Simulated Climbing Exercise Apparatus with Back Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current exercise equipment fails to provide a comprehensive, high-intensity full-body workout that effectively engages multiple muscle groups aerobically and anaerobically within a short duration, as they either require prolonged use or rely on weight or friction resistance, which limits the ability to reach maximum exertion quickly.
Innovation Solution
A full-body exercise apparatus with a frame that allows users to engage in simulated climbing by pivoting hand levers and foot support platforms, adjusting angles to suspend the body, and incorporating a secondary support for the back or buttocks to distribute the workload, enabling maximum exertion through gravitational resistance and variable resistance settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the user engages in simulated climbing exercise by hanging from hands and pressing with feet, then maximum exertion is achieved quickly, but the exercise cannot be sustained for long periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a back support structure that provides counterbalancing force to offset the user's body weight during the exercise. This support system allows the user to maintain maximum exertion by distributing the gravitational load across the back support and foot platforms, enabling prolonged exercise duration without compromising the intensity of the workout.
2Productivity
If the apparatus angle is increased to simulate steeper climbing, then exercise intensity increases, but the ability to sustain exercise decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The back support structure provides counterbalancing force that counteracts the increased gravitational component acting on the user when the apparatus angle is increased. This allows the user to maintain maximum exertion at steeper angles by distributing the additional gravitational load across the back support and foot platforms, enabling prolonged exercise at high intensity settings.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the user engages only hands and feet on the apparatus, then full body workout is achieved, but the workload on arms increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The back support structure provides counterbalancing force that offsets the user's body weight, thereby reducing the gravitational load on the arms and upper body muscles. This allows the user to engage in full body workout by pressing with feet and moving hands while the back support carries a portion of the body weight, preventing excessive arm fatigue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows users to adjust the angle of the apparatus and the position of the back support to optimize the distribution of gravitational force across different body parts. By changing these parameters, users can modify the workload distribution between arms, legs, and core muscles to achieve full body engagement without overloading any single muscle group.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables a complete aerobic and anaerobic workout that can reach maximum exertion in a short time, engaging multiple muscle groups efficiently, with the ability to sustain exercise for longer periods with the secondary support, offering greater variability and control over the exercise experience.
Implementation Method 1
This causes gravity to be exerted on the body in such a way that no weight other than the user's body is needed to increase effort.
Implementation Method 2
the difficulty of the pulling the rope is controlled by some type of friction device that the rope pulls through
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method permitting a user to perform a simulated climbing and full body exercise is provided. The design includes a frame and a pair of lever arms and a pair of foot platforms and a torso support. The frame is configured to place the operator's center of gravity in a position of falling away from the frame, lever arms, foot platforms and providing a torso support enabling the operator to be supported by hanging from the hands and supported by the feet and torso support. The frame may be rotated through varying angles from vertical permitting the operator's center of gravity to fall away from the frame and allow the operator to hang away from the frame further enhancing the climbing experience.