Exercise and Training Apparatus

The present invention relates to exercise, training, conditioning, and physical therapy devices for humans, particularly such devices for exercising, training, strengthening and conditioning leg and core muscles. Particularly, the present invention relates to devices for exercising, strengthening and conditioning the leg and core muscles of users, who may be ice skaters, for example, hockey players training in proper stride techniques, or others desiring muscle training and conditioning for aesthetic purposes or undergoing physical therapy or rehabilitation.

It has long been recognized that training and exercise activities which are specific to a sport that one wishes to excel in are beneficial and that such exercises can develop improved strength and agility in the actual groups of muscles used when participating in the particular sport. When one exercises for a specific sport, one not only gains strength and endurance, but one also increases their skills in performing that sport. Exercises embodying resistance to muscle movement increase the strength of the muscle groups being exercised. Moreover, it has been found that exercising muscles at the specific angle at which they are utilized in a particular sport significantly improves one's skill in that sport. Therefore, in order to increase their skill, strength and endurance in a particular sport, athletes will frequently engage in exercises that mobilize specific muscle groups.

With particular regard to the sport of hockey, the best way to master a maneuver and to train and condition one's muscles to efficiently perform that maneuver is to practice the maneuver on ice. This requires a considerable amount of practice time on ice or “ice time” which may not be available, particularly in locations where there are limited ice facilities that are heavily scheduled. Hence, Powering Athletics International, LLC of Roanoke, Indiana, developed a hockey exercise and training apparatus commercialized under the designation PowerSkater™ and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,511 (Bulloch) (hereinafter “Original PowerSkater™ Apparatus”).

Many hockey players do not skate properly because there is muscular weakness in some body part that prevents or inhibits the performance of a certain action. When this is the case, the player often unconsciously makes some adjustment in style in an attempt to use a stronger muscle. This, of course, creates a faulty, often awkward style. For example, players with insufficiently developed quadriceps often fail to bend their knees sufficiently. They do this because, when the knees are bent, the quadriceps are in continuous hard action. If the quadriceps are weak, bending the knee will bring on fatigue or cause the player a sense of insecurity and imbalance due to the muscles quivering under a load they cannot easily handle. The answer, of course, is not to stop bending the knee, but rather to develop the quadriceps through special exercises and persevering in the bent knee action.

The action of a forward stride, for example, is a basic or fundamental maneuver in hockey which involves particular skate and body positions and movement of a skater's legs. While performing the forward stride, a skater starts with their feet in a “V” or “Arrow Tip” position (semi-squat coiled position) and, after each stride, returns their feet to this position. There are three recognized elements in executing a forward stride; the push-off phase; the glide phase; and the recovery phase. The basic fundamentals are performed in a relaxed posture: flexible ankle bends, flexible knee bends, body leaning forward, back straight, chest up, stomach in, and head up. Although this all seems simple, this posture is uncomfortable unless practiced to the point of subconsciousness.

Similarly, the action of cross-over or cross-under moves allow a player to execute circles and curves for weaving in and out of traffic, move laterally, skate circles forwards or backwards. Many times a skater needs to skate tight curves and circles at high speeds. Deep knee bends are important, along with body leaning, to cause their skate edges to grip the ice. The body lean should counteract the centripetal and centrifugal forces, and balance is critical. Stresses are put on the lower body parts (e.g., hips, knees, and ankles) when performing these maneuvers.

Forward cross-overs involve the outside leg stepping over the inside leg with weight shifting from the inside skate on the outside edge, to the outside leg by stepping or crossing over while gliding on the inside edge.

With two steps comes two pushes. The pushes are outward and inward. A skater pushes with the pushing skate while it is directly under the skater's center of gravity, and transfers weight onto the pushing skate. Push first, and cross-over second with weight transfer halfway through, as in forward skating.

As a further example, backward cross-overs are used mostly in a defensive posture, and certainly by all hockey defensemen. The backward cross-over is a pull/push movement. The inside skate crosses under the outside skate, pulling through and pushing out. The opposite leg is the glide leg and pushes out, whereas the back leg is the leading leg with which the skater steps inwardly to pull and push under the glide leg, with the adductors firing in the pulling movement.

The PowerSkater™ exercise and training apparatus as commercialized and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,511 facilitates maneuvers such as these, and exercises the core and leg muscles of users desiring muscle conditioning, movement training, or undergoing physical therapy or rehabilitation. It is desirable, however, to provide an improved exercise system and apparatus that that is less expensive to manufacture, includes fewer component parts, moves more smoothly, is cheaper to ship, and provides improved and expanded features.

Certain embodiments of present invention provide an exercise, training and conditioning apparatus and/or system which simulates actual “on ice” conditions associated with basic stride techniques, for strengthening and conditioning the muscles of ice skaters, and for training hockey players in proper form and stride techniques. Certain embodiments of the inventive apparatus and/or system allow a skater to practice the forward stride in a manner which simulates actual conditions on ice. In this regard, such embodiments allow a skater to keep their feet in the “V” or “Arrow Tip” position after each stride and, moreover, allow a skater's feet to move outward and rearward at an angle which will develop the optimum thrust. By bending their knees over the front of their skates and maintaining their back straight and shoulders square, chest up, stomach in, head up while using the exercise and training apparatus according to the present invention, a skater can develop proper form while conditioning their muscles.

Moreover, certain embodiments of the present invention provide an exercise, training and conditioning apparatus and/or system adapted for the requirements of users desiring to condition or tone core and leg muscles to improve their levels of fitness or for aesthetic purposes, or users undergoing physical therapy or physical rehabilitation.

The present invention provides an apparatus and/or system that can be used by a user to exercise, strengthen and condition core and leg muscles. Such a user may be a skater, with the inventive apparatus and/or system used for hockey training, including developing basic stride techniques and proper form, and conditioning muscles. Such a user may alternatively be a person desirous of improving muscle tone and development for conditioning and/or aesthetic purposes. Such a user may alternatively be a person undertaking physical therapy and/or rehabilitation.

A first aspect of the invention is an exercise and training apparatus that includes a pair of interconnected track sections, a pair of trucks for travel along the track sections, and a latching mechanism operable for automatically and repetitively effecting alternating latching of a released truck and releasing of a latched truck as the released truck arrives at an exchange point along the longitudinal length of the associated track section.

In a first embodiment of the first aspect of the invention (i) each of the track sections have first and second longitudinal ends, right and left laterally spaced rails, and extend at a divergent angle relative to the other track section from the first longitudinal ends, and (ii) each of the trucks are engageable with the right and left rails on an associated one of the pair of track sections for longitudinal reciprocating travel along the associated track section, with each truck including at least a right side wheel assembly, a left side wheel assembly, and a base platform for supporting a foot of an exerciser atop the right and left wheel assemblies.

In a second embodiment of the first aspect of the invention (i) each of the track sections have first and second longitudinal ends, right and left laterally spaced sides interconnected and extending upward from one or more cross members, an upwardly open T-slot extending along the longitudinal length of the track section intermediate the right and left sides of the track section upward from the one or more cross members, and extend at a divergent angle relative to the other track section from the first longitudinal ends, and (ii) each of the trucks are engageable with the right and left rails on an associated one of the pair of track sections for longitudinal reciprocating travel along the associated track section, with each truck including at least a right side wheel assembly, a left side wheel assembly, and a base platform for supporting a foot of an exerciser atop the right and left wheel assemblies.

In a third embodiment of the first aspect of the invention (i) each of the track sections have first and second longitudinal ends, right and left laterally spaced sides, an upwardly open slot extending along the longitudinal length of the track section laterally outside each of the right and left sides of the track section, and extend at a divergent angle relative to the other track section from the first longitudinal ends, and (ii) each of the trucks are engageable with the right and left rails on an associated one of the pair of track sections for longitudinal reciprocating travel along the associated track section, with each truck including at least a right side wheel assembly, a left side wheel assembly, and a base platform for supporting a foot of an exerciser atop the right and left wheel assemblies.

In a fourth embodiment of the first aspect of the invention (i) the pair of interconnected track sections cooperatively define a medial plane, and each of the track sections have first and second longitudinal ends, right and left laterally spaced sides, and extend at a divergent angle relative to the other track section from the first longitudinal ends, (ii) each of the trucks are engageable with the right and left rails on an associated one of the pair of track sections for longitudinal reciprocating travel along the associated track section, with each truck including at least a right side wheel assembly, a left side wheel assembly, and a base platform for supporting a foot of an exerciser atop the right and left wheel assemblies, and (iii) the exercise and training apparatus further includes a pair of raised platforms with each raised platform secured atop a respective base platform and having an uppermost supporting surface having a downward lateral angle towards the medial plane defined by the interconnected track sections for supporting the foot of an exerciser at an everted angle.

As utilized herein including the claims, the term “generally circular” means at least 180° of the circumference comprising a curve of uniform (round) or gradually varying (e.g., oval, ellipse, egg shaped) curvature or a regular polygon having at least eight sides.

As utilized herein including the claims, the term “rail” means a longitudinally continuous solid rod fixed atop a support for supporting wheels on a wheeled truck atop the rail and guiding travel of the wheeled truck along the longitudinal length of the rail, as differentiated from a longitudinally elongated member defining a shaped channel into which wheels of a wheeled truck can be entrapped.

As utilized herein including the claims, the term “wheel assembly” means an interconnected and cooperating set of at least two road wheels and at least one side friction wheel.

As utilized herein including the claims, the term “road wheel” means a wheel secured to a chassis, configured and arranged to engage and travel along the top of a rail and operable for hearing a payload upon the rail.

As utilized herein including the claims, the term “side friction wheel” means a wheel secured to a chassis, configured and arranged to engage and travel on either the inside or the outside of a rail, and operable for preventing lateral or sideway shifting of the chassis relative to the rail.

As utilized herein including the claims, the term “up-stop wheel” means a wheel secured to a chassis, configured and arranged to engage and travel along the underside of a rail, and operable for preventing the chassis from lifting off the rail.

As utilized herein including the claims, the term “pulley-wheel” means a peripherally grooved wheel rotatable about a central axis of rotation operable for constraining axial movement of an elongate member engaged within the peripheral groove.

The invention is adaptable to various modifications and alternative forms, and the specific embodiments thereof shown by way of example in the drawings is herein described in detail. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present disclosure. The drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim(s).

Terms such as “forward”, “rearward”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “top”, “bottom” and similar terms of spatial relationship are used in reference to the inventive device as described and shown in the accompanying Figures.

The terms “right-hand” and “left-hand” are based on the frame of reference of a user positioned on both basic foot platforms and performing a forward stride exercise (see,).

The various structural terms used throughout this disclosure should not receive a singular interpretation unless it is made explicit herein.

Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit the disclosure.

The invention is directed to improvements upon, modifications to, and novel accessories for the exercise and training apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,511 (hereinafter Original Exercise Apparatus).

Referring to, the Original Exercise Apparatus is an apparatus for exercising, strengthening and condition the muscles of ice skaters and in particular for training hockey players in proper form and stride techniques.

The Original Exercise Apparatus allows a skater to practice the forward stride in a manner which simulates actual conditions on ice. In this regard, the Original Exercise Apparatus allows a skater to keep their feet in the “V” or “Arrow Tip” position after each stride. Moreover, the Original Exercise Apparatus allows a skater's feet to move outward and rearward at an angle which will develop the optimum thrust. By bending their knees over the front of their skates and maintaining their back straight and shoulders square while using the Original Exercise Apparatus, a skater can develop proper form while conditioning their muscles.

Referring to, the Original Exercise Apparatus includes a pair of foot platforms,′ which the user stands on so that one foot can be on each of the platforms. The foot platforms,′ can be coupled to a rail or track assembly which guides movement of the platforms. The rail or track assembly includes two rail or track sections,′ which can be coupled together at an angle. The angle at which the rail or track sections,′ intersect is preferably 90°. However, this angle can be varied, and the angle at which the rail or track sections,′ intersect can be adjustable.

Referring to, the Original Exercise Apparatus includes a latching mechanismwhich alternatively locks one of the foot platformsor′ in a stationary position, while the other foot platformor′ is allowed to slide along its respective rail or track section,′. As the unlocked or unlatched foot platformor′ engages the latching mechanism, that foot platformor′ becomes latched or locked in a stationary position and the other foot platformor′ is released by the latching mechanismwhereby it is allowed to move along its respective rail or track section,′. Thus, the latching mechanismcan allow the user to stride alternatively with each foot/leg. This movement simulates the forward stride as it is actually preformed on ice.

Referring to, the Original Exercise Apparatus includes means for applying and adjusting resistance against the sliding movement of the foot platforms,′ along their respective rail or track sections,′. By applying and adjusting, e.g., increasing, resistance against the sliding movement of the foot platforms,′, one can strengthen muscles that are used in performing the forward stride. Various means to apply and adjust resistance against the sliding movement of the foot platforms,′ include elastic cables, flexible bows, weights and cable systems, fluid pistons, elastic bands, etc.

Referring to, the Original Exercise Apparatus includes two rail or track sections,′ which can be coupled together at adjacent ends,′ so that the rail or track sections,′ intersect at an angle as shown. The angle at which the track or rail sections,′ intersect is preferably about 90°. However greater (up to 180°) or smaller (down to 0°) angles can be used if desired. When the rail or track sections,′ are coupled by a pivotal connection, the angle at which they intersect can be easily adjusted.

Each rail or track section,′ includes a foot platform,′. The foot platforms,′ can be designed to freely slide along their respective rail or track sections,′. The foot platforms,′ provide a movable stage upon which a user stands so that the user's feet can be placed on one of the foot platforms,′. Thus, it is understood that the size of the foot platforms,′ is such to receive a person's foot. The upper surfaces of the foot platforms,′ can be provided with a medium. e.g., rubber mat, with a roughened surface which increases the frictional forces between a user's feet and the platform surfaces. Otherwise, the upper surface of the foot platforms,′ can themselves be roughened to increase the frictional forces between a user's feet and the platform surfaces. In addition, the rear edges of the foot platforms,′ can be provided with small upright structures, against which a user's feet can abut.

Referring to, the foot platforms,′ can be coupled to the rail or track sections,′ by wheels or bearings which allow the foot platforms,′ to move freely along the rail or track sections,′. The rail or track sections,′ guide the movement of the foot platforms,′ and the feet of the user, thus assuring that the user performs a desired stride motion while exercising/training.

Referring to, a latching mechanismis provided adjacent the point at which the rail or track sections,′ intersect. The latching mechanismalternatively latches or locks one of the foot platforms,′ in a stationary position, while allowing the other foot platform,′ to move along its respective rail or track section,′.

Referring to, resistance forces can be applied to the foot platforms,′ by attaching elastic or inelastic cablesthereto, which cablescan extend beneath the foot platforms,′ and within the rail or track sections,′.

Referring to, the rail or track sections,′ are depicted as being coupled together at adjacent ends,′, between which latching mechanismis located. The latching mechanismcan include opposed pivotal latching arms,′ which can be spring biased to engage fixed latching arms,′ that can be mounted on the foot platforms,′. Also, shown in, are disengaging projectionsassociated with the latching mechanismwhich cause the pivotal latching arms,′ to pivot and become disengaged or unlatched from the fixed latching arms,′ of the foot platforms,′. The disengaging projectionscan be attached and extend from the foot platforms,′ or can be attached and extend from the pivotal latching arms,′, so that as the disengaging projectionsstrike the pivotal latching arms,′ or are struck by the foot platforms,′, the pivotal latching arms,′ pivot to a release position. Although depicted as being straight, the pivotal latching arms,′ can be angled (or curved) as necessary to accommodate various angles at which the rail or track sections,′ intersect.

Referring again toand, the upper edge portionsof the rail or track sections,′ can be provided to retain the platform wheel assembly(see) of the foot platforms,′. This platform wheel assemblyallows the foot platforms,′ to move easily along the rail or track sections,′.

Referring to, an elastic cableis attached to each of the foot platforms,′ to provide resistance. As depicted in track or rail section, one end of the elastic cableis attached to a fixed location in the track or rail section, and the other end of the elastic cableis attached to platform. The elastic cablepasses through pulleysandat opposite ends of the track or rail sections,′ so as to apply a forward biasing force to the foot platforms,′. A bungee cord can be used as the elastic cable.

Referring to, one or more brace members,′ can be provided between the rear portions of the rail or track sections,′. The fixed end of the elastic cablescan be secured in adjustable positions in or along one of the brace members,′. In this regard, pulley,can be positioned to allow elastic cablesto extend along or within one of the brace members,′. The free end of the elastic cablescan be fixed in adjustable positions along the brace member,′ by means of pins, hooks, etc..

Referring to, the rail or track sections,′ can be coupled together by means of a rectangular or triangular platformwhich supports the latching mechanism. Alternatively, the adjacent ends,′ of the rail or track sections,′ can be partially capped with end pieces that can be pivotally coupled together.

Referring to, the platform wheel assemblycan maintain the vertical position of the foot platforms,′. That is, as shown, the vertical wheelscan be positioned between the bottomof the rail or track sections,′ and the lower surfaceof the upper edge portionsof the rail or track sections,′. The horizontal wheelsengage the inner side surfacesof the rail or track sections,′ and thus maintain the axial position of the foot platforms,′ with respect to the central axes of the rail or track sections,′.

Referring again to, elastic cableextends through pulleysandand is attached at opposite ends to a foot platform,′ and a fixed positionon the associated rail or track sections,′. Pulleysandcan either be attached to ends of the rail or track sections,′ or to bottom portionsof the rail or track sections,′ adjacent the ends thereof.

Referring to, the rail or track sections,′ can be made out of metal, wood, composite materials, or any suitably rigid materials. Referring to, each rail or track section,′ can include opposed elongate channel membersconfigured to receive therein the platform wheel assembly. The elongate channel memberscan be configured to include U-shaped bottom portions, side wallsand upper edge portions. The horizontal wheelsof the platform wheel assemblycan engage the inner side wallsof the elongated channel members. Similarly, the vertical wheelsof the platform wheel assemblyengage the bottom portionof the elongate channel membersand the lower surfaceof the upper edge portionsof the elongate channel members.