The invention concerns a training device with the features cited in the preamble of claim 1.
There are numerous prior art strength and endurance training devices that are used as home trainers or in fitness studios for training different muscle groups or enhancing the cardiovascular system. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,269 describes an arm-training device according to the preamble of claim 1 in which a two-arm lever is mounted to a support of a base frame. There are handles on the top lever arm, while the bottom lever arm is articulated via a connecting rod to a parallelogram brace of a parallelogram guide of the seat. If you pull the handles toward you, the seat is pulled to the front, and it is lifted while overcoming the body weight of the trainee. In another training device in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,709, the seat is also mounted via a parallelogram guide to a carrier functioning as a support frame, and a bearing arm of this parallelogram is connected via a lever mechanism to supports that pivot on a bearing point in the base frame. There are two handles pivoted to an associated lengthwise brace so that a combined movement of the seat, hand grips and foot rests is obtained, and the load is provided by the body weight of the trainee. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,227 has an arm and leg training device that works with a crank mechanism on a brake wheel with adjustable braking force. The trainee stands on two footrests that he moves up and down to train his legs while simultaneously moving the handgrips back and forth.
Training using these devices is usually quite arduous and therefore not for everyone. Frequently, training programs are interrupted.
The invention is based on the problem of designing a generic training device so that people can simultaneously train their arm, leg and stomach muscles while moving in a harmonized and pleasant manner.
The problem of the invention is solved by the features in claim 1. Developments of the invention are described in the subclaims.
The parallelogram guide of the seat and the articulation of the force transmitting frame to the seat parallelogram and the crank mechanism produces a series of movements in which the arm, leg, stomach and back muscles are simultaneously trained without the trainee feeling that the program is burdensome which could cause him to abandon training prematurely. The results of training are therefore better than with conventional endurance and cardiovascular equipment since the trainee enjoys the training motions and is not actually conscious of the effort of the training program due to the harmonized sequence of movements.
In a useful embodiment of the invention, the crank mechanism can be designed with an adjustable stroke and hence allow the extent of training movements to be adapted to the individual and hence the progress of the user. The stroke can be adjusted e.g. by varying the articulation points of the transmission frame (that transfer the force exerted by the trainee to a flywheel that overcomes the deadpoint of the movement sequence) to the crank arms. The arms are seated e.g. on a shaft connected to a belt pulley whose belt drives the flywheel. Usefully interacting with the flywheel is a preferably adjustable brake in the form of an eddy current brake, friction brake, hydraulic brake, etc. that allows the training force to be adjusted. Furthermore, the footrests can be adjusted to adapt to the body size of the trainee. If footrests are provided with loops, the training effect can be expanded by a pulling movement in addition to pressing with the feet. A preferred embodiment of the transmission frame consists of two lengthwise levers whose ends are articulated to the crank arms of the crank mechanism and which are mounted via a middle bearing to the seat parallelogram. These levers can usefully be angled outward on both sides of the seat and terminate upward so that their ends form the handles.
To avoid improper stress on the vertebral column, the seat is preferably provided with a backrest against which the trainee leans and which provides an orthopedically correct support for the spinal column during training.
Articulating the transmission frame to a preferably adjustable intermediate position of one of the parallelogram arms (by means of which the seat is articulated to the base frame) creates a relative movement between the seat and handgrips that allows the training device to be moved just by arm force. The training device according to the invention can hence be used to exercise the arm muscles or leg muscles by themselves or together including stomach muscles.