MUSCLE EXERCISING EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION

The invention concerns muscle exercising equipment and in particular equipment in which the resistance force is provided by a rotating inertial mass, known as "flywheel" in jargon. More in detail, the invention relates to the aforesaid equipment of transportable type.

Equipment of this type includes, for example, machines for isoinertial training.

As is known, isoinertial training is a muscle training method in which the aforesaid inertial mass generates a resistance to exert on the muscles of the user both in the concentric phase and in the eccentric phase of the movement.

The force of the user is transmitted to the mass through a flexible element, such as a belt, a rope or the like, which is wound around and unwound from a shaft or other element that rotates integral with the flywheel.

During the concentric phase of the movement, the flexible element is put under tension so that unwinding thereof causes rotation of the inertial mass.

When the flexible element has been completely unwound, at the end of the concentric movement, the inertial mass continues to rotate, due to its inertia, rewinding the flexible element in the opposite direction. In this subsequent eccentric phase of the movement, the part of the body engaged in the exercise is drawn in the opposite direction by the flexible element.

Equipment of isoinertial type with the aforesaid features are described in the prior art patents US 1,783,376, US 3,841,627, WO 90/10475 and US 6,283,899.

A common feature of these known maphines generally consists of discs made of metal, typically steel or cast iron, or plastic materials with high specific weight.

The weight of these discs can vary from a few kilograms up to ten or more kilograms, as a function of the performance of the person who has to carry out the exercise and/or of the muscle or group of muscles to be trained or rehabilitated.

As the resistance to the force exerted by the athlete does not depend only on the mass but also on the moment of inertia of the inertial mass, a different distribution of a mass with respect to the rotation axis causes a different resistance strength at the same rotation speed.

For this reason, prior art equipment is generally provided with a series of discs with moment of inertia calculated by the manufacturer so that athletes can monitor and plan their exercises appropriately.

In recent years, this isoinertial training method has been adopted by increasingly large numbers of professional athletes, in numerous disciplines.

During the sporting season many of these athletes must travel frequently to the places in which the sporting events or competitions (matches, meetings, races, etc.) are held, and during this time away from home must continue with their training program.

Known isoinertial equipment is somewhat impractical to transport, both due to its weight and to its considerable bulk.

If on the one hand it is possible to attempt to reduce the size of the machine body, and therefore also its weight, this is not possible with the inertial masses, i.e. the discs that act as flywheel in the machine.

For the aforesaid reasons, athletes are obliged to transport the set of discs suitable for the use of their equipment and of which they know, directly or indirectly, the moment of inertia or level of resistance generated while carrying out the exercises.

Besides being difficult, this can also be costly, as the equipment must be embarked on aircraft or other means of transport that apply restrictions to the volumes and weight of luggage.

These disadvantages are even greater when this travel concerns teams formed of tens of athletes, each of whom may have their own personal equipment.

However, the aforesaid problems do not only concern the professional sector. In fact, this equipment is widely used also in the rehabilitation sector, where it is often necessary to carry out training or rehabilitation sessions outside the medical center, for example at the patient's home, or in other structures in which the professional works.

The same limits of the isoinertial machines described above also affect other types of exercise equipment provided with inertial masses or flywheels, such as ergometers, exercise bikes or the like.

In this context, the object of the present invention is to provide muscle exercising equipment that solves the problems of the prior art described above.

In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide muscle exercising equipment that is lighter and less bulky with respect to known equipment, and is therefore easy to transport.

Another object of the present invention is to provide muscle exercising equipment that allows variation of the inertia of the inertial mass in a simple and rapid manner.

A further object of the present invention is to provide muscle exercising equipment that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

These objects are achieved by muscle exercising equipment, comprising:

at least one shaft mounted rotatably about its own axis;

at least one inertial mass connectable to said shaft; and

at least one flexible element constrained to said shaft and configured to be wound around it when the shaft is rotated.

Said flexible element, while carrying out the exercise, is put under tension by a user (for example an athlete) to cause rotation of shaft and therefore of the inertial mass.

According to the invention, the inertial mass comprises a supporting element, connectable to, or integral with, the shaft, which sustains at least one casing. Inside the casing, there is defined at least one inner chamber tillable with a loose material.

The loose material can typically be a liquid, for example water, or a solid in particles or granules, such as sand, fine gravel or the like, or, alternatively, a mixture of both.

In practice, the mass of the loose material forms a relevant part of the total mass of the inertial mass.

The distribution of the inertial mass (?) known with respect to the rotation axis of the shaft allows the moment of inertia of the inertial mass to be determined.

The easy availability of loose materials such as water, and in some contexts also sand or the like, allows the casing to be filled directly in the place in which training is to be carried out.

The equipment can be transported with the casing empty thereby limiting the total weight.

In an aspect of the invention, the casing is provided with at least one mouth, preferably sealable, for example by means of a cap or the like. Through said mouth it is possible to fill said at least one chamber with the aforesaid loose material, or to empty it.

In another aspect of the invention, the casing can be integral with supporting element. Alternatively, the casing can instead be removably couplable thereto.

This second solution allows the connection to the support of different casings (of different shape and volume), which can also be commercially available, such as bottles or the like, moreover allowing variation of the mass and the moment of inertia of the inertial mass.

In another aspect of the invention, the casing comprises one or more walls. These walls can be rigid, semi-rigid or flexible.

A casing with rigid or semi-rigid walls is less subject to deformations caused by the angular accelerations to which the loose material is subject, and can also be used without further containment elements.

Flexible walls instead allow the casing to be collapsed when the inertial mass is not in use and therefore the inner chamber is empty, also greatly reducing its sizes, to the advantage of transport.

In a variant, at least one of said walls can be at least partially transparent or translucent. On said wall there can be applied at least one indicator that allows the amount of loose material inserted in the casing to be measured.

Preferably, this indicator can be produced by the manufacturer so as to provide an indication of different levels of resistance provided by the inertial mass.

Several indicators can be provided for different loose materials with which the casing is filled.

In another aspect of the invention, the casing can comprise several chambers separated by partitions. Each chamber can be provided with a mouth through which it is filled and emptied.

This configuration allows the loose material, especially if liquid, to be rotated together with the casing, when this has a shape that extends around the rotation axis. The chambers can thus be filled with the loose material separately from one another.

In another aspect of the invention, the inertial mass can comprise several separate casings. These casings, for example, can be arranged in a circular series around the rotation axis of the shaft.

Preferably, the casings are spaced angularly at equal distances or are arranged so that the inertial mass is balanced during rotation.

The number of casings connectable to the support is also variable so as to obtain an inertial mass with different moments of inertia.

In another aspect of the invention, the support can be provided with one or more seats adapted to at least partially receive said at least one casing. Advantageously, said seats can have a shape at least partially complementary to that of the casings so as to facilitate their positioning on the support, and maintain the aforesaid position on the support during use.

This ensures that the moment of inertia of the inertial mass corresponds to that established by the manufacturer as a function of the shape and of the volume of the casing and of the material with which it is filled.

In another aspect of the invention, the supporting element and the casing can be provided with locking means for the coupling and decoupling thereof.

In a variant of the invention, said locking means can be selected from laces, hoop and loop fasteners, belts, elastic clips and magnets.

According to another variant of the invention, said locking means can comprise interlocking profiles, obtained respectively on the casing and on the supporting element, which allow sliding of the casing with respect to the support along a direction parallel to the rotation axis, to attach or remove it.

According to yet another variant of the invention, said locking means comprise slides or sliders sliding in respective guides, obtained on the support, toward or away from the rotation axis of the shaft.

According to a variant of the invention, said seats or said locking means can be configured to constrain the casing or the casings in different positions with respect to the rotation axis. This configuration also allows variation of the inertia of the inertial mass using the same casings filled with the same loose material.

In another aspect of the invention, the supporting element can comprise a chamber in communication with at least one mouth through which the loose material can be inserted or removed. This chamber is provided with at least one outlet in communication with the inner chamber of the casing, which allows transfer of the loose material inside the casing.

In practice, the support also acts as collector through which it is possible to simultaneous fill all the connected casings.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of an example of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of muscle exercising equipment of isoinertial type, as illustrated in the accompanying figures, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of muscle exercising equipment according to the invention;

- Figs. 2a and 2b are a side view and a front view of the inertial mass according to a variant of the invention;

- Figs. 3a to 3d are front views of the inertial mass according to a further variant of the invention;

- Figs. 4a and 4b are two perspective views of the inertial mass according to another variant of the invention;

- Figs. 4c to 4e are front views of the inertial mass of Fig. 4b in different configurations of use;

- Figs. 5a and 5b are respectively a perspective view and a front view of the inertial mass according to another variant ^' of the invention;

- Fig. 5c is a front view of the inertial mass of Fig. 5b in a different configuration of use;

- Figs. 6a and 6b are two front views of the inertial mass according to another variant of the invention, in respective configurations of use;

- Figs. 7a and 7b are two front views of the inertial mass, according to another variant of the invention, in respective configurations of use;

- Figs. 8a and 8b are two front views of the inertial mass according to another variant of the invention.

The accompanying Fig. 1 schematically illustrates muscle exercising equipment for isoinertial training. The equipment, indicated as a whole with 1, is provided with at least one shaft 10 supported with a frame 20 so as to rotate about its axis X.

Preferably, the shaft 10 is sustained by rolling means 21 of known type, such as bearings, or by bushings or the like.

At least one flexible element 30 is constrained at a first end to the shaft 10 and is configured to be wound around it and unwound from it, at least partially, while carrying out an exercise.

Said flexible element 30 can comprise, for example, a rope, a cable, a belt or similar flexible elements. The flexible element 30 can also comprise more than one of the aforesaid elements.

A tension device 40, schematized in the figure, allows a user to exert a tension force on the flexible element 30, by means of a limb or another part of the body, while carrying out an exercise.

The tension element 40 can be connected to the opposite end of the flexible element, as shown in the example of Fig. 1. Alternatively, the tension element can be mounted sliding in an intermediate stretch of the flexible element 30 by means of pulleys or other sliding means.

Further guides, such as pulleys or the like, can be mounted on the frame 20 to guide the flexible element 30.

An inertial mass, indicated as a whole with 50, is connectable to the shaft 10 so as to be able to rotate integral therewith.

According to the invention, this inertial mass 50 comprises at least one supporting element 51 that sustains at least one casing 52.

The supporting element can be integral with the shaft 10 or removably connectable thereto.

This supporting element can be made of metal, or more preferably of a plastic material.

To reduce the weight of the supporting element 51, and facilitate its transport, the supporting element can also be made of composite material, such as carbon fiber, fiberglass, Kevlar® or the like.

Connection of the supporting element 51 can take place with means of known type, such as screw means, interlocking means, elastic means or other means that allow the supporting element 51 to be rotated by the shaft 10, and vice versa.

Similarly, also the casing 52 can be integral with the support 51 or removably connectable with the aforesaid connection means.

According to the invention, in the casing 52 there is defined at least one inner chamber fillable with a loose material.

Examples of suitable loose materials are liquids, such as water or water-based mixtures, granular solids, such as sand, fine gravel, rice (or similar cereals), or mixtures thereof.

The loose material can be inserted into and extracted from the inner chamber through a mouth 53, preferably sealable with closing means 54.

The casing can be filled completely, or only partially, as a function of the type of loose material used and of the total mass that the inertial mass must reach.

For this purpose, the casing can be provided with means adapted to indicate the amount of loose material inserted.

These means preferably comprise one or more indicators, not illustrated in the figure, applied to at least one of the walls of the casing 52.

According to a preferred variant, at least one of the walls of the casing 52 is made of a transparent or translucent material to allow the level of loose material inside the chamber to be viewed.

According to the invention, the casing 52 can be made of various materials, such as plastic materials, glass, laminated or resin-coated fabrics, or similar.

In preferred variants, the casing 52 is made of a rigid, semi-rigid or flexible plastic material, or of a laminated fabric made impermeable to liquid and gas.

Examples of suitable materials are polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP) or the like.

The casing can also be made of composite materials, such as carbon fiber, Kevlar® or the like.

Figs. 2a and 2b illustrate the inertial mass 50 according to a first variant of the invention.

In this variant, the casing 52 comprises a hollow disc-shaped element in which there are obtained several inner chambers 55 separated by partitions 56, dividers or similar.

More in detail, the partitions 56 are placed radially in the disc-shaped element so as to define the same number of chambers 55 arranged circumferentially with respect to the rotation axis X of the shaft 10.

This solution allows the loose material to be rotated together with the disc-shaped element and not to rotate inside it. Therefore, in this variant the inner chambers are preferably at least two.

Each chamber is provided with a mouth 53, for filling it with loose material, and for emptying it, and with closing means 54.

The casing 52 is sustained by a supporting element 51 in the shape of a hub, bushing or the like, mountable on the shaft 10.

In the variant of Figs. 3a and 3b, the casing 52 comprises an annular or toroidal element in which several chambers 55 separated by partitions 56 are obtained.

Said annular element is preferably made of an at least partially flexible material, which allows the bulk to be reduced when the casing is not in use to facilitate storage or transport thereof. In the variant illustrated, the supporting element 51 comprises a substantially rigid disc provided with locking means 57 that allow the casing 52 to be fixed and maintained in position.

These means are, for example, laces, hoop and loop fasteners (for example Velcro®), belts, elastic clips, magnets or the like.

In this variant the casing 52 is positioned on a face of the supporting element 51.

In place of a disc, the supporting element 51 can comprise a plurality of arms that extend radially from a central portion at the rotation axis. These arms are at least two or, preferably, at least four.

The support 51 can be made of a single element or, to reduce the bulk, of several parts hinged or joinable to one another.

In the variant illustrated in Figs. 3c and 3d, the supporting element 51 comprises a disc-shaped element provided with a perimeter edge with a seat adapted to allow positioning of the casing 52.

In this variant, the casing 52 can comprise at least one flexible tubular container, with a single chamber 55 or several chambers, which, once filled, can be wrapped circularly around the supporting element 1.

Fixing of the casing can take place through locking means 57 such as those described above.

In the variants described above, two or more casings 52 can also be arranged concentrically on the supporting element 51 to vary the inertia of the inertial mass.

Figs. 4a and 4b illustrate a variant of the invention in which the inertial mass comprises several casings 52.

In this variant, the supporting element 51 is provided with a plurality of seats 58, where each casing 52 is received, at least partially.

The casings 52 can have various shapes and sizes with respect to the supporting element 51. In the example in Figs. 4a-4e, the casings comprise substantially cylindrical containers with the mouth 53 placed at one of the ends.

This variant allows the user to use dedicated containers, provided by the manufacturer, or generic containers of known volume, such as large or small bottles.

The equipment thus structured is even more practical to transport, as suitable casings can be obtained directly in the place in which training is to be carried out without having to transport them together with the machine.

The seats 58 are structured so as to define a stable position of the casing 52 with respect to the supporting element 51. This ensures correct balancing of the inertial mass and allows a reduction of the vibrations of the equipment while carrying out the exercises.

In the example of Fig. 4a, the supporting element 51 comprises a drum in which the seats 58 are positioned at the outer perimeter thereof.

These seats 58 comprise semi-circular cradles, aligned along the rotation axis X of the shaft 10, in which the casings 52 rest.

Fixing of the casings 52 in the seats 58 can be obtained with locking means 57 such as, for example, belts, ropes, hoop and loop fasteners, or the like.

In the variant illustrated in Fig. 4c, the casings 52 are each constrained by a belt 57, a rope, a hoop and loop fastener, or the like.

Fig. 4d illustrates a variant in which one of the aforesaid elements winds around all the casings 52 to constrain them to the supporting element 51.

These locking elements are particularly practical as they are adaptable to casings of different shapes and sizes.

Fig. 4e illustrates the variant of Fig. 4c in which a different number of casings 52 is installed on the supporting element 51 so as to obtain an inertial mass with a different moment of inertia. Figs. 5a and 5b illustrate a further variant of the invention. In this variant the casings 52 comprise containers in the shape of a circular sector.

The supporting element 51 comprises a cylindrical bell around which the casings are arranged.

In this variant the locking means of the casings comprise interlocking profiles 59 obtained respectively on the casing and on the circular wall of the cylindrical bell.

These interlocking profiles allow the casing to slide on the bell, along a direction parallel to the rotation axis X, to attach or remove it.

Alternatively, also in this variant, the casings 52 can be constrained with belts, hoop and loop fasteners, screw means or magnets.

Also in this case, the number of the casings 52 installed on the supporting element 51 can vary, as in the example of Fig. 5c.

Preferably, to maintain the inertial mass balanced, the casings 52 must be at least four.

In the variant of Figs. 6a and 6b, the casings 52 comprise tubular containers, with a circular or polygonal section, constrained on a supporting element 51 similar to that of the variant of Figs. 5a-5c.

Also in this example, the locking means comprise interlocking profiles 59 that cooperate with respective profiles on the peripheral edge of the bell.

These locking elements 59 can be integral with the container or removably attachable thereto. In this last variant these means can also be attached to common containers, such as large or small bottles or the like.

With respect to the variant of Figs. 5a-5c, in this variant the casings 52 can be placed in two different positions with respect to the supporting element 51.

In the first position (Fig. 6b?), the containers are arranged so as to project beyond the circular wall of the bell.

In the second position (Fig. 6a) the containers remain inside said wall. The shift of the center of gravity of the casings with respect to the rotation axis allows the inertial mass to be configured with different moments of inertia.

These different configurations are reachable both by varying the number of casings 52 installed on the supporting element 51, and by arranging these latter in one of the positions described above.

A further example of embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 7a and 7b. In this variant the casings 52 are retained on the supporting element 51 by locking means 60 movable toward or away from the rotation axis X of the shaft 10.

Therefore, this variant allows modification of the moment of inertia of the inertial mass in a simple and rapid manner, by shifting the locking means 60 and therefore the casings 52, without removing these latter from the supporting element 51.

For this purpose, the locking means 60 can comprise slides or sliders, not illustrated in the figure, sliding in respective guides 61 obtained on the supporting element 51 and arranged radially with respect to the rotation axis X of the shaft 10.

Alternatively, the supporting element 51 can be provided with a plurality of housings arranged at increasing distances with respect to said rotation axis X, adapted to receive the locking means 60 in which the casings 52 are constrained.

Also in these variants the casings can have various shapes and sizes. Therefore, said casings can be supplied by the manufacturer of the equipment or can be common containers commercially available. For this purpose, the locking means 60 are preferably structured to adapt to casings of different shapes and sizes.

Figs. 8a and 8b illustrate a further variant in which the supporting element 51 acts as collector for filling the casings 52- with loose material, or for emptying thereof.

In this variant the supporting element 51 comprises a chamber 62 accessible via a mouth 63 through which the loose material is inserted or removed.

The chamber 62 is also provided with a plurality of outlets 64 to which the mouths of the casings 52 are connectable.

In this way the loose material inserted through the mouth 63 of the support is distributed in all the connected casings 52.

This solution makes filling and emptying of the loose material more practical and rapid.

Fixing of the mouths of the casings 52 to the outlets 64 can take place through interlocking means, screw means or the like.

Other locking elements 57, such as belts, hook and loop fasteners, hooks or the like can be provided to better constrain the casings 52 during rotation of the inertial mass 50.

In another variant of the invention, the machine can be provided with a pumping system to transfer or remove the loose material, preferably liquid, from a storage tank to the casings 52, or vice versa.

This system thus allows the user to vary the amount of loose material in the casings in a practical and rapid manner, without having to remove them from the support.

The system can also function when the equipment is in use so as to be able to vary the inertia of the inertial mass also while carrying out an exercise.

As will be apparent from the description above, with the equipment of the invention it is possible to solve the problems of transport that affect prior art devices.

In particular, due to present invention, it is possible to use common and easily available loose materials, such as water or sand, to contribute to reaching the final mass of the inertial mass.

The particular structures of the supporting elements and of the casings also allow inertial masses with different moments of inertia to be obtained in a rapid manner and with the same parts.

The invention has been described for illustrative and non-limiting purposes according some preferred embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art may find numerous other embodiments and variants, all falling within the scope of protection of the claims below.