Ergonomic held weight units, related computing device applications and methods of use

Abstract

Hand held weight units of light weight manufactured as a solid unit, a shell unit with core insert combinations or modular units with interlocking ends. Shell units with core inserts and modular interlocking units allow for the changing of held weight by inserting or removing inserts or by locking or unlocking of modular weight unit sets creating varying held weight. The weight units are primarily used with upper body exercises during aerobic exercises in the home, outdoors, or in a gym setting such as walking or running to vary the intensity of workout during use.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 188,048, entitled “ERGONOMIC HELD WEIGHT UNIT AND METHOD OF USE” filed Jun. 21, 2016, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to dumbbells, adjustable dumbbells, and more particularly to lightweight dumbbells or lightweight adjustable hand weights having specific ergonomic shapes that allow for the centering of weight in the palm of the hand, and interlocking features that allow for the ease of combination of units during an aerobic exercise to achieve a specific desired weight and intensity of workout.[0003]Moreover, the present invention also relates to worn and other computing devices that are intended to track heart rates, steps or strides, body movements, forces and exertion of movements with handheld weights and calories burned per time unit through the use of:...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019]In some therapy related embodiments, an injured patient can be required to use weight and strength training in order to heal. As the patient performs various exercises and the injured body part heals, the patient is able to remove a sensor unit, held within the body of an exercise monitoring unit, and place it inside or otherwise couple it with a next higher weight unit before continuing their prescribed physical therapy. This can be an iterative process that is repeated until the patient is healed. Doctors, physical therapists and other health care providers may purchase and lend such a system or “kit” to patients, or patients can purchase, lease or rent the kit on their own. Varying therapeutic weight units, interchangeable monitoring sensor units and network connected computing devices, combined with tracking applications and web portals can encourage patients to do physical therapy “homework” and prescribed exercises to improve recovery times and reduce visits to physical and occupational therapy offices.

[0031]Data gathered by the inserted sensors can be transferred to a smart phone, tablet, or another display unit wirelessly to depict real time hand, arm, or body motions with the held weight for therapeutic purposes. Additionally, by the use of straps or belts, the weight units or individual weight segments may be fixed to the body to ensure the proper location of the held weight during therapeutic movements. Furthermore, a specialized, ruled mat or paper aids the therapist to quickly identify the width, length, and circumference of the user's body part by simply placing the body part onto the paper and taking several pictures from different angles.

Problems solved by technology

This single weight limitation poses a problem for the users doing interval upper body weight training during continuous or prolonged aerobic exercises, such as walking or running, as it forces the individual to use one weight across all upper body exercises.

In addition, the typical adjustable dumbbell weight isn't practical to carry on the body during prolonged aerobic exercise and lends itself for use only within the home or gym setting where the additional weight segments are properly stored or housed on racks or in a complete set of incremental weight stacks.

Hence, users must typically choose a single weight to hold during prolonged aerobic exercise which poses a problem for the users doing interval upper body weight training during continuous aerobic exercise.

Simply put, using the same held weight across many different upper body exercises or arm movements does not achieve the most beneficial workout when compared to alternating intensities of exercises by changing the held weight during aerobic exercises.

Therefore, these traditional dumbbell shapes are not advantageous during aerobic activity, as they often alter the form of the exercise to limit the risk of banging the weights together or coming in contact with the body.

In addition, traditional dumbbell shapes can come in contact with aerobic machines such as treadmills or step climbers during certain arm movements or motions, can get hung up or caught on headphone wires worn by the user during exercise and can hit a walking or running partner's dumbbell or body as they are swung back and forth by the holder when exercising in a group.

Discover Walking and The Walking Site both point out that walking with hand weights or dumbbells can increase blood pressure caused by the gripping or squeezing of the weights tightly.

“If an individual carries weights several days per week for an extended period of time, their blood pressure could be adversely affected.

High blood pressure can lead to other serious health problems such as heart disease and an increased risk for stroke,” The Walking Site.

Some individuals perceive the holding of standard dumbbells more visible and unpleasant, causing them to feel self-conscious about exercising with held weights.

However, none of these devices is satisfactory for extended aerobic exercises in which hundreds or even thousands of repetitive arm movements are performed, where each movement may have its own unique weight tolerance or desired weight due to differences in required movement, muscle group and fitness level of the user.

Using the same weight across these varying upper body exercises and muscle groups is not advantageous and can be disadvantageous for achieving optimized workouts.

Although the above mentioned devices allow users to track and display metrics of physical activity and exertion of the wearer including: heart rate, calories burned, number of steps, strides, or cycles, none are optimized for tracking and monitoring various physical activities performed in combination with variable held weights and variable upper body exercises during prolonged aerobic activities.

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