Exercise Pole for Athletes

Abstract

Disclosed is an exercise pole (1) designed for athletes such as walkers, roller skaters, or on-road cross-country skiers. Said exercise pole (1) comprises an elongate pole body (2), at one end (12) of which two wheels (41, 42) are mounted that allow the exercise pole (1) to be moved in a directed rolling manner. The wheels (41, 42) are equipped with a return stop (8) that allows the wheel (41, 42) to be rotated in the direction of travel (L) while blocking the same counter to the direction of travel (L) such that pushing off in a forward direction is made possible. The fact that the inventive exercise pole (1) is in permanent contact with the ground allows the athlete to make smoother and more flowing movements while providing him or her with a greater sense of safety.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention lies in the field of gymnastic exercise apparatus, and relates to an exercise stick for athletes such as walkers, roller skaters or on-road cross-country skiers, according to the introductory part of the first patent claim. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The recent type of sport called “Nordic walking” was initially developed as a summer training method for top athletes in the field of marathon, biathlon and Nordic combination. Its popularity has increased greatly in the last years. Today, Nordic walking is performed by a broad public spectrum as an all-season fitness sport. Nordic walking is however not only suitable for fitness exercise, but also for rehabilitation after injuries, operations or disease. [0003] Nordic walking is a walking or running with the application of special sticks, which are held in each hand of the athlete. Accordingly, the technique of Nordic walking is equivalent to the execution of movement during c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] A slipping-away of the exercise stick to the rear on pushing-off is to be avoided. For this purpose, it is particularly advantageous on the one hand to give the lower end of the stick a certain weight, and on the other hand to design the running surface of the wheels in a manner such that their static friction coefficient with respect to different conceivable ground is as high as possible. By way of this, an as large as possible static friction force is ensured between the wheel and the ground, which as is known, is a product of the normal force and the static friction coefficient.

[0012] The invention revolutionizes Nordic walking by way of making it more effective and at the same time gentler. The course of the movement of the athlete is smoother and more flowing thanks to the exercise stick according to the invention. The exercise effect may be increased or dosed by way of attaching additional weights on the sticks and / or the arms. In contrast to conventional sticks, such additional weights, although resulting in a higher energy consumption, only lead to a small increase in the loading of the joints, since indeed the weight is partly carried by the wheels. The danger of injury for following walkers or runners, which exist with the conventional stick due to the tip of the stick, is eliminated with the stick according to the invention. The constant ground contact gives the athlete increased safety. All these advantages, but in particular the last mentioned one, are of particular value if the exercise stick according to the invention is used for rehabilitation.

Problems solved by technology

Furthermore, the body consumes more energy than with conventional walking or running at the same speed.

Despite the above-described equipping possibilities for the lower end of the stick, known Nordic walking sticks still have the disadvantage that they slip on the ground and render a push-off impossible.

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