Exercise pole

Abstract

An exercise pole comprises a flexible stick having a hand grip at one end and a ground-engaging tip at the other end. The stick is made of any suitable material in any suitable length, and the material and diameter are selected so that the stick may be bent elastically to a significant degree by the user applying a load or bending moment to the hand grip. The poles are preferably used in pairs, one in each hand. Walking with the inventive poles in hand, the user plants one pole on the ground and flexes it; the bending moment applied to flex the stick is resisted by tightening of the abdominal muscles. The user may plant the sticks ahead of or alongside the feet, flex the sticks, and then allow them to unflex in a controlled way while maintaining some tension. The poles can also be used indoors and while seated.

1 . An exercise pole comprising:
 a flexible shaft capable of repetitive elastic flexure of at least 2% of its length in response to a bending load;   a hand grip on the upper end of said flexible shaft to allow a user to apply said bending load; and,   a ground-engaging tip on the lower end of said flexible shaft to engage a selected working surface.   
     
     
         2 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said flexible shaft is between about 75 cm and 2 m long. 
     
     
         3 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said flexible shaft comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: wood, metal alloys, polymers and polymer composites 
     
     
         4 . The exercise pole of  claim 3  wherein said flexible shaft comprises a solid fiberglass reinforced polymer rod. 
     
     
         5 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said hand grip comprises a compliant sleeve. 
     
     
         6 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said hand grip has indentations to accommodate the fingers of the user. 
     
     
         7 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said hand grip is co-linear with the axis of said flexible shaft. 
     
     
         8 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said hand grip is offset at a selected angle from the axis of said flexible shaft. 
     
     
         9 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said ground-engaging tip comprises a compliant molded rubber cane tip. 
     
     
         10 . The exercise pole of  claim 1  wherein said ground-engaging tip comprises a hard point. 
     
     
         11 . A method of exercise comprising the steps of:
 grasping a flexible shaft, using a hand grip at the upper end of said shaft, said shaft further having a ground-engaging tip at its lower end;   placing said tip on a working surface;   applying a bending moment through said hand grip sufficient to deflect said flexible shaft at its midsection by at least about 2% of its length;   reducing said bending moment so that said flexible shaft returns controllably to a straight position before lifting said tip from said working surface.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein two of said flexible shafts are used, one in each hand. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said steps are performed while walking. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said steps are performed while seated. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  said steps are performed indoors and said working surface comprises an interior surface of a room.