Muscle building exercise device

A muscle building exercise device comprising:

• a frame having a base for attaching said frame to a mounting surface, a pair of parallel spaced frame arms each having proximal ends interconnected with said base and distal ends remote therefrom, and a shaft mounted in said frame arms and movable rotatably therein;
• a pair of user input members movably mounted on said frame to transfer energy exerted by a user during an exercise program, each of said user input members having a distal end with user contact means thereon for transferring energy from a user to said user input member and a proximal end mounted on said shaft, said user input members each being mounted on a different end of said shaft and being pivotally movable with respect to said shaft;
• brake means connected to said frame for resisting the force exerted by a user acting on said user input members, said brake means including a disc mounted on said shaft, centrally thereof and between said frame arms and said user input members, and a pair of braking plates each having a plate mounting means for mounting said plates to a different one of said frame arms and a frictional pad on each plate, said pads being disposed to frictionally engage opposite faces of said disc at a location radially offset from the axis of said shaft, said braking plates being axially aligned and oppositely disposed with respect to one another and one of said braking plates having means to permit said one of said plates to be adjustably movable axially with respect to the frame arm in which it is mounted to adjust the magnitude of its frictional force engagement with said disc whereupon said disc is caused to move axially;
• and
• connecting means for drivingly interconnecting said user input means and said brake means, when said plates are in engagement with said disc, so as to transfer the force exerted by a user during an exercise program from said user input means to said brake means, said connecting means including a pair of rachet gears with peripheral teeth thereon, each of said rachet gears being fixedly mounted on a different end of said shaft adjacent the proximal ends of a different one of said user input members and a pair of pawls each pivotally mounted on the proximal end of a different one of said user input members adjacent to and positioned to engage the teeth of said adjacent rachet gear and drivingly rotate said rachet gear, shaft and disc when said respective user input member is pivoted in one direction and to disengage from and pass over said rachet gear teeth without drivingly rotating said rachet gear, shaft and disc when said respective user input member is pivoted in the other direction, whereby said shaft and disc can be driven rotatably by either of said user input members selectively, and simultaneous by both of said user input members, only in one direction.

A muscle building exercise device comprising:

• a frame having a base attachable to a mounting surface, a pair of elongated spaced parallel frame arms having proximal ends interconnected with said base and distal ends remote therefrom, and an axle fixedly mounted in the distal ends of said frame arms;
• a user input member interconnected with said frame to transfer energy to exerted by a user during an exercise program, said user input member having a distal end with user contact means thereon for transferring energy from a user to said user input member and said input member having a bifurcated proximal end with the bifurcated portions mounted on said axle and pivotally movable with respect thereto;
• brake means connected to said frame for resisting the force exerted by a user on said user input member, said brake means including a disc mounted on said axle centrally thereof, and between the distal ends of said frame arms and the bifurcated portions of the proximal end of said user input member, said disc having axle mounting means so as to mount said disc on said axle, and said disc being movable with respect to said axle both rotatably and axially, and
• a pair of braking plates each having a plate mounting means for mounting each plate to one of said arms, each having a friction pad, each said plate being positioned adjacent the distal end of each said arms and each friction pad being disposed to frictionally engage an opposite side of said disc, and said braking plates being disposed in axial alignment with each other on opposite sides of said disc and engaging said disc sides at oppositely disposed spots radially offset from the axis of said axle, and one of said braking plates having means to permit movement thereof by varying physical forces exerted by a user on said one of said plates wherein said movement of said one of said plates is translated to said disc whereupon said disc is caused to shift axially on said axle by the action of said one of said plates for a limited distance before being held against axial movement by said braking plates;
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• connecting means drivingly interconnecting said user input member and said brake means so as to transfer the force asserted by a user from said user input means to said brake means, said connecting means including radially projecting teeth in the periphery of said disc and a pawl pivotally mounted adjacent the proximal end of said user input member adjacent to and positioned to engage said teeth and drivingly rotate said disc when said user input member is pivoted in a first direction and to disengage from and pass over said teeth without rotating said disc when said user input member is pivoted in the other direction.

A muscle building exercise device comprising:

• a base having a mounting surface positioned to engage a face on a structure for mounting said device to a structure;
• a support frame projecting from said base substantially normal to said mounting surface, said support frame having a pair of frame arms with distal ends positioned remote from said base, and cross-tie means interconnected with said frame arms for preventing separation of said frame arms by separating forces applied therebetween;
• user input means operatively associated with said frame and movable with respect thereto so as to transfer energy exerted by a user during an exercise program, said user input means including lever arm means for transferring energy exerted by a user during an exercise program, said lever arm means having a distal end with user contact means thereon for transferring energy exerted by a user to said lever arm means, said lever arm means having a proximal end mounted in said frame for pivotal movement about a central axis, whereby said lever arm means is pivotal about said central axis by a user applying force to the distal end of said lever arm means through said user contact means;
• brake means interconnected with said support frame for resisting the force exerted by a user during an exercise program, said brake means including action means for responding to the force exerted by a user, said action means having a central axis and being mounted in said support frame between said frame arms, said action means having a brake member movable with respect to said frame arms both rotatably about said central axis and axially therealong, and said brake member having a pair of oppositely disposed face surfaces positioned substantially normal to said central axis, and said brake means further including a pair of oppositely disposed braking plates connected to said frame, each of said braking plates having a brake member engaging surface with an engaging area substantially less than half of the area of a face surface of said brake member and positioned juxtaposed a different one of said face surfaces, for frictional engagement therewith at a spot radially offset from said central axis, said braking plates being mounted one on each of said frame arms and aligned on an axis through a spot on said brake member, parallel to and radially offset from said central axis, said plates clamping said brake member therebetween to cause frictional resistance to the rotational movement thereof, one of said braking plates having means to permit movement thereof by a user to vary the physical forces to be translated to said brake member through said one of said plates and cause said brake member to move axially along said central axis for a limited distance before being held against axial movement by said oppositely disposed braking plate;
• and
• connecting means for drivingly interconnecting said user input means and said brake means so as to transfer the force exerted by a user from said user input means to said brake means, said connecting means including rachet gear means integrated with said action means of said brake means to form a unitary structure, rotatable about said central axis, and positioned juxtaposed said proximal end of said lever arm means, and pawl means pivotally mounted on said lever arm means adjacent said rachet gear means and positioned to drivingly engage said rachet gear means and rotate said brake member about said central axis upon pivotal movement of said lever arm in one direction, and to drivingly disengage from and pass over said rachet gear means without moving said brake member upon pivotal movement of said lever arm in the opposite direction.