Portable exercise and/or rehabilitation device

Abstract

A portable exercise or rehabilitation device which permits users to perform a variety of stretching exercises includes a ground contacting member which the user uses to contact the ground, preferably between their legs, and a moveable handle which the user holds onto while performing stretching. The moveable handle slides away to greater and greater distances from the ground contacting member using a telescoping assembly. Once at a preferred separation distance, a lock holds the telescoping member in place so that the user may brace the ground contacting member against the ground and stretch his or her back, shoulders, or other muscles using the handle. The device preferably is on the order of sixteen to forty inches long in its non-extended state and can be conveniently carried in a gym pouch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows: 
     
         1 . A portable exercise or rehabilitation device for performing stretching exercises, comprising:
 a ground contacting member on a first end;   a moveable handle on a second end;   a telescoping assembly connecting the ground contacting member and the moveable handle, wherein the telescoping assembly permits the moveable handle to be moved variable distances towards and away from the ground contacting member; and   a locking member which selectively locks the telescoping assembly such that the ground contacting member and the moveable handle are held at selected and variable distances from one another when the locking member is locked.   
     
     
         2 . The portable exercise or rehabilitation device of  claim 1  wherein the locking member locks the telescoping assembly by a pinless locking mechanism. 
     
     
         3 . The portable exercise or rehabilitation device of  claim 1  further comprising indicia on at least a portion of the telescoping assembly to permit a user to gauge stretching exercises performed at different separation distances between the ground contacting member and the moveable handle. 
     
     
         4 . The portable exercise or rehabilitation device of  claim 1  wherein the moveable handle is in the form of a handle bar with two handles extending to opposite sides of an axis passing through the telescoping assembly. 
     
     
         5 . The portable exercise or rehabilitation device of  claim 4  wherein the handle bar is disconnectable from a sliding member of the telescoping assembly. 
     
     
         6 . The portable exercise or rehabilitation device of  claim 1  further comprising at least one stationary grasping member positioned on a section of the telescoping assembly. 
     
     
         7 . The portable exercise or rehabilitation device of  claim 1  wherein the ground contacting member is configured to permit rotation and/or pivoting when in contact with a ground surface. 
     
     
         8 . The portable exercise and rehabilitation device of  claim 7  wherein the ground contacting member is at least partially dome shaped. 
     
     
         9 . The portable exercise and rehabilitation device of  claim 1  wherein in a non-extended configuration a distance between the first end and the second end ranges from 1 feet 4 inches to three feet six inches. 
     
     
         10 . The portable exercise or rehabilitation device of  claim 1  wherein the locking member automatically locks the telescoping assembly after extension of the telescoping assembly.