Rotational Resistance Apparatus

A rotational resistance apparatus to provide resistive force as against exercise movement in a physical conditioning machine, comprising:

• (a) a disc having an axial rotating structure axis, said disc including an axial first end portion and an axial second end face portion that is substantially perpendicular to said axial rotating structure axis, wherein said first end portion is adapted to rotationally engage to a housing of the physical conditioning machine;
• (b) a cover that is positioned about said axial rotating structure axis, said cover including an axial outer end portion that is adapted to rotationally engage to a rotating structure of the physical conditioning machine and an axial inner face portion that is substantially perpendicular to said axial rotating structure axis, wherein said cover axial inner face portion and said disc axial second end face portion are in a selected rotational frictional contact;
• and
• (c) a second means for selectable axial urging of said cover toward said disc along said axial rotating structure axis that is operational to further selectably alter said selected rotational frictional contact when the rotating structure is in a static state, resulting in said rotational resistance apparatus being operational to further increase or decrease the resistive force as against exercise movement in the physical conditioning machine via said selected rotational frictional contact of the rotating structure relative to the housing of the physical conditioning machine.

A method of further controlling movement of a carriage across a surface, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a rotational resistance apparatus that includes a disc having an axial rotational axis, said disc including an axial first end portion and an axial second end face portion that is substantially perpendicular to said axial rotational axis, wherein said first end portion is adapted to rotationally engage a rotating element of the carriage, also included in said rotational resistance apparatus is a cover having an axial longitudinal axis, said cover including an axial outer end portion that is adapted to removably engage to a frame of the carriage and an axial inner face portion that is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, wherein said longitudinal axis is approximately co-axial to said rotational axis and said cover axial inner face portion and said disc axial second end face portion are in a selected rotational frictional contact, further included in said rotational resistance apparatus is a first means for selectable axial urging of said cover toward said disc along said axial longitudinal axis that is operational to further selectably alter said selected rotational frictional contact, resulting in said rotational resistance apparatus being operational to further control movement of the carriage across the surface via said selected rotational frictional contact of the rotating element as between the surface and the frame of the carriage;
• (b) positioning said disc to rotationally engage the rotating element of the carriage;
• (c) positioning said cover to removably engage the frame of the carriage;
• (d) adjusting said first means for selectable axial urging of said cover toward said disc such that there is an initial light rotational frictional contact between said cover axial inner face portion and said disc axial second end face portion;
• (e) moving the carriage across the surface utilizing a selected manual motivation level and recording a first velocity of the carriage across the surface;
• and
• (f) adjusting said first means for selectable axial urging of said cover toward said disc such that the carriage is moving at a selected second velocity across the surface with said selected manual motivation level.