US20170106230A1

US20170106230A1 - Dynamic wall squat machine

Info

Publication number: US20170106230A1
Application number: US15/297,947
Authority: US
Inventors: Sean Kelly
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-10-20
Filing date: 2016-10-19
Publication date: 2017-04-20

Abstract

The present invention is a dynamic wall squat machine which assists the user to perform the exercise safely and more effectively by the ability to scale the exercise with empirical resistance. The dynamic wall squat machine assists the user to load and use wall squat exercise dynamically with three types of scaled resistance and in a safe way. The limited length of the back pad allows the user to get a natural healthy and safe extension of the lower back during the wall squat exercise. The upper back portion is supported by the back pad, while the lower portion can move naturally. The dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention provides a more comfortable, effective, and safe movement for the dynamic or static wall squat exercise, especially when the user adds resistance to the exercise which can be loaded and used safely.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority date of the provisional patent application No. 62/243,923 filed Oct. 20, 2015.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to fitness and exercise equipment and especially to a dynamic wall squat machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The wall squat is an exercise used to strengthen the leg muscles, with an emphasis on the quadriceps muscles. To perform wall squats, a person stands with the back flat against a wall and the feet generally a few feet away from the wall. A stability ball may be placed in between the wall and the back. The person leans into the ball or wall with the feet firmly on the ground. The person then bends the hips and knees to lower themselves, in a squat movement, allowing the ball to roll along the back or the back to slide against the wall. The knees bend as the person descends into the lowest position possible, given their particular range of motion and level of flexibility. Then, the person may press up against the floor and the wall to return to the starting position whereby the knees are completely extended and the legs become straight. This exercise is commonly static, i.e., the person holds themselves in a semi-squat position with an isometric muscular contraction for a given period of time. It may also be done dynamically, whereby the person moves in and out of the squat position. The abdominal and other core muscles are also contracted during this exercise.
This is a very intense work out for the quadriceps muscles, and it can be very painful to hold this position for extended periods of time. The wall squat is used as a primary strengthening exercise in many sports requiring strong quadriceps muscles and knee joints, like ice hockey, sailing, skiing, fencing and track and field. For example, a runner who wants to increase their speed, build endurance, and have the ability to run up and down hills effectively, needs to have strong quads. Strengthening the thighs can also prevent injuries such as runner's knee. This common injury, which often happens to new runners, is tied to a combination of weak quads and tight hamstrings and calves. Wall squats are the perfect exercise to strengthen the upper legs.
Several muscles in the lower body are used in the wall squat. The gluteus maximus that makes up the buttocks is used to extend the hips during the upward phase of this exercise. The hamstrings assist the glutes with hip extension and also they work to flex the knee during the downward motion. The quadriceps is responsible for extending the knees as returning to the standing position. The core muscles also work during the wall squat exercise to support and stabilize the upper body.
In this exercise, the knees bear most of the load, especially when held at 90 degrees. Therefore, it is a potentially injurious exercise for someone with an existing knee problem. To solve this problem, one can make this exercise more dynamic. In this regard, a dynamic machine for the wall squat exercise which provides a safe movement to prevent injuries to the knees is needed. The machine should allow a natural movement by supporting the upper back and allowing a healthy extension of the lower back during the movement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a dynamic wall squat machine which assists the user to perform this exercise safely and more effectively with the ability so scale the exercise with empirical resistance.
The dynamic wall squat machine provides a flat limited back pad which allows the user of the machine to have a natural extension during the wall squat exercise. The upper back is supported by the back pad, while the lower back can move naturally. An extension of the lower back is also the safest position to prevent back injury while supporting weight or resistance.
The dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention provides a comfortable movement for the wall squat exercise, especially when the user adds resistance to the exercise. The dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention can be used as a back squat or a front squat strengthening exercise by changing the position of one's feet.
The wall squat exercise can cause knee pain, especially if it is incorrectly performed. The present invention allows one to perform a wall squat exercise without getting injured, even if they perform it incorrectly. This machine includes safety stoppers to allow the resistance to be lowered and held at any time.
The dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention also provides a new solution to allow for loading desired muscles while preventing potential injuries to other muscles. The present invention provides an ergonomical support for the upper back while doing the exercise, and allows the lower back to extend below the back support pad. This natural movement of the upper body is very important to prevent injuries during the exercise.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated from the following description. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings which are provided for illustration of the preferred embodiment. However, such embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments herein will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the claims, wherein designations denote like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows an individual doing the bodyweight wall squat exercise;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a front view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention with a user doing the squat exercise; and

FIG. 6 shows a side view of a dynamic wall squat machine of the present invention with a user doing the squat exercise.

The figures are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed. It should be understood that the invention can be practiced with modification and alteration, and that the disclosed technology be limited only by the claims and equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The technology disclosed herein, in accordance with one or more various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or example embodiments of the disclosed technology. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the disclosed technology and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability thereof. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.
As shown in FIG. 1, the bodyweight wall squat is an exercise to increase strength and stability in the lower-body with an emphasis on the quads. Performing the exercise on a wall 100 will assist the user 20 with getting adapted to greater muscular endurance when completing a static hold. Also, it leads to improve muscular strength and posture when completing the exercise via moving in and out of the squat position. The user 20 stands with her back against the wall 100, placing feet 21 about two feet out in front of her. The user 20 bends the knees, slides down the wall 100 until knees 22 are at approximately 90 degree angles, typically for a static hold, or as low as the person's flexibility or range of motion will allow. The user 20 may squat down by pushing her hips 23 back against the wall 100 and keep the arms 24 out for balance, then stand back up, and return to the starting position. To make this movement more challenging, resistance may be added by holding a dumbbell (not shown) in each hand or holding a weight by the user 20 during the exercise.
FIGS. 2-4 show a dynamic wall squat machine 10 of the present invention to provide a dynamic wall squat exercise that is convenient and safe. A dynamic wall squat machine 10 comprising of a stand 11 having a right and a left longitudinally extended beams 12-13 with ground engaging legs 14-17 to stably support the dynamic wall squat machine 10, wherein the spacing between the right and left beams 12-13 defines the width of the stand 11; a set of right and left stationary vertical uprights 18-19 rigidly is connected to the stand 11, wherein the right and left stationary vertical uprights 18-19 hold a movable station 30; and a set of cross beam 41-42 connects the stand 11 to a set of right and left stationary beams 51-52 for extra rigidity.
The movable station 30 of the dynamic wall squat machine 10 of the present invention comprises of a base 31 having a set of cylindrical apertures 33 sized to receive the first set of right and left stationary vertical uprights 18-19 and a set of holding racks 34-35 to hold a weight 40; a back supporting pad 36 to support a back portion of a user; a set of shoulder pads 37-38 to be placed on the shoulder of the user; a set of handles 43-44 connected to the set of shoulder pad 37-38; and a locking means 55 to lock the movable station 30 on the first set of right and left stationary vertical uprights 18-19.
The dynamic wall squat machine 10 further has an adjustable stopper 60 to hold the movable station 30 in a specific height based on the user's preference. The set of holding racks 34-35 holds and receives standard Olympic plates on both sides and extends across the machine 10. A pair of stand supports 16-17 which are engaged with the ground is provided to add stability to the machine 10.
The back pad 36 includes a pair of shoulder pads 37-38 to hook the shoulders underneath them and a pair of hand grips 43-44 to provide a greater support during the exercise movement. When the handgrip 43-44 is held by the user during a squat exercise, the movement can be performed in the most comfortable position. A locking means 55 is also mounted on the top of the hand grips 43-44 for locking/unlocking the moving station 30. The dynamic wall squat machine 10 further has a pair of band hooks 61-62 to affix an elastic band to the machine 10 on both sides. The elastic band (not shown) can be affixed to the machine 10 on both sides by the band hooks 61-65 and the holding racks 34-35. The rubber bands create more resistance in addition to add weight plates on the holding racks 34-35.
The back pad 36 and the shoulder pads 37-38 have a cushioned surface to protect the back portion and the shoulders of the user. The thickness of the cushioned surface can be different. More thickness can reduce the pressure of the weight bar on the user's shoulder.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a user 20 performing a wall squat exercise while using the present invention 10. The back of the torso is placed against the back pad 36 of the machine 10 and the shoulders are placed under the shoulder pads 38. Legs 21 are positioned in a shoulder width and a medium stance with the toes is slightly pointed out. The user 20 may keep head up and also maintain the back on and against the pad 36 at all times. The arms 24 are placed on the side handles 44 of the machine 10 and disengage the safety bars 55 (which on most designs is done by moving the side handles from a facing front position to a side position). The user 20 will generally straighten the legs 21 and extend the knees 22 into a locked out position to engage the resistance and begin the exercise. This will be the starting position. The user 20 then begins to slowly lower the moving station 30 by bending the knees 22 as maintaining a straight posture with the head up and back on the pad 36 at all times. Then they continue down, generally until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees or until they are in the lowest point of the squat position, with respect to the given user's flexibility and range of motion.
As shown in FIG. 6, the limited back pad 36 allows the user's back 23 to a normal and healthy backward extension. A hypothetical wall 70 is shown in the figure which points out the location of the user's back 23 if the wall 70 involved in this exercise. In a regular wall squat exercise done against the wall 100 as shown in FIG. 1, this extension is limited by the wall 100.
The user can make this exercise more challenging by changing his/her foot position. That is, the user may move the position of the feet further away from the wall, and/or into a wider stance causing different and alternative adaptations to the leg muscles. This movement emphasizes the quadriceps muscles, which are responsible for extending the knees to return to the standing position.
Several muscles in the lower body are used to perform a squat exercise. The various gluteus muscles that make up the buttocks are used to extend the hips during the upward phase of the exercise. The hamstrings assist the glutes with hip extension and also work to flex the knee during the downward motion. Core muscles also work during the wall squat to support and stabilize the upper body. Changing the feet position during the exercise may cause more tension and therefore emphasizes on different aspects of these muscles.
Again as shown in FIGS. 2-6, the wall squat dynamic machine 10 includes a pair of band hooks 61-62. This enables the user to workout with resistance bands to provide an additional form of resistance while moving up and completing this exercise. Thus, three forms of resistance are possible during the wall squat exercise with the present invention—static weight, bands, and the combination of the two.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to or falling within the scope of the invention.
With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum relationships for the parts of the invention in regard to the size, shape, form, materials, function and manner of operation, assembly, and use are deemed readily apparent and obvious to those skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1- A dynamic wall squat machine comprises of:

a. a stand having a right and a left longitudinally extended beams with ground engaging legs to stably support the dynamic wall squat machine, wherein the spacing between the right and left beams defines the width of the stand;

b. a set of right and left stationary vertical uprights rigidly connected to the stand, wherein said right and left stationary vertical uprights holds a movable station;

c. a set of cross beam connecting the base to a set of right and left stationary beams for extra rigidity;

d. said movable station comprising of:

i. a base having a set of apertures sized to receive said first set of right and left stationary vertical uprights and a set of holding racks to hold a weight;

ii. a back supporting pad to support back portion of a user;

iii. a set of shoulder pads to be placed on the shoulder of the user;

iv. a set of handles connected to said set of shoulder pad;

v. a locking means to lock said movable station on said first set of right and left stationary vertical uprights;

e. a safety stopper to hold said movable station in a specific height based on the user's preference.

2- The dynamic wall squat machine of claim 1, wherein said safety stopper is adjustable which stops said movable station on said set of right and left stationary vertical uprights.

3- The dynamic wall squat machine of claim 1, wherein said back supporting pad is a flat limited back pad which allows a user of said machine to have a natural extension during the wall squat exercise.

4- The dynamic wall squat machine of claim 1, wherein said machine further having a pair of band hooks to add resistance to the wall squat exercise.

5- The dynamic wall squat machine of claim 1, wherein said back supporting pad has a cushioned surface.

6- The dynamic wall squat machine of claim 1, wherein said set of shoulder pads have a cushioned surface.