Hydraulic universal gym

Claim 1

A universal gym, comprising: (a) a base mounting an exercise platform thereon, (b) an elongated upright support mounted on said base, (c) a clamp assembly mounted on the upright support for adjustment along the latter, (d) an exercise lever arm pivotally connected at its inner end to the clamp assembly a spaced distance above the bottom thereof, (e) a self-contained double acting hydraulic piston-cylinder unit connected pivotally at one end to the clamp assembly and at the opposite end to the lever arm outwardly of its inner end, (f) hydraulic fluid passageway means interconnecting the opposite ends of the cylinder for allowing hydraulic fluid flow in both directions, (g) a pair of regulating valves in the passageway means arranged to adjust the flow of hydraulic fluid between the opposite ends of the cylinder, and (h) a pair of check valves in the passageway means each associated with a different regulating valve and each arranged to allow fluid flow in a different direction, (i) the pair of regulating valves being arranged in the passageway means in series, and each check valve is arranged in parallel with its associated regulating valve, whereby to permit selective adjustment of the restriction of flow of hydraulic fluid in one direction independently of the adjustment of flow in the opposite direction to selectively control the amount of pressure required to move the piston in one direction while also allowing independent, selective control of the amount of pressure required to move the piston in the opposite direction, (j) said elongated upright support comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart beams and including a pair of bottom clamp members, one secured to the base and supporting one side of the beams and the other abutting the opposite side of the beams, and a clamp bolt extending between the clamp members for releasably clamping the beams between them, a pair of top clamp members abutting the opposite sides of the beams at the upper ends thereof, and a clamp bolt extending between the clamp members for releasably clamping the beams between them, and a pair of intermediate clamp members abutting the opposite sides of the beams between the bottom and top clamp pairs, and a clamp bolt extending between the intermediate clamp members for releasably clamping the beams between them, the pair of intermediate clamp members pivotally mounting the exercise lever arm at its inner end and one end of the hydraulic cylinder.