U shaped spring for strengthening the pubococeygeus muscle

Abstract

A U shaped spring designed to accommodate a long resistance path, designed to provide for a large leg squeezing area so that large squeezing resistance may be applied without excessive inner leg pressure, designed to facilitate incremental and great increases of resistance and, designed to employ an arm restraint so that initial movement through the first half of the range of movement will be against substantial and beneficial resistance. The U shaped spring for strengthening the pubococeygeus muscle when squeezed between the upper legs comprises: a resilient strip bent into and held in a U shape, said U shape having spaced opposite arms extending in a same direction, and a central portion connecting the opposite arms; and, an arm restraint extending between the spaced opposite arms holding and preventing the arms from resiliently springing apart beyond their spaced configuration. The arm restraint is generally under a substantial tension load, and is unloaded only when the arms of the U shaped spring are squeezed together between the upper legs thereby strengthening the pubococeygeus muscle. In a preferred aspect of this invention the strip comprises sheet steel and the arm restraint comprises a wire rope extending between and through holes in the opposite arms.

I claim:  
     
         1 ) A spring apparatus for strengthening the pubococeygeus muscle when squeezed between the upper legs comprising: 
 two spaced resilient arms extending in a same direction;    a central portion connecting corresponding ends of the opposite arms;    an arm restraint extending between the spaced opposite arms holding and preventing the arms from resiliently springing apart beyond their spaced configuration;    said arm restraint generally being under a substantial tension load, and being unloaded only when the arms of the spring are squeezed together between the upper legs thereby strengthening the pubococeygeus muscle.    
     
     
         2 ) A generally U shaped spring for strengthening the pubococeygeus muscle when squeezed between the upper legs comprising: 
 a resilient strip bent into and held generally into a U shape, said U shape having spaced opposite arms extending in a same direction, and a central portion connecting the opposite arms; and,    an arm restraint extending between the spaced opposite arms holding and preventing the arms from resiliently springing apart beyond their spaced configuration;    said arm restraint generally being under a substantial tension load, and being unloaded only when the arms of the U shaped spring are squeezed together between the upper legs thereby strengthening the pubococeygeus muscle.    
     
     
         3 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 2  wherein the strip comprises sheet steel having opposite generally parallel long edge portions.  
     
     
         4 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 2  wherein the arm restraint comprises a cord extending between the opposite arms.  
     
     
         5 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 4  wherein the opposite arms have a hole therethrough and wherein the cord comprises a wire rope extending through and between the holes and having enlarged opposite end portions too large to pull through the holes in the opposite arms.  
     
     
         6 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 2  wherein the unconnected end portions of the opposite arms flare radially apart from each other so that they will partially extend around a front portion of the upper legs thereby assuring and maintaining proper position of the U shaped spring with respect to the legs when squeezed together thereby.  
     
     
         7 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 5  further comprising a rubber material coating an outer side of the arms and the opposite, generally parallel long edge portions of the strip.  
     
     
         8 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 7  wherein the rubber coating comprises a dip generally covering the entire strip.  
     
     
         9 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 3  wherein an upper long edge portion of the arm portions of the U shaped spring are contoured to better fit against and follow the body contour when positioned against the body above and between the upper legs.  
     
     
         10 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 8  further comprising a compressible insert configured to be positioned between the opposite arms to increase the force required to squeeze the opposite arms together so that the required squeezing force to deflect the arms may be increased as muscles strengthen.  
     
     
         11 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 10  wherein the compressible insert comprises foam rubber and wherein the insert is dimensioned to fit closely between opposite arms, the central portion, and the wire rope to thereby increase the squeezing force required to deflect the arms together as the muscle strengthens.  
     
     
         12 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 11  wherein the compressible insert is provided having differing and increasing resistances to compression so that the squeezing force required to deflect the arms together can be incrementally increased as the muscle strengthens thereby allowing maximum muscle growth from exercise.  
     
     
         13 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 3  wherein the arms have a height exceeding 2 inches to ensure substantial contact area and a comfortably low pressure when squeezed between the upper legs.  
     
     
         14 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 13  wherein the arms have a height which is generally 2 and one half inches.  
     
     
         15 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 3  wherein the strip of sheet steel has a thickness of less than one eighth inches so that the arms may be squeezed over a maximum range of motion before they collide.  
     
     
         16 ) A U shaped spring as in  claim 15  wherein the arms are spaced apart a distance exceeding 4 inches thereby ensuring a long resistance path to better facilitate muscle development.