Exercise Apparatus

Abstract

An exercise apparatus for exercising the muscles of the human body required for running on a running surface, comprising a belt continuously circling over two deflection rollers rotatable about two mutually parallel axes in one direction, the running surface for exercising being allocated to the carrying side of the belt on the upper surface of the same facing away from the deflection rollers, is characterized in that at least one of the two deflection rollers has a drive controlled via a controller, that a load pick-up stationary with respect to the exercising apparatus is allocated to the lower surface of the carrying side of the belt facing the return side, that the belt has a thick, flexibly resilient, soft layer on its upper surface facing away from the deflection rollers, and that the running surface is allocated to the free outside thereof.

1 . An exercise apparatus for exercising the muscles of the human body required for running on a running surface comprising a belt continuously circling over two deflection rollers rotatable about two mutually parallel axes in one direction, the running surface for exercising being allocated to the carrying side of the belt on the upper surface of the same facing away from the deflection rollers, wherein:
 at least one of the two deflection rollers has a drive controlled via a controller,   a load pick-up stationary with respect to the exercising apparatus is allocated to the lower surface of the carrying side of the belt facing the return side,   the belt has a thick, flexibly resilient, soft layer on its upper surface facing away from the deflection rollers, and   the running surface is allocated to the free outside thereof.   
   
   
       2 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the layer has a flexibly resilient, soft plastic material. 
   
   
       3 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plastic material is formed as foamed plastic material. 
   
   
       4 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the foamed plastic material is formed with open and (partly)/or closed pores. 
   
   
       5 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the foamed plastic material is polyurethane. 
   
   
       6 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the layer has a thickness of 2 to 10 cm, preferably 2.5 to 8 cm and particularly preferably 1.5 to 6 cm. 
   
   
       7 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the layer, upon being loaded with the human body, is compressible by 40% to 95%, preferably by 50% to 90% and particularly preferably by 60% to 80%. 
   
   
       8 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the entire layer is completely made of the plastic material while forming a belt layer. 
   
   
       9 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the layer has valleys extending from the free outside thereof in the direction of the upper surface of the belt while leaving bars. 
   
   
       10 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the valleys are narrow in contrast to the width of the bars measured in the direction of the circling belt. 
   
   
       11 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the valleys are narrower in contrast to the width of the bars measured in the direction of the circling belt by a factor of 3 to 15, preferably 6 to 14 and particularly preferably 8 to 13. 
   
   
       12 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the valleys extend parallel to the two axes of the rotatable deflection rollers. 
   
   
       13 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the valleys extend at an angle with respect to the upper surface of the belt. 
   
   
       14 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the valleys extend at a right angle with respect to the upper surface of the belt. 
   
   
       15 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the valleys end at a distance from the two outer edges of the upper surface of the belt which are arranged in a spaced manner in extension of the axes of the deflection rollers. 
   
   
       16 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a skin serving as the actual running surface is allocated to the free outside of the plastic material. 
   
   
       17 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the skin is made to be viscoplastic. 
   
   
       18 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the skin is bonded substance-to-substance to the free outside of the plastic material or is formed as a separate running surface belt overlying the free outside and circling together with the same, which running surface belt is deflected via separate deflection rollers. 
   
   
       19 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the axis of the two deflection rollers is formed such that it can be lifted or lowered perpendicular to its extension. 
   
   
       20 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the controller drives the drive in individually adjustable, alternating exercising micro intervals of various durations and subsequent recovery micro intervals in a manner that is faster or slower in comparison thereto. 
   
   
       21 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the exercising micro intervals are between 8 and 40 s, preferably between 9 and 35 s and particularly preferably between 10 and 30 s. 
   
   
       22 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the recovery micro intervals are between 13 and 90 s, preferably between 14 and 75 s and particularly preferably between 15 and 60 s.