Calf Exerciser

Abstract

The present invention is dedicated to a calf exerciser including a foot unit having foot-palm and heel support surfaces. The foot unit provides efficient resistance training of calf muscles by permitting both eversion or inversion movements of the foot-palm in synchronization with the plantar flexion dorsiflexion muscular contraction. This is achieved by inclining the foot-palm support surface either towards the exterior or the interior sides of the foot unit, by anteo-posteriolly curving the heel support surface from the foot-palm surface to the bottom of the foot unit and by including a gradual inclination of the heel support surface towards the exterior or the interior sides of the foot unit, thus forming a variable angulation foot sole gradient area. This variable angulation foot sole gradient area accentuates the eversion and inversion movements at the foot-palm and reduces the biomechanical stress by eliminating coronal rotation at the heel.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a calf exerciser.BACKGROUND[0002]The world of physical training has greatly evolved over the years, which has seen significant improvements in training equipment and apparatus due to technological innovations as well as a better understanding of the human body. Regardless of this evolution, there are still some cases where the technological development has not followed the course of the evolution in knowledge or new physical training tendencies, and especially in the case of leg resistance training.[0003]A common complaint from athletes is that of a saturation effect in the muscular development of their calves. For a number of athletes, the muscular development efficiency curve quickly saturates and tends to even decline after a few training sessions based upon conventional training methods. As the calves represent a very important muscular system for many sporting disciplines, and that there are no apparatus or method that signi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]Accordingly, there is provided, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a calf exerciser including a foot unit having foot-palm and heel support surfaces. The foot unit provides efficient resistance training of calf muscles by permitting both eversion or inversion movements of the foot-palm in synchronization with the plantar flexion dorsiflexion muscular contraction. This is achieved by inclining the foot-palm support surface either towards the exterior or the interior sides of the foot unit, by anteo-posteriolly curving the heel support surface from the foot-palm surface to the bottom of the foot unit and by including a gradual inclination of the heel support surface towards the exterior or the interior sides of the foot unit, thus forming a variable angulation foot sole gradient area. This variable angulation foot sole gradient area accentuates the eversion and inversion movements at the anterior part of the foot (foot-palm) and reduces the biomechanical stress by eliminating coronal rotation at the posterior part of the foot (heel).

Problems solved by technology

Regardless of this evolution, there are still some cases where the technological development has not followed the course of the evolution in knowledge or new physical training tendencies, and especially in the case of leg resistance training.

A common complaint from athletes is that of a saturation effect in the muscular development of their calves.

For a number of athletes, the muscular development efficiency curve quickly saturates and tends to even decline after a few training sessions based upon conventional training methods.

The efficiency of those movements is regretfully limited because the training is geared mainly to the overall muscular system.

The muscular contraction of a single specific muscle is very difficult to achieve with those types equipment.

As may be seen in FIG. 1, the prior-art equipment foot-rest (2), providing support to the feet (4) of the user (6), is not appropriate for effective power and strength training.

The flat-uniform surface with a 90 degree support area of the foot-rest (2) does not provide the necessary stability and comfort for an intense training session, does not restrain adequately the movement of the feet (4) and does not emphasize proper biomechanical mobility of the ankle joints during the exercise.

Furthermore, the rectangular shape of the common foot-rest (2) causes a pressure line at the metatarsals (8), which obstructs blood flow, which becomes very uncomfortable for the user (4).

Finally, these foot-rests (2) do not allow a proper positioning of the feet (4) in accordance with the specific anatomy and the biomechanics of the leg-ankle-foot musculo-skeletal mechanism.

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