Compact multiple purpose exercise bench

Claim 1

An adjustable exercise bench defining a hinged, normally flat body support in the form of a truss comprising a pair of spaced tubular frames spanned and supported by a central beam, said frames being fixed individually to floor plates, a single diagonal support element individual to each frame and connecting the floor plate of each frame to the central beam to provide rigidity to the truss, a first section of said body support being fixed to the truss, a second section of said body support being hinged to the truss, both sections of said body support overhanging and projecting beyond the truss, a pair of spaced brackets fixed to the second section straddling said beam, indexing means on said brackets cooperating with said central beam for positioning said second section of said body support releasably in a plurality of angular positions relative to said first section of said body support, said indexing means including an array of pairs of registered apertures on said brackets, each pair of apertures being operable to receive and support a pin bearing directly on said central beam, a first of said tubular frames defining a pair of spaced wells or sockets operable to receive removably mating support members in telescoping fashion, each said support member having a horn or cradle for receiving and supporting a barbell, clamp means on each said socket cooperating with its mating support member for adjusting the height of a support member and thus its cradle relative to the body support, the other of said tubular frames defining a second pair of spaced sockets, a second body support having legs received telescopically and removably in said second pair of sockets, adjustment means on one of said legs and said second pair of sockets for changing the position of said second body support relative to said normally flat body support, a fifth socket fixed to one end of the bench and being disposed in a medial position, said socket being formed with a through bore and having clamp means, a leg supporting a leg bracket member is received telescopically in the through bore of said fifth socket, said bracket member being adjustable vertically by said clamp means, said bracket member having a pair of spaced flanges defining a bearing, an L-shaped angle frame supported pivotally by said bearing, said angle frame terminating at each end in a pair of opposed, outwardly projecting stub shafts, and one end of said angle frame having a fifth stub shaft projecting at right angles to an adjacent pair of opposed stub shafts, said second body support and said bracket member being adjustable relative to one another to accommodate the physique of an individual.