Leg training machine for body builders

Claim 1

A machine for use by an exerciser for muscle conditioning, muscle rehabilitation, body building, weight training, and exercising, said machine comprising: a rigid, generally planar frame adapted to be disposed upon a supporting surface such as the floor of a gymnasium, said frame comprising a front and a back, and a pair of parallel, spaced apart side rails extending generally horizontally between said front and said back; a resilient, skid-resistant base defined by said frame between said side rails upon which the exerciser may stand; a carriage assembly movable by said exerciser relative to said frame, said carriage assembly comprising: a pair of spaced apart vertically upwardly extending sides slidably supported upon said frame rails for movements generally between said frame front and said frame back, each side comprising vertical guide rod means; weight bar means operatively extending between said sides for supporting user-selected weights, said weight bar means comprising: yoke means engageable by said exerciser; sleeve means coupled to said guide rod means facilitating slidable, generally vertical, axial weight bar movements with respect to said sides; means for rotatably coupling said weight bar means to said sleeve means to facilitate torsional displacements of said weight bar means concurrently with up and down movements thereof; and, means for dynamically varying in length for resiliently compensating for non-parallel alignment of said carriage sides; restraint means for resting said weight bar means at a desired elevation above said floor to temporarily support the weights, said restraint means comprising a rotatable, vertical stanchion associated with each of said carriage sides, said stanchion being spaced apart from said guide rod means and comprising wing means adapted to be rotated into position to selectively contact said weight bar means to at least temporarily hold same; compensation linkage means for synchronizing rotation of said vertical stanchions on each of said carriage means sides; drop bar means for preventing injury to said bodybuilder by limiting downward travel of said weight bar in response to inadvertent release or dropping of said weight bar means, said drop bar means comprising pairs of support struts disposed along said carriage sides for slidably receiving said weight bar means; means for joining and retaining said carriage sides in proper parallel alignment; whereby said carriage means may move relative to said frame concurrently with movements of said weight bar means to facilitate the practice of weighted lunges or similar exercises by said exerciser.