Exercise device and method for simulating physical activity

#The present invention is related to exercise training devices and methods, more particularly to devices and methods for targeting specific muscle fiber types and/or operating at extrema of a force-velocity-duration space of the athlete using sport specific motions and/or accurately measuring “intensity” of exercise, particularly for the training of athletes requiring leg strength, and especially athletes utilizing bipedal locomotion, and still more particularly to devices and methods for training athletes utilizing bipedal locomotion by targeting specific muscle fiber types and/or operating at extrema of a force-velocity-duration space of the athlete using sport specific motions and/or accurately measuring “intensity” of exercise.

#Due to the increasing awareness of the effects of exercise on health and longevity, and due to the increased financial resources associated with professional sports over the past few decades, exercise physiology has been a rapidly growing field of study, and exercise equipment is a burgeoning industry. Yet, with all the resources applied to the design and development of exercise equipment, there is a lack of exercise equipment and monitoring methods designed specifically to allow one to target specific types of muscle fiber, and/or operate at multiple extrema of the force-velocity-duration space (particularly in the course of sport-specific motions, especially sport-specific motions requiring bipedal locomotion), and/or accurately measuring “intensity” of exercise.

#In the field of exercise physiology, the mechanical specificity principle states that muscle development for a sport is most beneficial when the training regimens involve muscle exertions at forces and velocities matching those used in the sport. Similarly, the movement specificity principle states that muscle development for a sport is most beneficial when the training regimens involve motions with muscle synchronizations similar to those used in the sport. Exertions providing benefits according to the movement specificity principle therefore comprise a subset of exertions providing benefits according to the mechanical specificity principle. These two principles are the motivation for “sport-specific training,” i.e., training involving sport-specific motions, since that is believed to be the most effective means of improving athletic performance in a particular sport. Although the fitness equipment industry has produced a wide variety of exercise bicycles, rowing machines, stair simulators, elliptical trainers, etc., in general an athlete cannot perform the modes of motion associated with most sports, particularly sports involving bipedal locomotion, on such exercise machines. Therefore, a major obstacle to the practice of sport-specific training is the difficulty of training in a focused manner using the modes of motion involved in a sport.

#The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the present specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the Detailed Description serve to explain the principles of the invention:

#FIG. 1A is a cut-away side view of a preferred embodiment of the exercise apparatus of the present invention having an aft harness.

#FIG. 1B is a cut-away side view of an alternate preferred embodiment of the exercise apparatus of the present invention having fore, aft and overhead harnesses.

#The present invention is directed to a physical training and performance evaluation method and apparatus. The apparatus includes a revolving belt on which a subject may perform bipedal locomotion, and one or more harnesses for supporting the subject, and/or fixing the position of the subject, and/or monitoring the forces exerted by the subject. As shown in partial-cutaway side view of FIG. 1A, the apparatus 100A of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is constructed on a base 105 mounted on shock-absorbing rubber mounts 140 or the like. A fore frame strut 115 and an aft frame strut 130 extend from the base 105, and the distance between the fore frame strut 115 and the aft frame strut 130 is sufficient for a subject 101 to run in place without experiencing any physical or psychological impedance from the fore and aft frame struts 115 and 130. Spanning from the fore frame strut 115 to the aft frame strut 130 at approximately waist level above both lateral edges of the base 105 are two handrails 117 (only one of which is depicted in FIG. 1A). The distance between the two handrails 117 is sufficient for the subject 101 to run in place without experiencing any physical or psychological impedance. The apparatus 100A includes a distance sensor 116, such as an infra-red distance sensor, mounted at or below knee level on the fore frame strut 115 to detect the distance of the legs of the subject 101 from the fore frame strut 115. Preferably, the distance sensor 116 is stereoscopic so, in addition to determining the distance of the forward leg of the subject 101 from the sensor 116, the distance sensor 116 can determine which leg (right or left) is forward based on a trigonometric calculation using the distance of the forward leg from the left sensor and the right sensor. The apparatus 100A includes a waist harness 135 which is used to constrain the subject 101 to within a maximum distance from the aft frame strut 130. The waist harness 135 has a waist harness belt 137 which is secured by an aft waist harness tether 136 to an aft tether mount 315 mounted in a tether mount track 311 in the aft frame strut 130. The position of an aft tether mount 315 in the tether mount track 311 may be adjusted so that the harness tether 136 extends substantially horizontally to the waist harness 137. It should be noted that when the tether 136 is substantially horizontal, a change in height ΔH of the harness 137 due to the subject 101 being airborne between strides causes the longitudinal position of the subject 101 to change by L(1−sqrt[1−(ΔH/L)2]). where L is the length of the tether 136. When the length L of the tether 136 is substantially greater than the changes in height ΔH of the subject 101, the change in longitudinal position is approximately equal to ΔH·(ΔH/2L), and so to lowest order can be ignored since the factor will be small (ΔH/2L). (In an alternate embodiment of the apparatus 100A, the aft harness tether 136 is attached to a winch mechanism mounted on the aft strut 130, allowing a force to be exerted on the subject 101 via the waist harness 137.) A control panel 125a is mounted on the fore frame strut 115. The panel 125a includes control knobs and/or buttons (not shown) to allow the subject 101 or the subject's trainer to enter in exercise parameters, as discussed below in the description of the modes of operation tables of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

#A revolving belt 110 is stretched across drive axles 106 and 107 rotatably mounted within the base 105 at the front and rear thereof, respectively. The outside surface of the revolving belt 110 is surfaced with a coarse material to provide a high coefficient of friction, allowing the subject to generate a large lateral force on the belt 110. Beneath the revolving belt 110 is a sturdy substantially-planar support surface 111 having a low coefficient of friction to provide a minimum of resistance between the belt 110 and the support surface 111 as the belt 110 slides along the support surface 111, even when bearing the weight of the subject 101. Alternatively, a series of rotatable roller bearings may be substituted for the support surface 111. The apparatus 100A includes a belt inclination mechanism 175 in the base 105 which allows the inclination of the belt 110 to be set at a positive or negative inclination by lowering or raising, respectively, the rear drive axle 107. Preferably, the inclination of the belt 110 is adjustable between +20° and −20° from horizontal. A motor 170 and a brake 172 control the speed of rotation of the front drive axle 106, and therefore the speed of the belt 110, based on the parameters input at the control panel 125a and the force detected by an aft force sensor 315 (depicted in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1D and 1F-1M as integrally formed with the aft tether mount 315 and labeled with the same reference numeral as the aft tether mount 315) mounted on the aft tether mount 315. (Alternatively, a bi-directional motor 171 can be substituted for the brake 172 and motor 170 combination, or the motor 170 need not be included with the apparatus 100A.)

#An alternate embodiment of the exercise apparatus 100A of FIG. 1A is the unmotorized apparatus 100F shown in the partial-cutaway side view of FIG. 1F. As with the apparatus 100A of FIG. 1A, the apparatus 100F is constructed on a base 105 mounted on shock-absorbing rubber mounts 140 or the like. The apparatus 100F has fore and aft frame struts 115 and 130 extending upwards from the base 105 at the front and rear ends thereof, and may have handrails 117 (only one of which is depicted in FIG. 1F) spanning from the fore strut 115 to the aft strut 130 at approximately waist level above the lateral edges of the base 105. A revolving belt 110 is stretched across drive axles 106 and 107 and over a support surface 111, and a belt inclination mechanism 175 controls the height of the rear drive axle 107. The apparatus 100F has a waist harness 135 with a waist harness belt 137 which is secured by an aft harness tether 136 to an aft mount 315 in the aft frame strut 130, and secured by a fore harness tether 138 to a fore mount 316 in the fore frame strut 115 to fix the horizontal (i.e., longitudinal) position of the subject 101. The position of the aft mount 315 in aft tether mount track 311 and the position of the fore mount 316 in fore tether mount track 312 may be adjusted, thereby allowing the height of the aft mounting 311 of the aft waist harness tether 136 on the aft frame strut 130 and the fore mounting 312 of the fore waist harness tether 138 on the fore frame strut 115 to be adjusted so that the aft waist harness tether 136 and the fore waist harness tether 138 extend horizontally to the waist harness belt 137 secured around the waist of the subject 101.