Weight machine
Weight-lifting exercises have become an increasingly popular means for improving strength, muscle tone and overall fitness. The standard barbell and weight set, commonly referred to as free weights, is one of the more basic yet often preferred weight-lifting systems due to the generally free range of motions allowed during use and the natural feel of exercises using free weights.
Weight training machines have become popular with athletes and general fitness enthusiasts. Weight training machines offer advantages over free weights by allowing the user to isolate specific muscle groups and work against optimum resistance over the entire range of motion of the muscle. The muscle group isolation provided by the machine enhances the training and reduces the risk of injury. Weight training machines are also advantageous over free weights in that they reduce the clutter in the weight room. A typical weight training machine comprises a base frame mounted on a floor, a rectangular shaped weight frame installed on the base frame, a pair of parallel guiding rods extending vertically from the base frame, a plurality of weight blocks for traveling up and down along the guide rods, a weight block connecting unit for connecting a number of weight blocks of interest to the user, and a cable for suspending the weight block connecting unit through a sheave supported by a ceiling frame. The user lifts a selected number of weight blocks up and down with his arms or legs to train the upper or lower body. A typical weight machine comprises a stack of weight plates which travel along guide bars and which are coupled to a lifting mechanism which translates a user's exercise movements to raising the stack from a resting, unloaded position and then lowering the stack back down to the unloaded position. The user typically moves a selected plurality of the weight plates over a fixed distance, and the resistance to the user's exercise movements created by the weight plates is used to strengthen specific muscle groups. Weight training machines include a body support or restraint that supports the body of the user and properly positions and isolates the muscle group being worked. The machine also includes a movable element to which the user applies the force to provide the exercise. The movable element is connected through a mechanical linkage to a stack of weights that provides the resistance.
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