Resistance devices, total-body exercise machines outfitted therewith, and exercise methods using such devices and machines

Abstract

An exercise reel comprising an elongated tension member having first and second ends, a user engagement connected to the elongated tension member first end for engaging a body appendage, a spool connected to the elongated tension member second end and on which the elongated tension member is adapted to be wound, a resistance mechanism comprising a rotatable disk and a pair of calipers for engaging the rotatable disk for resisting unwinding of the spool, and a retraction mechanism for automatically rewinding the spool. One aspect of the invention comprises an exercise machine comprising at least one exercise reel of the invention, preferably an aerobic leg exercise machine wherein the exercise reel comprises an arm exercise reel for providing resistance to the user's natural forward arm swing. Exercise machines comprising other types of resistance devices for providing resistance to the natural forward arm swing are also claimed. Other aspects of the invention comprise freestanding exercise devices incorporating the exercise reels and methods of exercising.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . An exercise reel comprising: 
 an elongated tension member having first and second ends;    a user engagement connected to the elongated tension member first end for engaging a body appendage;    a spool connected to the elongated tension member second end and on which the elongated tension member is adapted to be wound;    a resistance mechanism for resisting unwinding of the spool, the resistance mechanism comprising a rotatable disk and a pair of calipers for engaging the rotatable disk; and    a retraction mechanism for automatically rewinding the spool.    
     
     
         2 . The exercise reel of  claim 1 , wherein the retraction mechanism further comprises a spring.  
     
     
         3 . The exercise reel of  claim 2 , wherein the spring comprises a coil spring.  
     
     
         4 . The exercise reel of  claim 1 , wherein the resistance mechanism is adjustable.  
     
     
         5 . The exercise reel of  claim 1  further comprising a mounting connection for mounting the reel to a surface.  
     
     
         6 . The exercise reel of  claim 1  wherein the user engagement comprises a loop.  
     
     
         7 . The exercise reel of  claim 1  wherein the loop is padded.  
     
     
         8 . The exercise reel of  claim 7  wherein the loop is adjustable.  
     
     
         9 . The exercise reel of  claim 8  wherein the loop is adjustable by use of an adjustment mechanism selected from the group consisting of: a buckle, a set of snaps or buttons, a set of micro-hooks and micro-loops, and a cable-through-ring mechanism.  
     
     
         10 . The exercise reel of  claim 1  wherein the resistance mechanism provides a resistance of not greater than about 5 pounds of force.  
     
     
         11 . The exercise reel of  claim 1  wherein the resistance mechanism provides an adjustable resistance that is adjustable to provide a resistance of greater than about 5 pounds of force.  
     
     
         12 . An exercise machine comprising at least one exercise reel of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         13 . The exercise machine of  claim 12  comprising an aerobic lower body exercise machine wherein the exercise reel comprises an exercise reel adapted to exercise a user's upper body to provide a total body workout.  
     
     
         14 . The exercise machine of  claim 13  wherein the exercise reel comprises a forward-stroke arm exercise reel positioned behind a user to provide resistance to a forward swinging motion of an arm of the user while allowing the user's arm to perform the forward swinging motion in a natural, free-swinging arm position.  
     
     
         15 . The exercise machine of  claim 14  further comprising a backward-stroke arm exercise reel adapted for use by the same arm of the user as the forward-stroke arm exercise reel, the backward-stroke arm exercise reel positioned in front of the user to provide resistance to a backward swinging motion of the user's arm while allowing the user's arm to perform the backward swinging motion in the naturally extended arm position.  
     
     
         16 . The exercise machine of  claim 14  wherein the user engagement is adapted to engage the user's hand, arm, or wrist.  
     
     
         17 . The exercise machine of  claim 14  comprising at least two arm exercise reels, a first reel adapted for use by a left arm of the user and a second reel adapted for use by a right arm of the user.  
     
     
         18 . The exercise machine of  claim 14  comprising only a single arm exercise reel adapted to be used either by the left arm or right arm of the user.  
     
     
         19 . The exercise machine of  claim 13  wherein the aerobic lower body exercise machine comprises a machine selected from a group consisting of: treadmills, air walkers/gliders, upright and recumbent bicycle machines, torso-twisting disks, cross-trainers, steppers, elliptical exercise machines, cross-country and downhill ski machines, trampolines, squat machines, rowing machines, stretching machines, and abdominal machines.  
     
     
         20 . The exercise machine of  claim 14  further comprising a support structure mounted behind the user for preventing the user from being pulled backward off of the machine by the resistance of the arm exercise reel.  
     
     
         21 . The exercise machine of  claim 20  wherein the support structure comprises a padded support adapted to engage the back or buttocks of the user.  
     
     
         22 . The exercise machine of  claim 21  wherein the support structure is adjustable in at least one direction in the group consisting of: up and down, forward and back, and left and right.  
     
     
         23 . The exercise machine of  claim 13  wherein the elongated tension member consists of a length sufficient to extend from a mounting point of the reel on the machine to a furthest point of a user's arm swing from the mounting point, and the spool is sized to hold substantially all of the elongated tension member length.  
     
     
         24 . An exercise machine comprising an aerobic lower body exercise machine comprising a single exercise reel mounted behind the user for exercising a user's upper body, the single exercise reel comprising a resistance mechanism for resisting unwinding of the spool and a retraction mechanism for rewinding the spool, a first elongated tension member adapted for use by a left arm of the user and having a user engagement connected thereto, a second elongated tension member adapted for use by a right arm of the user and having a user engagement connected thereto, each elongated tension member having a portion engaged by the reel to provide resistance to the forward swinging motion of each arm.  
     
     
         25 . The machine of  claim 24  wherein the first elongated tension member and the second elongated tension member comprise portions of a single elongated tension member and the portion engaged by the reel comprises a middle portion of the single elongated tension member.  
     
     
         26 . The exercise machine of  claim 24  wherein the resistance mechanism comprises a knob screw having a shaft coaxial with the spool and a spring coaxial with the knob screw shaft and having opposite ends, one end abutting the knob of the knob screw and the other end abutting the spool such that as the knob is tightened, the spring compresses and exerts increased force upon the spool.  
     
     
         27 . A free-standing exercise device comprising at least one exercise reel of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         28 . The exercise device of  claim 27 , wherein the user engagement is a crossbar for engagement by both hands of the user.  
     
     
         29 . An exercise device comprising a platform and at least one exercise reel comprising an elongated tensioned member connected between the platform and a user engagement such that the user may lie or stand upon the platform and perform an upper body exercise against the resistance of the reel.  
     
     
         30 . The exercise reel of  claim 1  further comprising a clutch mechanism to disengage the resistance mechanism during rewinding of the spool.  
     
     
         31 . The exercise reel of  claim 30  wherein the clutch is a roller clutch.  
     
     
         32 . The exercise reel of  claim 1  further comprising a housing for enclosing the spool, the rewind mechanism, and resistance mechanism.  
     
     
         33 . A method of exercising comprising using the exercise device of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         34 . A method of exercising comprising using the exercise device of  claim 12 .  
     
     
         35 . A method of exercising comprising using the exercise device of  claim 27 .  
     
     
         36 . An exercise machine for exercising a user, the machine comprising an upper body exercise component comprising one or more resistance devices adapted to provide resistance to a forward swinging motion of an arm of the user while allowing the user's arm to perform the forward swinging motion in a natural, free-swinging arm position, the resistance device comprising a elongated tension member having first and second ends, and a user engagement connected to the elongated tension member first end, wherein the user engagement is padded, adjustable, or a combination thereof.  
     
     
         37 . The exercise machine of  claim 36  wherein the resistance device comprises a spool connected to the elongated tension member second end and on which the elongated tension member is adapted to be wound, a resistance mechanism for resisting unwinding of the spool, and a retraction mechanism for automatically rewinding the spool.  
     
     
         38 . The exercise machine of  claim 37  wherein the resistance mechanism comprises a rotatable disk, and first and second calipers adapted to frictionally engage the rotatable disk.  
     
     
         39 . The exercise machine of  claim 36  wherein the resistance mechanism is mounted behind the user.  
     
     
         40 . The exercise machine of  claim 36  further comprising at least one user engagement rest positioned in front of the user for holding the user engagement when not in use by the user.  
     
     
         41 . The exercise machine of  claim 36 , wherein the resistance device is not located behind the user, the machine further comprising at least one guide mounted behind the user for directing the elongated tension member to the user from the resistance device, optionally in cooperation with one or more other guides.  
     
     
         42 . The exercise machine of  claim 41 , wherein the guide comprises a roller or pulley.  
     
     
         43 . The exercise machine of  claim 41 , wherein the resistance device comprises a spring having a first end connected to the exercise machine and a second end connected to the elongated tension member second end.  
     
     
         44 . The exercise machine of  claim 41 , wherein the resistance device comprises a single reel comprising at least one elongated tension member having a portion engaged by the reel, a first user engagement adapted for use by a left arm of the user, and a second user engagement adapted for use by a right arm of the user.  
     
     
         45 . The exercise machine of  claim 44  wherein the resistance device comprises a resistance mechanism comprising a knob screw having a shaft coaxial with the spool and a spring coaxial with the knob screw shaft and having opposite ends, one end abutting the knob of the knob screw and the other end abutting the spool such that as the knob is tightened, the spring compresses and exerts increased force upon the spool.  
     
     
         46 . The exercise machine of  claim 36  wherein the resistance mechanism comprises an elastic member having adjustable resistance.  
     
     
         47 . The exercise machine of  claim 46 , wherein the elastic member comprises a portion having an adjustable length subject to tension, the adjustable resistance effected by adjusting the length of the portion subject to tension.  
     
     
         48 . The exercise machine of  claim 46 , wherein the elastic member comprises a plurality of elastic component members, the adjustable resistance effected by how many elastic component members are subject to tension.  
     
     
         49 . The exercise machine of  claim 36 , wherein the exercise machine comprises an aerobic lower-body exercise machine selected from a group consisting of: treadmills, air walkers/gliders, upright and recumbent bicycle machines, torso-twisting disks, cross-trainers, steppers, elliptical exercise machines, cross-country and downhill ski machines, trampolines, squat machines, rowing machines, stretching machines, and abdominal machines.  
     
     
         50 . The exercise machine of  claim 36 , wherein the exercise machine comprises a lower-body exercise machine having a limited foot support for engaging the exercise machine, in which the foot support comprises a support area having a length and a width greater than a length or width of a standard human foot, a raised peripheral edge, and optionally, a high-traction surface.  
     
     
         51 . The exercise machine of  claim 50  further comprising a support structure mounted behind the user for preventing the user from being pulled backward off of the machine by the resistance supplied by the one or more resistance devices.  
     
     
         52 . The exercise machine of  claim 36  further comprising a support structure mounted behind the user for preventing the user from being pulled backward off of the machine by the resistance supplied by the one or more resistance devices.  
     
     
         53 . The exercise machine of  claim 36 , wherein the exercise machine comprises a lower-body exercise component having a motion and the one or more resistance devices are independent of the motion of the lower-body component.  
     
     
         54 . The exercise machine of  claim 36 , wherein the exercise machine comprises a lower-body exercise component having a motion and the one or more resistance devices are attached to the lower-body component and dependent upon the motion of the lower-body component  
     
     
         55 . The exercise machine of  claim 36 , wherein the user engagement is adapted for being engaged with an open or loose grip.  
     
     
         56 . A method of exercising comprising using the machine of  claim 36 .  
     
     
         57 . A method of exercising comprising a user engaging in total body exercise, including engaging in upper body exercise by swinging the user's arms in a natural, multi-planar, free-swinging motion against a tensile resistance force directed from a point behind the user and transmitted by an elongated tension member having a user engagement adapted to be engaged by the user in a manner other than in a closed grip.  
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57  wherein the engagement is by the user's hand in an open, loose grip.  
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the user engagement is adjustable, padded, or both.  
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the user engagement is a hand loop.  
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the resistance force is created by an exercise reel comprising a spool connected to one end of the elongated tension member and on which the elongated tension member is adapted to be wound; a resistance mechanism for resisting unwinding of the spool, and a retraction mechanism for automatically rewinding the spool.  
     
     
         62 . The exercise reel of  claim 4 , wherein the adjustable resistance mechanism comprises an adjustment mechanism that is remotely actuatable.  
     
     
         63 . The exercise machine of  claim 12 , wherein the exercise reel comprises a remotely-actuatable adjustable resistance mechanism.  
     
     
         64 . The exercise machine of  claim 63 , wherein the remotely-actuatable adjustable resistance mechanism comprises a remote actuator mounted on the machine.  
     
     
         65 . The exercise machine of  claim 63 , wherein the remotely-actuatable adjustable resistance mechanism comprises a remote actuator mounted on the user engagement.  
     
     
         66 . An exercise machine comprising a lower body workout component and an upper body workout component, the upper body workout component comprising at least one pole providing resistance to movement thereof, the pole having freedom to move in multiple planes.  
     
     
         67 . The exercise machine of  claim 66 , wherein the pole comprises a ball and socket interface with the machine.  
     
     
         68 . The exercise machine of  claim 66 , wherein the pole is axially attached to a helical spring that is connected to the machine.  
     
     
         69 . The exercise machine of  claim 66 , wherein the resistance is adjustable.  
     
     
         70 . The exercise machine of  claim 69 , wherein the pole comprises a ball and socket interface with the machine and the ball and socket interface comprises a member for increasing and decreasing radial pressure on the ball.  
     
     
         71 . An aerobic lower body exercise machine comprising an exercise reel mounted behind the user and adapted to provide a total body workout by exercising a user's upper body by providing resistance to a natural, free-swinging forward motion of the user's arm,, the reel comprising: 
 an elongated tension member having first and second ends and having a length sufficient to extend from a mounting point of the reel on the machine to a furthest point of a user's natural arm swing from the mounting point;    a padded, adjustable loop connected to the elongated tension member first end for engaging the user's hand, arm, or wrist;    a spool connected to the elongated tension member second end and on which the elongated tension member is adapted to be wound, sized to hold substantially all of the elongated tension member length;    an adjustable resistance mechanism for resisting unwinding of the spool, the resistance mechanism comprising a rotatable disk and a pair of calipers for engaging the rotatable disk;    a roller clutch for disengaging the resistance mechanism during rewinding of the spool    a coil spring retraction mechanism for automatically rewinding the spool.    
     
     
         72 . A non-treadmill lower body exercise machine comprising at least one device mounted behind a user of the machine for enabling and providing resistance to a multi-planar, natural, free-swinging forward arm motion of the user.  
     
     
         73 . A lower body exercise machine comprising at least one device permanently integrated with the machine and mounted behind a user of the machine for enabling and providing resistance to a multi-planar, natural, free-swinging forward arm motion of a user.  
     
     
         74 . A lower body exercise machine that is not a cross-country ski machine, comprising at least one device mounted on the machine for enabling and providing resistance to a multi-planar, natural, free-swinging backward arm motion of the user.  
     
     
         75 . A method of exercising comprising using the machine of  claim 72 .  
     
     
         76 . A method of exercising comprising using the machine of  claim 73 .  
     
     
         77 . A method of exercising comprising using the machine of  claim 74 .  
     
     
         78 . The method of  claim 33  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.  
     
     
         79 . The method of  claim 34  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.  
     
     
         80 . The method of  claim 35  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.  
     
     
         81 . The method of  claim 56  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.  
     
     
         82 . The method of  claim 57  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.  
     
     
         83 . The method of  claim 75  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.  
     
     
         84 . The method of  claim 76  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.  
     
     
         85 . The method of  claim 77  comprising performing warm-up exercises, aerobic and/or strength training exercises, or cool-down exercises.