Floor exercise mat and pad system

Abstract

A floor exercise mat and pad system comprising a mat and support pads in which the pads can be selectively attached to the mat for the purpose of comfortably supporting a user's neck, back or other body areas in the course of performing exercise or stretch while lying on the mat. The system may also include a removable cover for the mat and an elastic band for holding the mat in a coiled position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention generally relates to a portable exercise mat and pad system upon which floor exercising and stretching the human body is performed and is specifically directed to a combination of a floor exercise mat and removably attachable pads for supporting the back and neck areas of a user lying on the mat. [0002] Exercise mats have long been used to facilitate indoor physical exercise because of the numerous benefits that they provide to the exerciser. Typically, exercise mats are constructed of foam or another type of shock absorbing material that dampens the impact to body parts that, otherwise, would directly contact the floor during exercise. Also, mat surfaces can provide greater foot traction than do less friction generating floors such as those made of smooth concrete or laminated hardwood. Thus, an exercise mat can have the cumulative effects of reducing stress that various aerobic exercise movements place upon body joints, dimi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] Using the system of the present invention to facilitate an abdominal floor exercise such as the leg raise allows the exerciser's neck and lower back to rest comfortably atop support pads and, thereby, enhances his ability to maintain safe posture throughout the range of exercise motion. Contrastingly, when the exerciser performs the same exercise on a mat not having the properly placed pad support, he may tend to flatten the arches in his unsupported neck and back in reaction to feeling tension in the abdominal muscles. While this reactive body adjustment may well alleviate stress on the abdominal muscles, it has the converse effect of increasing stress on muscles of the neck and back—muscles that, typically, are more delicate and susceptible to injury than are abdominal muscles.

[0013] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise mat and pad system that helps an exerciser to maintain safe biomechanics during floor exercise and, thereby, have a distinctly more comfortable and safer exercise experience.

[0014] It is another object of the present invention to provide an exercise mat and pad system that can be easily sanitized.

[0015] It is yet another object of the invention to provide an exercise mat and pad system whose mat can be compacted for convenient transport and efficient storage.

Problems solved by technology

Contrastingly, when the exerciser performs the same exercise on a mat not having the properly placed pad support, he may tend to flatten the arches in his unsupported neck and back in reaction to feeling tension in the abdominal muscles.

While this reactive body adjustment may well alleviate stress on the abdominal muscles, it has the converse effect of increasing stress on muscles of the neck and back—muscles that, typically, are more delicate and susceptible to injury than are abdominal muscles.

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