As almost anyone who has recently tried a new sport can attest, different sports often require the use of different muscles. Even if a person is generally fit (as through a regular exercise routine), they will often find that the particular movements required by different sports will work previously untested muscles or will work tested muscles in a different way, causing muscle soreness and tightness the next day. The reason for this is that different sports work different muscle groups through different ranges of motion. Consequently, for more advanced participants of a sport, it may be more desirable to train the specific muscle groups for their particular sport using the specific movements for their particular sport rather than to attempt to improve through a more general, unfocused exercise routine.
The most typical way to train sport-specific muscle groups is actually practicing the sport itself. While actually practicing the sport would obviously work the appropriate muscle groups through the appropriate range of motion, it typically would not produce the same sort of results (in terms of strengthening muscles) as strength-resistance training (i.e. free weights or circuit machines). So, it may be useful, especially to more advanced participants of a sport, to have exercise equipment which is specifically designed to apply strength-resistance training to the muscle groups used to play their particular sport. And, such equipment would be even more useful if it allowed the user to work the appropriate muscle groups smoothly and evenly through the appropriate range of motion as the user also worked on technique and form, essentially developing muscle memory for their particular sport.
One such sport, which could use this type of specific strength-resistance training of specialized muscle groups through a particular range of motion, is golf. While there are currently existing devices, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,573, which simulate a golf swing (such that a user may in essence practice the sport indoors in limited space in order to improve swing technique and form), these devices do not provide the simultaneous benefit of strength-resistance training to condition the specific muscle groups. Further, the existing devices require a user to pre-set the device in order for it to be appropriate for the particular user (according to height, stance, arc of swing, lie angle, etc).
The present invention of the Golf Swing Conditioner (“GSC”) includes a mechanical linkage, which simulates a golf swing, and resistance-type training. The GSC has sufficiently flexible degrees of freedom of motion to allow various users to simulate the full range of motion of their golf swing without the need for complex adjustments; in the preferred embodiment, the GSC's design automatically adjusts to fit each particular user. In addition to allowing various users to employ the GSC without the need to make adjustments, the movement planes of the GSC also accommodate users who have an unusual or extraordinary swing, such that they may condition their muscles through the actual range of motion in their actual swing (as opposed to some idealized version of a swing). Finally, the mechanical linkage of the GSC is characterized by movement planes that allow for resistance to be smoothly and evenly distributed to muscle groups throughout the swinging motion, so that all sports-specific muscles may be trained appropriately. And, in the preferred embodiment, the GSC allows users to adjust the amount of strength-resistance training so that it is appropriate to their strength level. Thus, the GSC is a more complete exercise-training machine for golfers to use in improving the technique, form, and strength of their swing and developing sport-specific muscle memory. Of course, the GSC is not limited to use in simulating, training, and conditioning for golf. The GSC may be configured for use in training for any sport which includes a swinging motion, such as baseball, tennis, or racketball; golf is only one such application.