Exercising device

Oct. 25, 1938.

2,134,451

N. MOGREN

EXERCISING DEVICE

Filed May 28, 1935

<img file="US2134451A_D0001.tif" />

Patented Oct. 25, 1938

2,134,451

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,134,451

EXERCISING DEVICE

Norman Mogren, North St. Paul, Minn.

Application May 28, 1935, Serial No. 23,902 2 Claims. ( This invention relates broadly to exercising devices of that type in which means, such as a weight or a spring, is employed to yieldingly resist a manual pull.

Many exercising devices of the above type have been proposed wherein a flexible member passes over a pulley, and wherein a manual pull upon this flexible member is yieldingly resisted by a weight or spring. However, such prior devices of this character have been invariably employed by directly exerting a pull upon the flexible member, either through direct attachment of the flexible member to the feet, hands, or other parts of the user’s body, or by providing a handle directly on one end of the flexible member to be grasped by the user. In fact, prior exercising devices of this type having invariably been such that the member to be manually pulled is adapted to be directly engaged by or attached to some 20 part of the user’s body. This, of course, had a tendency to develop the particular muscles used in pulling. However, when engaging in work of a particular kind or in a particular sport, it is often necessary to manually move and use a 25 particular object in a particular way by the use of certain muscles in a certain way, and the use of prior exercisers of the above-mentioned type will not serve to develop the certain muscles for use in the particular way required when using 30 these particular objects in the kinds of work and sport mentioned.

The primary object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an improved form of exercising device of the pull type, whereby a 35 particular muscle, used in a particular way by movement and use of a particular object in a certain kind of work or sport, may be developed with certainty. In carrying out this object, I provide an object adapted to be manually moved 40 and used in a certain way when engaging in a particular kind of work or sport, and means attached to such object for yieldingly resisting the movement of such object when manually moved and used in that particular way.

The exact objects and nature of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the fol lowing description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention for use in developing the muscles required to swing a baseball bat in the manner in which said bat is used in playing the game of baseball.

Figure 2 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 1, showing an embodiment of the invention for (Cl. 272—57) ; .

developing the particular muscles required, to swing a tennis racket in the manner in which said racket is swung and used in playing the game of tennis. . .. ,.....

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view illustrate _βing a modification of the means employed m Figure 1 for attaching the flexible member of the exerciser to the baseball bat; and

Figure .4 is a transverse section on line 4—4 oi

Figure 3, . ,, 10 ' Referring more in: detail to the drawing, the embodiment ofthe invention illustrated, in Kguro 1 consists of a rope or other suitable flexible meiriber 5 passing over a pulley.6 attached to a suitable stationary support 7. The flexible “em- _I5ber 5 passes downwardly from pulley 6 and around the pulley of a pulley block 6b, and then extends Upwardly and is attached at one end to the mount of pulley 6 as at 6c: A weight 8 is suspended from pulley block 6b, and the other end ₂₀of flexible member 5 is attached as at 9 to the impact-receiving end of a baseball bat 10 constituting the object adapted to be manually moved and used in a particular way by the use of certain muscles in a certain way. In using _2βthe exerciser of Figure 1, the user will grasp and swing the bat in the same manner that the same baseball bat being resisted by tne puii exeiueu ₃₀upon flexible member 5 by weight 8. In this way, the particular muscles necessary to swing a baseball bat in the particular way required m playing baseball will be definitely or surely developed. , , , 35

In Figure 2, the invention is shown as adapted for developing the muscles used in a particular way in manually moving and using a tennis racket while engaged in playing the game oi tennis. For this purpose, a tennis racket 10α.is _4Qsubstituted for the baseball bat and constitutes the object used in a particular way by the use of certain muscles in a certain way. In this instance, a flexible member 5α passes around the pulley of a pulley block 6d which has a weight 8α ₄₅suspended therefrom, one portion of said flexible member passing upwardly from this pulley block and having one end attached at 6e to the mount of a pulley 6α secured to a suitable stationary support 7α, the other portion of said flexible ₅₀member passing upwardly over the pulley 6α and having its end attached to the tennis racket 10α at the impact-receiving end of the latter. In all cases, the pulley 6 or 6α is placed at about the same height as that at which the object 10 or ί 0α ₆₅

2,134,451 is normally held when used. This permits free action of the bat or like object and enables the user to wield such object in about the same manner that it is ordinarily wielded in engaging ⁵ αΊ ^the „i^{egular sporfc or} work. The pulley block 6b or 6&lt;Z is used as indicated so that the object 10 or 10α may be moved a given distance, with the weight 8 or 8α moving a much lesser distance so as to not strike the mount of pulley 6 or 6α 10 or the floor.

In using an exercising device of the present type it is desirable to vary the resistance, offered by the weight or its equivalent, to manual movement of the object grasped by the user 15 such as the baseball bat 10 and the tennis racket ’?^a- ^F°^{r this} Purpose, the point of attachment of flexible member 5 to the object may be varied ^either closer to or farther from the point at which the object is grasped. The screw 9 in 20 Figure 1 may be removed and inserted at a different place for this purpose, and likewise with respect to the detachable attaching loop 9α in the form of Figure 2. However, in the case of an exerciser employing a baseball bat, ²⁵ ™°J^{e convenie}nt and quick adjustment may be naa by attaching the flexible member 5 to a clamping band I i releasably clamped upon the impact-receiving end of the baseball bat 10 as shown in Figures 3 and 4. by simply loosening 30 the clamping screw 12 of the band II, it may be adjusted to a desired point longitudinally of the bat and then tightened again.

Another means of varying the resistance to a pull upon the flexible member or to move35 ment of the object attached thereto, may consist in varying the weight 8 or 8α. Accordingly, this weight may consist of a canvas bag as shown, partly filled with sand or other suitable material whose amount can be increased 40 or decreased as desired.

While I have merely shown two distinct embodiments of the present invention, both employing objects used in a particular way when engaging in a sporting game, it will of course 45 θ® understood that the invention is equally ap- phcable for use in connection with objects used in other sports and in connection with many objects used in performing various kinds of work Ateo, the member to be pulled and attached to ⁰J?^{Ject U3ed} .in sport or work may have the pull thereon resisted by other means than that disclosed and which will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. Obviously, a different way of using weights may be employed for this purpose, or springs may be employed instead of weights in accordance with a broadly old and well known practice.