Sliding Rotating Bar Handles for Shoulder-Friendly Lifts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exercise apparatuses, such as bench press bars, have fixed hand positions that do not accommodate individual weightlifters' needs, leading to inefficient lifts and increased stress on the shoulders and surrounding tissues due to the inability to adjust hand placement during exercises.
Innovation Solution
Exercise apparatuses with rotatable and translatable handles that allow for adjustable hand positions, enabling 360-degree rotation and movement along a lengthwise axis, reducing stress on the shoulders by mimicking physiological motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed hand positions are used on the bar, then the bar structure remains simple and stable, but the exercise efficiency decreases and shoulder stress increases due to inability to customize placement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the handles movable along the bar's lengthwise axis while maintaining rotational capability. The handles can translate between fixed and movable states, allowing users to adjust hand positions dynamically during exercise. This resolves the contradiction by providing adaptability through motion while maintaining structural simplicity through guided linear movement within frame passageways.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the handle assembly into separate movable components that can independently adjust along the bar. Each handle is separated from fixed positioning and can move independently within its own frame passageway, allowing customized hand placement for each user while keeping the overall bar structure simple and modular.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If handles are fixed axially and rotationally relative to the bar, then the bar structure remains simple, but shoulder stress increases and exercise efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the handles dynamic by allowing both axial translation and rotational movement during exercise. The handles can move along the lengthwise axis and rotate within frame passageways, enabling users to adjust hand positions to reduce shoulder stress. This dynamic capability directly addresses the harmful factor of shoulder stress while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the handles by allowing continuous adjustment of position and orientation. Users can modify hand placement distance and rotational angle to optimize exercise form and reduce shoulder stress, transforming fixed parameters into variable ones that adapt to individual needs.
3Adaptability or versatility
If standardized hand placement markings are used on the bar, then manufacturing remains simple, but exercise efficiency decreases due to lack of customization for individual weightlifters
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing multiple bars with different fixed markings, the patent implements a dynamic adjustment mechanism that allows a single standardized bar to accommodate multiple hand positions. The movable handles with translation capability provide customization without requiring complex manufacturing variations, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and ease of manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
Exercise apparatuses are described. An example exercise apparatus has a lengthwise axis and includes a first shaft, a first frame, a first handle, a second frame, and a second handle. The first shaft has a first shaft first end and a first shaft second end. The first frame is attached to the first shaft first end and defines a first frame passageway. The first handle is disposed within the first frame passageway such that the first handle can translate along the lengthwise axis and rotate within the first frame passageway. The second frame is attached to the first shaft second end and defines a second frame passageway. The second handle is disposed within the second frame passageway such that the second handle can translate along the lengthwise axis and rotate within the second frame passageway.