Exercise devices – Support for entire body of user
Patent
1992-01-28
1993-09-07
Apley, Richard J.
Exercise devices
Support for entire body of user
482147, 128 25R, A63B 2600
Patent
active
052423565
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an apparatus for exercising and/or toning the muscles of the waist, hips thighs of a user.
In maintaining a slim, athletic figure, it is highly desirable to exercise the muscles of the waist, hips and thighs, but most exercise machines fail to exercise these muscles. These muscles lose tone and are prone to atrophy in advancing years. The muscles of the waist and hips receive very little exercise from normal bodily movements.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided an apparatus for exercising and/or toning the muscles of the waist, hips and thighs of a user, comprising a support for sitting upon, the support resting at its centre on a mount which enables the support to tilt in selected radial directions relative to a vertical axis.
The support may be freely mounted so that it will tilt in any radial direction. In particular, a user may sit on the support and then by appropriate circular movement of the hips, cause the direction of tilt to progress around in a circle. For example the support may be circular and arranged so that its periphery rests on a base, the point of contact between the circular support and the base moving in a circle around the base as the hips describe their circular movement.
This apparatus exercises the sacro-iliac joint, being the joint between the base of the spine and the pelvis, and in so doing exercises the muscles of the waist, hips and thighs as well as other posture muscles in the abdomen and back.
The apparatus may include drive means for causing the direction of tilt of the support to progress around in a circle. This apparatus then serves to tone the muscles mentioned above. Such apparatus may include a circular support arranged so that its periphery rests on a base, the point of contact between the circular support and the base moving in a circle around the base in response to the action of the drive means. Instead the support may be mounted at a fixed angle of tilt to an upright drive shaft, so that the direction of tilt of the support progresses around in a circle .
Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of examples only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-section through an exercise apparatus in accordance with this invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-section through a toning apparatus in accordance with this invention;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 with its circular support removed;
FIG. 4 is a side elevation of another embodiment of toning apparatus; and
FIG. 5 is a section on the line A--A through the apparatus of FIG. 4.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an exercise apparatus which comprises a circular support 1 in the shape of a flat plate preferably having a perhipheral rim projecting from its underside. The apparatus further comprises a flat base 3 and a ball 2 is disposed between the base 3 and circular support 1. The support 1 rests at its centre on the ball 2 at an angle of tilt such that its rim rests on the base 3. The ball may be attached to the support 1 and base 3 and is preferably of a resiliently deformable material.
In use, the person wishing to exercise sits on the circular support 1 and then causes the hips to describe a circular movement so that the point of contact between the rim of the support 1 and the base 3 progresses in a circle around the base, the direction of tilt of the support 1 similarly progressing in a circle. The angle of tilt may be up to 30.degree., typically.
The apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is for toning the muscles and for this purpose includes a drive motor for causing the direction of tilt of the circular support 1 to progress in a circle. The apparatus has the base 3 with which the rim of the circular support makes contact, but the support 2 is mounted across a diameter on a pair of rollers 13 at either end of a cross-piece 5 which is fixed to the top end of a vertical shaft 4. This shaft 4 passes through the centre of the base 3, where it is mounted in a bearing 6. An electric driv
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Apley Richard J.
Reichard Lynne A.
Schindler Edwin D.
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