Surface Stabilized Safety Enhanced Free-Weights

Abstract

Surface stabilized safety enhanced free-weights and exercise methods that offer the benefits of free-weight resistance training, bodyweight exercises, and body positioning exercises with increased effectiveness, versatility, and safety.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]U.S. Provisional App. No. 61 / 898,954, filed Nov. 1, 2013STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableREFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX[0003]Not ApplicableTECHNICAL FIELD[0004]The present invention relates to exercise equipment and methods of exercising.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0005]There is always a need for new and improved exercise equipment and methods of exercising to benefit the health and fitness of people.[0006]One very well known piece of exercise equipment is the dumbbell, which is used for resistance exercises, such as bicep curls. Dumbbells typically have two hexagonal or disc shaped weights attached to either end of a straight handle, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 1,672,944, Jowett, 1928 (“Dumb bell”).[0007]Another known piece of exercise equipment is the push-up handle, which is used to enhance the safety and effect of the bod...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The inventive subject matter is directed to new exercise equipment and methods of exercising that offer the benefits of free-weight resistance training, bodyweight exercises, and body positioning and movement exercises with increased effectiveness, versatility, and safety.

[0012]A surface stabilized safety enhanced free-weight according to one embodiment of the invention includes a handle attached to the top of a base member having an exterior surface comprised of at least one of plastic or rubber, a bottom side that is planar and has a rounded shape, and an interior weight member, where the bottom side of the base member has a perimeter that extends beyond the perimeter of the handle when viewed from above. The inventive subject matter further includes embodiments in which the handle includes an interior metal rod attached to the base member's interior metal weight, such that the weight of the surface stabilized safety enhanced free-weight is more concentrated in and under the handle than on the periphery of the base member. Preferred dimensions are also provided for these embodiments. The inventive subject matter further includes embodiments in which the base member has an exterior surface with no sharp corners or edges, a tread on the bottom side, and adjustable internal weight members, so that a range of weights can be achieved without altering the exterior dimensions of the base member.

[0013]The inventive subject matter further provides for new exercise methods in which a person can use surface stabilized safety enhanced free-weights to effectively and safely transition between open kinetic chain exercises and closed kinetic chain exercises to achieve the benefits of free-weight resistance training, bodyweight exercises, and body positioning and movement exercises.

Problems solved by technology

There is no existing exercise equipment or exercise method, however, that safely and effectively offers a combination of the benefits achieved from all of the above.

Attempting to use existing dumbbells and push-up handles to perform various body positioning and movement exercises would be unsafe and ineffective because they do not offer sufficient stability and balancing and there is a danger that their structures, which include protrusions, metallic surfaces, and sharp edges and corners, would come into contact with and injure the body during such exercises.

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