MODULAR HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR WEIGHTLIFTING BAR

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional App. No. 63/702,583 filed Oct. 2, 2024, the contents of which are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The subject matter of this application relates to exercise equipment and more particularly to a weight-lifting apparatus.

Athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and others continuously seek new techniques to increase strength and performance. Many such persons engage in weight training to increase strength or otherwise improve muscular function, which may include the use of either free weights and/or weight machines. One problem experienced by those engaged in weight training is that a person can potentially strain their spine, leading to pain and discomfort. Although some degree of weight-bearing is essential for spinal health, too much weight on the spine during weight training can cause spinal discs to move or bulge, and furthermore, exercises that increase the axial load on the spine are especially prone to increase spine strain and back pain.

One type of lifting exercise prone to spinal strain or injury is a “squat” in which a lifter balances a weighted bar, usually on the shoulders, bends the knees to a squatting position, and lifts the weighted bar back to a standing position. This particular exercise requires careful technique to avoid injuries since the forward-position of the weighted bar relative to the lifter's center of gravity as the person squats creates stress, particularly on the shoulders and back. Furthermore, several different types of squat exercises are known, in which the position of the weights relative to the lifter's head/shoulders varies. For example, a back squat involves a lifter positioning the weights behind the lifter's head, while a front squat has the lifter positioning the weights behind the lifter's head. Other variations include high and low back squats, a goblet squat, a hinge squat, etc.

Typically, these squats require their own unique positioning of the barbell on a person's shoulders, or even their own unique barbells. For example, a front squat will ordinarily require the barbell to be balanced on a person's shoulders such that the barbell crosses in front of the person's neck, while a back squat will require the barbell to be balanced on a person's shoulders such that the barbell crosses in front of the person's neck. A goblet squat is typically not even performed with a bar at all, but instead involves a kettle bell or a dumbbell held in a lifter's hands in front of their body. These assorted positions and types of equipment tend to make it more difficult for a lifter to maintain proper balance and spinal position to avoid injuries when performing a variety of different squats.

What is desired, therefore, is an improved exercise apparatus for performing squats.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary improved exercise bar having an adapter interconnecting a shoulder bar with a weight sleeve, and which allows both axial and radial adjustment of the weight sleeve relative to the shoulder bar.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up view of the adapter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a plurality of positions allowed by the adapter of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a resilient shoulder harness, with a plurality of channels for receiving a shoulder bar having opposed handles.

FIG. 5 shows the harness of FIG. 4 with straps inserted into the channels rather than handles of a shoulder bar.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a novel modular assembly by which handles may be removably secured to a weightlifting bar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present specification discloses novel embodiments of an adapter for a weight bar by which a wide variety of squats may be performed—e.g., front squats, back squats, goblet squats etc., not by repositioning the bar relative to a person's body, but rather by simply adjusting the disclosed adapter. This not only simplifies a lifter's exercise routine, allowing a multiplicity of different squat types to be performed with a single apparatus, but also promotes a consistent lifting technique that avoids spinal injuries.

Referring to FIG. 1, an improved strength-training apparatus 10 may include an elongate shoulder bar 12 with a central support pad 14 from which two handles 16 project. In use, a lifter preferably places the support pad over the shoulders behind the lifter's neck, with the lifter's hands grasping the handles 16 firmly. In a preferred embodiment, the handles 16 may include a knurled or roughened surface 17 to prevent the lifter's grip from slipping when using the bar 12. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that some embodiments of the bar 12 may not include the support pad 14 and/or the handles 16.

The strength training apparatus 10 includes, at each end, a respective weight sleeve 18 upon which a desired amount of weight may be loaded upon the strength-training apparatus 10. The weight sleeve 18 is preferably configured to be inserted into one or more Olympic-sized weights, which typically have central apertures of approximately two inches in diameter.

Referring also to FIG. 2, the weight sleeve 18 is laterally offset from the shoulder bar 12 by an adapter 20 having an angular adjustment interface 24 allowing rotation of the weight sleeve 18 about the longitudinal centerline of an inserted shoulder bar 12, and a radial adjustment interface 22, which allows the weight sleeve 18 to be adjusted in a radial direction toward or away from the axis of rotation of the angular adjustment interface 24. The combination of the radial adjustment interface 22 and the angular adjustment interface 24 allows a lifter to position the weights on the weight sleeve 18 in any one of a plurality of locations relative to the lifter's shoulders. In this manner, lifters can adjust the weights to a position that relieves stress while performing squats, or to simulate different types of squats (front, back, safety, etc.) with a single bar supported on the lifter's shoulders behind the neck.

In some embodiments, adjustment of either or both of the radial adjustment interface 22 and the angular adjustment interface 24 may allow continuous adjustment to any position desired throughout a range of adjustment. In other embodiments, the radial adjustment interface 22 and/or the angular adjustment interface 24 may allow incremental adjustment to one of a plurality of fixed positions within a range of adjustment. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 the radial adjuster 22 may be an elongate member 26 that defines a plurality of recesses 28 extending in an axial direction away from the axis of rotation of the angular adjustment interface 24, each of the plurality of recesses 28 capable of releasably and securely retaining a distal end of a weight sleeve 18. Preferably, each of the recesses 28 of the radial adjustment interface is sized to securely retain a weight sleeve configured to be inserted into an Olympic-sized weight. In some embodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of the recesses 28 form a contiguous slot. In such embodiments, the radial adjustment interface 22 may be configured to hold the weight sleeve 18 at a selective one of a plurality of axial positions approximately 1.5 inches from each other. Though FIG. 2 shows a radial adjustment interface 22 with four such positions, other embodiments may include greater or fewer such incremental positions.

Similarly, the angular adjustment interface 24 may in some embodiments have a plurality of fixed angular positions about which the adapter 20 may rotate. In a preferred embodiment, for example, the angular adjustment interface 24 includes an aperture formed by a periphery defining a plurality of notches, each notch configured to engage an edge of a polygonal-shaped distal end 30 of the shoulder bar 12, which in FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown as a hexagonal protrusion. Preferably, in this embodiment, the aperture includes sufficient notches to allow adjustment of the hexagonal end of the shoulder bar to at least six locations. As shown in FIG. 2, there are twelve notches, allowing adjustment to twelve independent angular orientations, though one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that any desired number of orientations may be achieved. Preferably, the angular adjustment interface 24 includes an end cap having a threaded connection that may be matingly received in a bore within the weight bar 12 to secure the angular adjustment interface 24 in the desired position.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the combination of the radial adjustment interface 22 and the angular adjustment interface 24 allows a lifter to use the adapter 20 to position weights in any of a multitude of positions around the lifters body, extending 360-degrees around the weight bar 12 and many at different radial distances from the weight bar 12, thereby allowing a lifter position weights at an optimal location for spinal safety, while achieving a number of different types of squats, e.g. a front squat, a back squat, a safety squat etc. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate however, that different adapters 20 may limit the angular or radial orientation of the adapter 20 relative to the weight bar 12 to a desired range less than 360 degrees.

Many shoulder bars include handles inserted in padded surrounding material This padding protects the lifter's back and shoulders from direct contact with the bar and handles, thus cushioning the lifter from the weight of the bar. Such a shoulder bar can be seen in FIG. 1. Disclosed in the present specification is a novel, resilient harness for a shoulder bar that, in addition to cushioning the user from the weight of the shoulder bar, also promotes proper squat technique to prevent spinal injuries and also enables different types of lifting exercises not previously known.

Specifically, FIGS. 4 and 5 show a novel resilient harness 50 that is formed to promote proper technique when performing squats. The harness 50 preferably comprises a body portion 51 defining a lateral open channel 58 into which a shoulder bar 52 may be selectively inserted and removed. The harness 50 also preferably includes opposed open channels 60, transverse to channel 58 to accommodate any handles 56a, 56b of a shoulder bar inserted into channel 60. The channels 58, 60 are preferably sixed to snugly fit a shoulder bar designed to use Olympic-sized weights. The harness 50 also preferably two opposed shoulder regions 70a, 70b through which the open channels 60 extend, and which define opposed, arched shoulder indentations 66 so that the shoulder regions 70a, 70b are formed to curve over a lifter's shoulders. The body portion 51 and the opposed shoulder regions 70a, 70b thereby preferably define an interior area 62 that allows a lifter to fit the harness 50 over the shoulders, and the interior area 62 also preferably includes an indentation 64 for a lifter's neck. The body portion 51 of the harness 50 may in some embodiments also preferably include a lip portion 54 that partially overhangs the open channel 58 to retain an inserted shoulder bar 52.

Preferably, the resilient harness 50 is formed of integral skin polyurethane foam that preferably has a durometer (shore hardness) between 25 and 50 and more preferably between 30 and 45. In a preferred embodiment the resilient harness 50 has a shore hardness of about 40 (+/−5). This range has several benefits. First, it is soft enough to facilitate the comfort of a lifter, but stiff enough to snugly retain the shoulder bar 50/handles 56a, 65b in the channels. Second, some embodiments of the disclosed harness may have an inner edge surface 72 of the face of the shoulder regions 70a, 70b that define the shoulder indentations 66. This inner edge surface 72 is located along the shoulder indentations 66 to align with the front of a lifter's shoulders. The edge surface 72 also preferably protrudes inwardly relative to what it would have had the edge surface normally followed the arc of the remainder of the arched shoulder indentations 66. Stated differently, the shoulder indentations 66 have an interior (shoulder facing) surface that has a first radius of curvature along a majority of that interior facing surface, but the edge surface 72 follows a smaller radius of curvature to for example, form a sharp corner directed into a person's shoulder. A durometer in the range of that described above is hard enough that, if the shoulder harness is positioned too far to the back of a lifter, meaning the retained weight bar is too far behind the lifter, the edge surface 72 will be uncomfortable to the lifter. This promotes proper placement of the shoulder bar to prevent injuries.

Preferably, the channels 60 have a concave lower surface to accommodate the shape of typical handles of shoulder bars. Also, the channel 58 is preferably concave over at least the outer sections of the channel. This beneficially facilitates use of the disclosed harness 50 with both straight barbells and curved barbells. Second, even a straight barbell will often bow when loaded with sufficient weight, and these concave outer sections better support barbells when they bow.

As noted previously, forming a harness 50 with open channels for a shoulder bar and open channels for handles of a shoulder bar permits insertion and removal of such shoulder bars into the disclosed harness 50. However, referring to FIG. 5, the open channels also permit an ordinary barbell, without handles, to be used as if it did have handles. Specifically, a lifter may simply use straps 68 in place of handles. Thus, two straps 68 may may each include a loop at the end that may be fitted around either end of a straight barbell prior to that barbell being inserted into the channel 58. The straps 68 may then be pulled through the open channels 60 and, by holding the straps a lifter may operate the ordinary barbell as if it were one that included handles.

Preferably, the open channels 60 extend both in front of and behind the channel 58 and are also concave on either side of channel 58. This again has several benefits. First, this facilitates use with a looped belt (i.e., a belt without opposed ends, which instead loops with itself) used with e.g., a belt squat machine. Alternatively, the harness 50 could be used in an exercise that does not involve a weight bar at all, but instead uses elastic looped belts that stretch (providing tension) to loop into the channels 60 while also extending around a user's feet while crouched. The person may then jump against the tension. Such an exercise is beneficial in physical therapy applications.

For purposes of the specification and claims, unless specified differently, references to an open channel broadly refer to a channel in the harness 50 adapted or configured to permit a weightlifting bar, shoulder bar, handles, and/or straps of a shoulder bar to be alternately inserted and removed by a user. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an open channel may have a generally three-sided cross section with a bottom and two side walls, but other embodiments may implement an open channel as a three-sided channel with a flexible cover that can be moved to allow insertion of a bar/handles, or alternatively for example, portions of a channel may be completely enclosed (such as the portion of channel 58 between channels 60) so long as a barbell may be removably inserted.

As just noted, the resilient harness 50 is configured to receive either one of a shoulder bar with handles, or an elongate weightlifting bar without attached handles in conjunction with straps held by a lifter to hold the harness in place during use. This latter instance is useful because a shoulder bar with its associated handles is a specialty piece of equipment, which some users may not have. Instead of straps, however, FIGS. 6A and 6B each show perspective views of a novel, modular handle assembly 100 that may be selectively attached to, and removed from, a weightlifting bar to convert an ordinary weightlifting bar into a shoulder bar whenever desired. Specifically, the handle assembly 100 may comprise two opposed handles 102a, 102b spaced apart from each other by a sufficient distance to allow a lifter to stand between the handles and grasp each handle with a respective hand. The handles 102a, 102b are preferably rigidly connected to each other by an adapter member 104 via e.g., a weld 112 or other fastening means such as a bolt assembly, rivet, etc. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, however that alternate embodiments may provide for the handles 102a, 102b to be selectively attached to or removed from the adapter member 104, to allow for assembly, disassembly or storage. Still other embodiments may provide hinge elements that permit the handles to fold or swing into a compact arrangement for storage. Preferably, the constructed handle assembly 100 is sized to fit into the resilient harness 50.

The adapter member 104 preferably functions as an adapter that converts an ordinary weightlifting bar into a shoulder bar, and preferably comprises an elongate, rigid bar with an outwardly directed curved surface 106, and forming a corresponding interior curved channel 108 sized to partially enclose a weightlifting bar such as bar 110 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The handles 102a, 102b are preferably secured or securable to the outer curved surface 106. In one embodiment, the adapter member 104 may be formed of steel or other metal, press-rolled into the shape that partially encloses a weightlifting bar. Other embodiments may use other materials and fabrication techniques, however—e.g., injection molded carbon fiber etc. Also, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the adapter member 104 may form a channel 108 curved at a diameter sized to closely surround a weightlifting bar of a particular size. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the adapter member 104 is sized to closely enclose an Olympic-sized weightlifting bar having a diameter of approximately two inches and used to support Olympic-sized weights via central apertures or openings in the weights, although other adapter members may be sized for other sizes of bars, such as a “standard” weightlifting bar, which has a diameter of approximately one inch.

As can easily be appreciated from FIGS. 6A and 6B, an ordinary weightlifting bar such as bar 110 may be selectively converted into a shoulder bar simply by fitting the adapter member 104 of the modular handle assembly 110 over the bar 110 in an appropriately central position, and securing the adapter member 104 to the bar 110 using any appropriate fastening member (not shown), such as clamps, tightened bolts through opposed flanges 109, etc.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment that has been described, and that variations may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, as interpreted in accordance with principles of prevailing law, including the doctrine of equivalents or any other principle that enlarges the enforceable scope of a claim beyond its literal scope. Unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference in a claim to the number of instances of an element, be it a reference to one instance or more than one instance, requires at least the stated number of instances of the element but is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having more instances of that element than stated. The word “comprise” or a derivative thereof, when used in a claim, is used in a nonexclusive sense that is not intended to exclude the presence of other elements or steps in a claimed structure or method.