Exercising apparatus and method

Claim 1

An exercising apparatus which is light in weight and portable and which enables a large number of exercises to be performed thereon, said exercising apparatus comprising: a) a frame comprised of a pair of spaced apart frame bars lying in substantially the same horizontal plane; b) a seat supporting section on said frame in proximity to an end thereof for supporting the buttocks of a user; c) a back supporting section on said frame adjacent said seat supporting section and capable of lying in substantially the same horizontal plane as the seat supporting section; d) a head supporting section on said frame adjacent said back supporting section and also lying in substantially the same horizontal plane as the seat supporting section; e) bi-directional resistance means which has no positive driving force to permit a raising of the back supporting section out of the same horizontal plane so that it can assume a somewhat vertical orientation for providing certain support to the lower back in the performance of certain exercises, said bi-directional resistance means also enabling the back supporting section to be re-positioned in the same horizontal plane as the seat supporting section and head supporting section to enable a user to perform other exercises when in a prone position, f) means associated with said bi-directional resistance means to provide a resistive force against said back supporting section which operates in opposition to a pushing force applied to an opposite side of the back supporting section by a user leaning against the back supporting section and which pushing force tends to push the back supporting section into the same horizontal plane as the seat supporting section, said bi-directional resistance means also providing a resistive force operating against and in opposition to a pulling force applied to the back supporting section when a user attempts to pull the back supporting section out of the plane of the seat supporting section, and g) means for removably coupling the back of the user to the back supporting section to cause the back supporting section to move only with the back of the user.

Claim 19

A method of enabling the performance of a plurality of exercises with a single apparatus and applying various forces against which the body may work in the performance of such exercises, said method comprising: a) sitting on a seat of the apparatus during performance of abdominal exercises and lower back exercises and which apparatus has a back supporting section capable of lying in substantially the same plane as the seat and being raised out of that plane to a position where it can assume somewhat of a vertical orientation; b) removably coupling the back of the user to the back supporting section so that the back supporting section can only move with the back of the user; c) pushing against a back supporting member tending to force same downwardly by a user positioning his or her back against the back supporting member and which pushing force from a user is in opposition to a force applied to the back supporting member tending to force the same upwardly against the force applied by the user, and where the force in opposition to the force applied by the user is supplied by a bi-directional resistance means which has no positive driving force and which force supplied by the resistance means can be variable depending on the force applied by the user; and d) pulling against the back supporting member by a user having his or her back juxtaposed to the back supporting member and pulling the same upwardly, and where the pulling force applied by the user is in opposition to a force applied to the back supporting member tending to force the same downwardly, and where the force tending to force the back supporting member downwardly in opposition to the force applied by the user is supplied by the bi-directional resistance means and can also be variable depending on the amount of force applied by the user.

Claim 20

A method of enabling the performance of a plurality of exercises with a single apparatus and applying various forces against which the body may work in the performance of such exercises, said method comprising: a) sitting on a seat of the apparatus during performance of abdominal exercises and lower back exercises and which apparatus has a back supporting section capable of lying in substantially the same plane as the seat and being raised out of that plane to a position where it can assume somewhat of a vertical orientation; b) removably coupling the back of the user to the back supporting section so that the back supporting section can only move with the back of the user; c) pushing against a back supporting member tending to force same downwardly by a user positioning his or her back against the back supporting member and which pushing force from a user is in opposition to a force applied to the back supporting member tending to force the same upwardly against the force applied by the user, and where the force in opposition to the force applied by the user is supplied by a bi-directional resistance means which has no positive driving force and which force supplied by the resistance means can be variable depending on the force applied by the user; and d) pulling against the back supporting member by a user having his or her back juxtaposed to the back supporting member and pulling the same upwardly, and where the pulling force applied by the user is in opposition to a force applied to the back supporting member tending to force the same downwardly, and where the force tending to force the back supporting member downwardly in opposition to the force applied by the user is supplied by the bi-directional resistance means and can also be variable depending on the amount of force applied by the user.