts the board further from the
plane of the exercise surface, the rate of angle of deflection of
the board 340 decreases because the flanking segments contacting
the floor are less curved than that of the central arc segment;
thus, the board becomes less unstable in tilted positions. The user
grasps the board at the edge the board 360 to assist in control and
balance.
[0017] By providing a board with a central arc segment inducing a
greater angle of deflection of the board relative to the angle of
deflection of the flanking arc segments, a user can maintain
balance even when the board approaches its maximum angle of
deflection. In such embodiments, the center arc segment provides a
greater rate of angular deflection of the board where the board is
substantially parallel to the exercise surface, but a lower rate of
deflection where the board tilts and the flanking arc segments
contact the exercise surface to decrease the rate of angular
deflection. From the user's perspective, the center of gravity of
the board is higher and more unstable where the board is balanced
substantially parallel to the exercise surface but as the board
tilts, the center of gravity is lowered, thus increasing stability
for the user even though the board is tilting and the user remains
in same position.
[0018] In certain embodiments, the plano-convex rocker is
monolithic comprising a single plate having a central arc segment
and a flanking arc segment such that the central arc segment sweeps
a more narrow angle than flanking arc segments. Monolithic
plano-convex rockers are useful in reducing weight of the board and
in pre-form manufacturing. In yet other embodiments, a monolithic
rocker plate is attached to the board by any sufficient means
including via screws, welds, glue, hinges, brackets, or any other
functional means and combinations thereof.
[0019] However, in certain other embodiments the plano-convex
rocker comprises an assembly wherein a central plano-convex plate
is fixed between two flanking plano-convex plates. As such, a user
can swap out central plates to increase or decrease stability near
the center of the board allowing the user to configure the device
for comfort and desired workout intensity. In these embodiments, a
user can replace a central rocker plate with another rocker plate
having a more highly curved arc segment to increase instability.
Alternatively, a user can replace a central rocker plate with
another rocker plate having a more less curved arc segment to
decrease instability. In certain embodiments, the central plate is
bolted between the flanking plates, but any removable latch or
compression fitting configuration affixing the central plate is
contemplated. In yet other embodiments, rocker plates are attached
to the board by any sufficient means including via screws, welds,
glue, hinges, brackets, or any other functional means and
combinations thereof.
[0020] In order to provide a lateral tilting board, rocker plates
are used which comprise an arc segment. Geometrically, an arc
segment is defined as a portion of a curve separated from a circle
or ellipse with a chord line, or in the case of a hyperbolic or
parabolic curve, a curve separated by a secant line. Arc segments
are curved. Chord and secant lines are straight. Arc and
chord-secant lines join to form a "plano-convex" cross-sectional
area of the rocker plate. For purposes of the disclosure, the term
"plano-convex" refers to the mechanical properties of a rocker
plate. The term "plano-convex" comprises both a simple plano-convex
plate having only one arc segment joined to at least one
chord-secant line or a complex plano-convex plate having more than
one arc segment joined to at least one chord-secant line, for
example as in the rocker plate shown in FIG. 3.
[0021] The plano-convex rocker plates contact the exercise surface
so that the surface creates the geometric equivalent of a tangent
line to point of contact on the arc segment of the rocker plate.
The instantaneous rate of change in the curve is defined by the
slope of the tangent line formed by contact with the exercise
surface. While the user initiates the change by tilting the board,
the rate of this change is defined by the curve of the rocker
plate. Thus, the arc segment on the rocker plates defines the rate
of change of the angle of deflection of the board. The board may be
deflected as much as perpendicular, i.e., 90.degree., to the
ground, but for most embodiments, the maximum angle of deflection
of the board is 45.degree., 40.degree., 35.degree., 30.degree.,
25.degree., or 20.degree..
[0022] In some embodiments, the curved rocker plate deflects the
plane of the rocker board as the point of contact changes between
the arc segment and the floor. By changing the curve of a rocker
plate to be circular, elliptical, parabolic, or hyperbolic, the
angle of deflection of the board changes as the board is tilted.
Similarly, a combination of deflection rates can be achieved by
using combinations of circular, elliptical, parabolic, or
hyperbolic arc segments on the rocker plate or assembly, thereby
creating a complex plano-convex rocker plate as defined supra. For
example, the center rocker plate may comprise a circular arc
function and the flanking rocker plates may comprise an elliptical
arc function. Similarly, both the central and the flanking rocker
plate arc segments may both comprise an elliptical function wherein
the central arc segment has a faster rate of angular deflection as
the board begins to tilt but the flanking arc segments have a
slower rate of angular deflection as the board tilts further from
center. All combinations of curve functions are contemplated as
long as the rate of angular deflection of the board is not a
constant where the board tilts from parallel to the exercise
surface to the angle of maximal deflection. In certain embodiments
it is even possible to create a rocker board that is highly stable
in the center position, but increasingly unstable as the board
tilts, creating especially demanding balance positions as the board
deflect from the plane of the exercise surface.
[0023] In some other embodiments, the flanking rocker plates are
truncated perpendicular to the board and parallel to the edge of
the board. Such perpendicular truncations allow a user to hold onto
the board without pinching the user's fingers under it, even when
the board is at maximum deflection. When a user feels the curved
segments with their fingers, users immediately reposition their
hands to grab a different portion of the edge of the board so that
accidentally titling the board onto the user's fingers is
obviated.
[0024] The arc segments alone inherently create a center of gravity
for the board without a user being on it. However, a user on the
board can change positions from sitting to standing for example,
thus, raising or lowering the center of gravity. As such, the user
can increase or decrease the instability on the board by raising or
lowering their body on the board. Indeed, one advantage of the
board is that it can be used in both sitting and standing positions
with equal user confidence. Moreover, a user can use even high
angles of deflection to create new, relatively stable positions and
exercises that are not otherwise possible on a flat surface. For
example, a user can tilt the board to its maximal deflection but
maintain their position by grasping one edge of the board as a for
leverage and counter balance as illustrated, for example, in FIG.
5.
[0025] In yet other embodiments, the board can be folded in half or
thirds for storage and transportation. During use, the board may be
draped with a thin mat, a pad, a towel or any other soft surface to
increase user comfort. In certain embodiments, a headrest or
cushion is place or attached to one end of the longitudinal axis of
the board. In certain other embodiments, a soft mat or pad is
attached to the upper surface. Hooks and straps attached to the
board for handholds or footholds are also contemplated in the
embodiments. In yet other embodiments, the upper surface of the
board comprises a non-skid surface such as grit, varnish, polyvinyl
chloride, polyurethane, and the like.
[0026] The composition of the board and the rockers underneath the
board are not limited to any particular materials and include but
are not limited to wood, plastic, fiberglass, carbon fiber, metal,
and combinations of these for example. In some other embodiments,
the board and rockers are pre-formed together in a single mold. In
yet other embodiments, the board and the rockers are molded
separately and then attached to each other.
[0027] In certain embodiments, the exercise surface is soft such
that the rocker plate sinks into the surface, as when using it on a
mat or a carpet. Soft surfaces are particularly beneficial to users
desiring a less vigorous workout as the soft surface creates
resistance against the rocker plates as the surface compresses
under contact. Conversely, hard surfaces such as wood or concrete
can be used to increase workout intensity since the surface does
not offer any resistance under compression.
[0028] For certain embodiments, the board is useful in yoga,
Pilates, tai chi, weight lifting, rehabilitation, physical therapy,
cross-fitness, obstacle course training, and martial arts stances
and forms, as well as any other exercise benefiting from
instability created by using a rocker board. For example, the board
is also useful in body building, in rehabilitation of balance,
rehabilitation for spinal pain as well as for muscular atrophy, and
in recovery from high intensity exercise such as running,
marathons, and bicycling. Similarly, the board is useful in
training for skiing, surfing, dancing, gymnastics, skating,
skateboarding, as well as such sports as soccer, baseball,
football, and wrestling among others. In certain embodiments, the
board is used for in-place running and jumping exercises as well.
For youths, the board is highly entertaining and can be used as an
entertainment device alone or incorporated into children's gym
activities.
EXAMPLE 1
[0029] Four parallel rocker assemblies were attached to the
underside of a one inch plywood board using countersunk wood
screws. The board was seven feet long and eighteen inches wide with
rounded longitudinal ends extending over the terminal rocker
plates. The rocker assemblies comprised a central solid wooden
plano-convex rocker plate fixed between two flanking solid wood
plano-convex rocker plates using two bolts and two wing nuts to
compress the assembly together. The central rocker plate was
fourteen inches long at the chord, one inch thick, and had a
maximum height of four inches. The two flanking rocker plates
shared the same dimensions of seventeen and three-quarters inches
at the chord, one inch thickness, and had a maximum height of three
inches. The difference in maximum height between the central plate
and the flanking plates was one inch.
[0030] The central plate comprised a convex arc segment having a
high rate of angular deflection as the board was initially tilted
from parallel to the exercise mat; whereas, the flanking plates
comprised symmetrical arc segments having a lower rate of angular
deflection as the board was tilted further laterally. The central
plate arc segment and flanking plate's segments were both
elliptical but comprised differential rates of change of arc as the
board tilted.
[0031] The flanking plates were truncated perpendicularly to the
edge of the board to create a space underneath the board for the
user to hold the edge of the board. This feature allowed users to
safely grasp the edge of the board even in the fully tilted
position without pinching their fingers between the board and the
mat. The board was unstable in the lateral plane but not in the
longitudinal plane, thereby allowing walking forward to backward on
the board without longitudinal board motion.
[0032] Users exercising on this board reported a higher level of
intensity workout because of the micro-instabilities inherent in
attempting maintain balance on the board, even in prone positions
which have a low center of gravity, compared to lying prone on an
exercise mat, which alone has no instability. As a result, the
caloric requirement for using the board exceed that of simply using
a floor mat for similar exercises.
[0033] For standing positions, even new users reported that they
were able to successfully balance on the board using only isotonic
muscle control without flailing their arms or legs or engaging in
gross shifts of position in order to maintain balance. Isotonic
muscle control was particularly important in maintaining yoga
positions over time without falling off the board or flattening out
the board at its full tilt position.
[0034] Indeed, users were able to obtain new, previously
undescribed positions in yoga because such positions were not
possible on an exercise mat alone. These positions include hybrids
of gymnastic stances normally only attainable by using a balance
beam or parallel bars. For example, users could perform abdominal
crunches or squats (with or without weights such as a kettlebell)
in either the longitudinal or lateral position to the board, each
with different effects on balance, stretching, and muscle activity.
Similarly, it was possible to do asymmetrical push-ups by grasping
the edge of the board along the longitudinal axis of the board and
extending one arm and retracting the other arm while maintaining
body position parallel to the exercise surface. In such a push-up
position, users did not need to flatten their hands onto the board
thereby reducing wrist strain. Traditional yoga blocks and belts
were also used in exercise routines on the board.
[0035] For yoga, hybrid positioning for the wheel stance allowed
users to grab the edge of the board instead of flattening their
hands, thereby reducing wrist strain. Similarly, users maintained
the tree stance in at the center of the board, but were also able
to obtain a variation of the stance by standing on the lateral
flank of the board and allowing it to tilt to maximum deflection.
In a half-moon stance, users were able to cross-position at an
oblique angle across the board as well as grasp the edge of the
board while flattening it out in the tilted position, which is not
possible on a flat exercise surface.
[0036] The device was used successfully by the elderly, the young,
and the overweight as well as trained athletes. Users reported a
more thorough workout, increased mental clarity, rapid recovery
rate from the workout, and increased body awareness in space or
bodily intelligence.
[0037] The use of the board was not limited to a single user on the
board. For example, two users performed the same routine on the
same board, but with each other creating additional lateral
instability, increasing workout intensity and communication between
users of the board. Similarly, an instructor was able to stand on
one end of the board while the user performed routines under the
user's instruction further increasing the workout intensity for the
user by the trainer's shifting their own body weight to create or
mitigate instability on the board for the user.
[0038] For some exercises, two boards were used simultaneously. The
user would position the lower part of their body on one board and
position the upper part of their body on another board allowing the
user to create a bi-axial torsion between their lower body and
upper body. For group exercises, boards were placed end to end in a
circle allowing users to walk onto each other's boards and change
their relative position to the instructor.
[0039] Other modifications and embodiments of the invention will
come to mind in one skilled in the art to which this invention
pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented herein.
Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be
limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. Although specific
terms are employed, they are used in generic and descriptive sense
only and not for purposes of limitation, and that modifications and
embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the
appended claims.
* * * * *