Weight systems for exercise equipment

Abstract

Exercise equipment including a cable means attached at its distal end to a resistance means cooperating with pulley means for switching between a 2:1 mechanical advantage and a 1:1 ratio. At a proximal end of the cable, control means are used to exert effort against the resistance means. The resistance means may be a weight system, which may be variable. There may be a set of counter-weights. Exercise equipment having a bilateral lifting system comprising multiple cables directed by pulleys to their ends where attachments are connected at both ends of each cable with a single weight stack at the mid area of each cable. The cables may pass through a set of multiple pulleys running parallel atop the weight stack and directed by another series of pulleys to respective egress points of the cables.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . Exercise equipment including a cable means attached at its distal end to a resistance means cooperating with pulley means for switching between a 2:1 mechanical advantage and a 1:1 ratio, and at a proximal end of the cable, to a control means used to exert effort against the resistance means.  
     
     
         2 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the control means that enables the user to exert force against the resistance means is a handle, strap, belt, rope, bar or leg curl.  
     
     
         3 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the resistance means is a weight system  
     
     
         4 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the weight system is variable.  
     
     
         5 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein there is a set of counter-weights.  
     
     
         6 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the control means that enables the user to exert force against the weight system is a handle, strap, belt, rope, bar or leg curl.  
     
     
         7 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein multiple cables are used and when the equipment is set to operate as a 2:1 mechanical advantage system, the proximal end of a cable may be pulled around a pulley and simultaneously a counterweight at the distal end of a cable will rest against a stop, thereby creating an anchor at the distal end and completing the 2:1 mechanical advantage system.  
     
     
         8 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the resistance is variable.  
     
     
         9 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the resistance is a set of weights.  
     
     
         10 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein a set of counterweights is used as a cable take up means when different egress points along the curved track are utilized.  
     
     
         11 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 1 , including a framed housing having a curved track defining a prescribed curved path, a pair of pulleys on a movable trolley repositionable along the curved path, and having passed between them a cable, the proximal end of which is located outside the curved track and is attached to a means that enables the user to exert force against the resistance, to which the distal end of the cable is attached.  
     
     
         12 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the resistance is variable.  
     
     
         13 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the resistance is a set of weights.  
     
     
         14 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein a set of counterweights is used as a cable take up means when different egress points along the curved track are utilized.  
     
     
         15 . Exercise equipment having a bilateral lifting system comprising multiple cables directed by pulleys to their ends where attachments are connected at both ends of each cable with a single weight stack at a mid area of each cable.  
     
     
         16 . Exercise equipment as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the cables pass through a set of multiple pulleys running parallel atop the weight stack and directed by another series of pulleys to respective egress points of the cables.