Aquatic treadmill apparatus

Aquatic treadmill apparatus comprising:

• a body of water;
• a treadmill belt submerged in said body of water having an upper course and a lower course including a drive roller and driven roller at opposite ends of said treadmill belt, a support frame resting on a bottom surface beneath said body of water including sidewalls on opposite sides of said treadmill belt and a rigid deck unitary with and extending between said sidewalls beneath said upper course;
• and
• submerged drive means drivingly connected to said drive roller including a drive shaft in spaced parallel realtion to said drive roller, a drive motor and flywheel means disposed between said drive motor and said drive roller and wherein said flywheel means cooperates with said support frame in stabilizing said apparatus in the water by imparting a downward force counteracting any tendency of said frame to be lifted from the bottom surface of the enclosed area.

Aquatic treadmill apparatus comprising:

• a body of water in an enclosed area;
• a treadmill belt submerged in said body of water including a support frame having a rigid deck and a drive roller and take-up roller at opposite ends of said frame;
• submerged drive means drivingly connected to said drive roller including a drive shaft, and a drive motor coupled to said drive shaft and a flywheel coupled to said drive shaft between said drive motor and said driver roller, said flywheel having its maximum weight in an outer peripheral portion thereof, and a pressurized fluid source outside of said body of water to deliver fluid under pressure via said pressure line to said drive motor;
• and
• wherein said treadmill belt has an upper course and lower course, said rigid deck interposed between said upper and lower courses, said support frame being unattached to the enclosed area.

An underwater treadmill apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

• a body of water in an enclosed area;
• an endless treadmill belt mounted on a portable, generally rectangular frame and submerged in the body of water, and a drive roller and driven roller about which said treadmill belt is trained;
• drive means on said frame drivingly connected to said drive roller including a fluid operated drive motor and fluid pressure and return lines extending to and from said drive motor, a flywheel is mounted between said drive motor and said drive roller, and said flywheel having its greater mass concentrated in an outer peripheral portion thereof;
• and
• electric motor drive means located outside of said body of water including a fluid pump to deliver fluid under pressure via said pressure line to said drive motor.

Aquatic treadmill apparatus comprising:

• a body of water;
• a frame member submerged in said body of water;
• a treadmill belt including a drive roller and take-up roller mounted on said frame member at opposite ends of said treadmill belt;
• said frame member resting on a bottom surface beneath said body of water including sidewalls on opposite sides of said treadmill belt and a rigid deck extending between the sidewalls beneath an upper course of said treadmill belt, and an individual foot member at each of four corners of said frame resting on said bottom surface;
• and
• drive means on said frame member drivingly connected to said drive roller including a drive shaft, a fluid-powered drive motor and flywheel means mounted for rotation with said drive shaft between said drive motor and said drive roller wherein said flywheel means cooperates with said frame member in stabilizing said apparatus in the water.

Aquatic treadmill apparatus comprising:

• a body of water;
• a frame member submerged in said body of water;
• a treadmill belt including a drive roller and take-up roller mounted on said frame member at opposite ends of said treadmill belt;
• and
• drive means on said frame member drivingly connected to said drive roller wherein electric motor drive means is located outside of said body of water and includes a fluid pump driven by said motor drive means to deliver fluid under pressure to said drive means and wherein a bonding grid is electrically connected between said electric motor drive means and said frame member, and interrupt means including diodes in said bonding grid for interrupting current flow through said bonding grid at voltages less than two volts.

Underwater treadmill apparatus comprising:

• a body of water in an enclosed area;
• a support frame submerged in the body of water and resting on a bottom surface of the enclosed area;
• a treadmill belt mounted on said support frame including a drive roller at a forward end of said support frame and a driven roller at a rearward end of said support frame with said treadmill belt being trained for advancement over said drive roller and said driven roller;
• submerged drive means drivingly connected to said drive roller including a fluid-operated drive motor and flexible fluid pressure and return lines extending to and from said drive motor;
• electric motor drive means located outside of said body of water including a pressurized fluid source to deliver fluid under pressure via said pressure line to said drive motor;
• and
• stabilizing means cooperating with said support frame wherein said stabilizing means stabilizes the apparatus in the body of water by imparting a downward force to said rear end of said support frame to counteract any tendency of said rear end of said support frame to be lifted off of the bottom surface when said drive motor is in operation.