The present invention relates to an exercise assembly, and more particularly, to a modular exercise assembly intended for use in water.
The past few years have seen an increase in the awareness of individuals of their physical well-being and stamina. The benefits of exercise have been highly publicized and the exercise market has increased tremendously as a result of this publicity and awareness. Exercise may take a variety of forms, and includes cardiovascular exercise such as jogging, running or cycling, or it may include traditional weight or resistance training such as weightlifting. Whereas cardiovascular exercise typically improves endurance, weight or resistance training builds up or strengthens particular aspects of an individual's body. The present invention is primarily directed to this latter category of exercise.
Weight training usually requires a barbell shaft and a plurality of different weighted elements which are held on the ends of the barbell shaft by retaining collars or the like. The user lifts, or otherwise moves, the barbell between at least two preselected positions for a predetermined number of repetitions. A user may perform a large number of repetitions at a moderate weight to tone specific body areas, or the user may perform a number of repetitions with maximum weight until failure in order to build up strength in his particular muscles.
Resistance training is similar to weight training in that it requires a user to perform repetitions. However, instead of using static weights, the user typically pushes or pulls against a resistance force of an exercise machine which may be supplied by rubber or elastic bands. Although weight and resistance training are generally effective methods of physical conditioning, they are not without certain disadvantages. For example, weight training necessitates that a user keep a large number of weights on hand. The weights are bulky and heavy in nature and are not easily stored or transported. Additionally, most weight training exercises require the presence of a spotter, who is another individual who is available to assist the user in case of trouble. Also, both resistance and weight training tend to impart, dependent on the particular exercise, undue stress on the user's joints. Resistance training not only requires a machine, but also necessitates replacement of the resistance bands as they wear down over time.
Hydrodynamic exercises, where the user is partially immersed in water and uses the water as a weight or resistance medium, has been recognized as providing comparable benefits to weight or resistance training while eliminating the detrimental stress on the joints of the user. Hydrodynamic exercise includes either the user lifting or pushing one of his limbs, such as an arm or leg against the water in a repetitive movement or the user manipulating an exercise device in the water in a repetitive manner. These hydrodynamic exercise devices are well known in the art and include, for example, barbells having one or more foam rubber elements which the user pushes or pulls against the resistance of the water as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,993, issued Feb. 9, 1993. Hydrodynamic exercise devices may also include a barbell or dumbbell having plurality of planar fin-or blade-like members which the user pushes and/or pulls against the water, such as those disclosed in either U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,142, issued Nov. 18, 1986 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,915, issued Apr. 11, 1989.
These types of hydrodynamic exercise equipment are easy to use and relatively simple in design and construction. However, the blades or fins which provide the water resistance surface(s) for the exercise device typically extend radially outwardly from a shaft at different angles. These extensions render the exercise equipment bulky and cumbersome for transport and storage. Heretofore, no one has provided aquatic exercise equipment which is modular in nature which may be easily disassembled for component storage and transport, and which may be assembled in a minimum amount of time.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a modular aquatic exercise equipment assembly in which the exercise equipment assembly may be easily disassembled and which requires a minimum of space for storage and transport.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved hydrodynamic exercise equipment component having a user-engageable shaft and two water-resistance members removeably attached thereto at opposite ends of the shaft, each of the water-resistance members including planar fins which radially extend outwardly therefrom in different radial directions, and each of the water-resistance members including a hand grip portion interposed between the fins.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a set of components for a modular assembly of aquatic exercise equipment which may be quickly assembled together to form an aquatic exercise device and which may be quickly disassembled into its constituent components for storage or transport space, the disassembled components occupying a minimum of space, the set of components including two aquatic dumbbell members threadedly engaging a barbell shaft, each of the aquatic dumbbell members having a hand grip portion thereon provided near the intersection of two engageable half portions, each half portion having a planar surface constituting a fin extending radially outwardly therefrom, the two half portions being mutually engageable with each other such that, when engaged together, the half portions define a dumbbell having a plurality of fins extending radially outwardly from the hand grip portion, the fins being displayed at different angles to each other.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide hydrodynamic exercise equipment in which two water engagement members are removeably attached to opposite ends of the assembly and in which the water engagement members include two interlocking members which engage each other along an axis of the assembly, each of the interlocking members including a planar fin portion and an elongated shaft portion disposed centrally therein, the shaft engagement portions engaging each other such that the planar fin portions extend radially outwardly therefrom along different radial directions to define a plurality of water-resistance surfaces of the assembly.