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The new resistance device is intended for creation of resistance in sports strength training devices. It needs no specially designed training machines to be mounted on. It can be mounted on practically any weight stack strength training machine instead of a stack of weights.
It can be used in strength training machines of different designation, such as professional equipment, fitness and wellness machine, home versatile machines, and rehabilitation medical machies.
The new resistance device creates resistance strictly controlled in magnitude which considerably improves the efficiency of exercising on the training machine, allows for the highest speed of exercise execution, noiseless and smooth motion of the device, user-comfortable and injury-free operation.
The training machines equipped with the new loading device are superior to all the models of strength training machines currently available in the market, both for sport and medical rehabilitation purposes, in their engineering and opeation parameters.
"As opposed to traditional weight stack devices, the vacuum resistance device has no weights and, consequently, no inertia. The absence of weights also makes the machine much lighter. The design of the vacuum resistance device became possible after development of a new technology called “vacuum spring” (This new approach is scientifically well-grounded, has mathematical definition and is practically realized). Its basic difference from all the known types of springs consists in its ability to ensure linear motion with a preset resistance level. Until recently, this effect could only be produced with the use of complex mechanisms, of which the simplest consists of a piston moving in a cylinder under the action of a compressed gas supplied from a pressurized gas container and a gas pressure regulator sustaining pressure at a constant level. Currently the “vacuum spring” is the simplest and most accurate approach to achieve the described effect. The force in the new resistance device is created through a pressure drop on the unit's working element. Structurally, the resistance device consists of housing with a vacuum spring inside. On top the housing, there are units transmitting the force from the vacuum spring to the strength training machine. The lower section of the housing contains a pump, which pumps out air from the vacuum spring cavity. Air evacuation needs to be performed at certain intervals of time (usually once a week). The resistance level is controlled with a special mechanism placed in the upper section of the housing and is connected to the working element of the device. The resistance created by the device is transmitted from the resistance device to the strength training machine via a cord. The new loading device can replace conventional weight stacks by being mounted on an existing strength training machine frame. In order to sustain the resistance device’s operability, it is necessary to connect the electric pump to the power supply once a week and switch it on for 3 min. The whole procedure takes no more than 7 min. If so desired, sustaining vacuum inside the device can be automated."
During exercise the pump is turned off. The machine does not need to be connected to anything when it's fully charged. The only time that the pump is required is during the recharging sessions (which normally take place once a week). The device ensures a non-inertial, injury-free resistance which does not vary throughout the exercise cycle. The maximum force developed by the resistance device mountable on a home strength training machine is currently 100 kg (220 lbs). The resistance can be set in increments of 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). The weight of the resistance device is 41 kg. If required, the amount of force created by the resistance device can be increased. The overall dimensions of the loading device will vary depending on the desired maximum resistance and the maximum motion length (the shorter the motion, the smaller is the height of the device). The new loading device is simple in design and requires no exotic materials or complex technologies.
Training machines, based on the new vacuum device have no complicated maintenance requirements; the device recharge process can be executed in automatic mode without the active involvement of the end user. The automatic recharge process can be compared to a compressor running in a home refrigerator, only much more rarely (once a week). The vacuum spring needs no maintenance whatsoever. The vacuum spring can withstand a minimum of 15,000,000 cycles, which is much more than the life cycle of any weight stack device. The rest of the structural elements of the new resistance device are very similar to conventional weight stack machines. Furthermore, maintenance of the new device is simpler and less expensive than that of a weight stack device since it has no heavy weights which may loosen the elements of the machine as time goes by.
NOTE:
At first glance, someone may think that the new resistance device is similar to existing pneumatic devices. That is incorrect. They are different structures and the only similarity between the two devices is that they both produce resistance by an air pressure change. The new device is free of all the deficiencies of pneumatic devices, such as the ones listed below, which prevent the latter from being more popular.
- containing compressed air which represents a safety hazard to the end user;
- having a compressor which must operate in a nearly continuous mode and which requires a separate room and tubes to be laid throughout the gym
- having a complicated system of pressure-operated valves which needs special software for computer control
- requiring a very specialized design and inability to be integrated into existing strength training machines without a radical modification
- requiring gym staff to have special training in maintenance and usage
Moreover, the new resistance device surpasses pneumatic training machines in the quality of the created resistance, since it does not vary and can be used at virtually any speed.
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