Glute Press Machine Four-Bar Linkage Hip Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glute press weight lifting machines either lack adequate support for the user's lower back and hips or require the user to rotate an exercise arm, which can be uncomfortable and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A glute press exercise machine featuring a stationary frame with a four-bar linkage, a rotatable back support that extends below the hips, a seat that rotates to support the user's bottom, and an abdomen restraint, allowing for a comfortable and effective glute press exercise without relying on user rotation of an exercise arm.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a standard lifting bench is used to support the upper back or shoulders, then the equipment is simple and readily available, but the support to the user's back during the exercise is very poor
Solution Approach 1:
The back support is divided into multiple segmented pads that can independently adjust and conform to the user's back curvature. This segmentation allows each pad to provide targeted support to different regions of the back, resolving the contradiction by maintaining structural simplicity while significantly improving back support quality through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The back support system incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the support structure to adapt to different user body types and exercise positions. The support transitions from a static bench to a dynamic system that can move and adjust during the exercise, providing reliable back support while maintaining ease of manufacture through adjustable components.
2Productivity
If a rotating arm attached to the frame is used to pull a cable and lift a weight stack, then the exercise mechanism is established, but the user must rotate the exercise arm which can be uncomfortable and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The exercise machine is designed so that the weight stack and cable system automatically return to the starting position after each repetition without requiring user intervention. The mechanism uses the weight stack's gravity to provide automatic reset, eliminating the need for users to manually rotate an exercise arm back to position, thereby improving comfort and operational efficiency while maintaining full exercise functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the user actively rotate an arm to return the weight to the starting position, the system inverts the approach by using passive gravitational force on the weight stack to automatically reset the mechanism. This inversion transforms a user-intensive action into an automated process, resolving the contradiction between maintaining exercise functionality and improving ease of operation.
3Device complexity
If the lower portion of the back support does not extend below the user's hips, then the structure is simpler, but the user's lower back and hips lack adequate support throughout the exercise
Solution Approach 1:
The back support structure extends into a third dimension by projecting below the user's hips, creating a multi-dimensional support system. This dimensional extension allows the support to engage with both the upper back and lower hip regions simultaneously, providing comprehensive support throughout the exercise range of motion while maintaining structural simplicity through a unified extended design.
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
Provides superior support to the user's lower back and hips throughout the exercise, ensuring proper alignment and comfort while allowing for efficient weight lifting without the need for user-driven arm rotation.
Implementation Method 1
a four-bar linkage (or multi-bar linkage) connected to the stationary frame
Implementation Method 2
a four-bar linkage (or multi-bar linkage) connected to the stationary frame; a rotatable back support connected to the four-bar linkage
Implementation Method 3
As the user pushes their hips/abdomen upwards, they thereby move the rotating arm which in turn pulls on a cable to lift a weight stack
Implementation Method 4
pulls on a cable to lift a weight stack
Data Source
AI summary
A glute press exercise machine including: a four-bar linkage connected to a stationary frame; a rotatable back support connected to the four-bar linkage; a seat connected to the four-bar linkage; and a foot support connected to the stationary frame. A lower portion of the back support extends below the user's hips to support the users hips during a glute press exercise. This lower portion supports at least 10% of the user's weight. In operation, the seat rotates downwardly away from the user's hips during a glute press exercise and then rotates upwardly again to contact the user's bottom between every repetition of the glute press exercise. The four-bar linkage is pivotally connected to the stationary frame at a location near ground level. The foot support is positioned below 25 cm from the ground and extends forwardly beyond the front of the stationary frame.