A simple pedal leg trainer and a simple block device

In this review, we will continue to look at the hardware ancestors of modern bodybuilding and fitness machines, and will turn our gaze towards the prototypes of the exercise bike (the so-called pedal machine) and the now popular block frame (the so-called block device)…

Pedal training device.

A collapsible pedal exerciser is designed to develop the strength of the muscles of the legs and feet (authors V. G. Alabin, A. A. Suschevich).

This is exactly what the first experimental sample of the now extremely popular aerobic apparatus looked like, widely used for medicinal and sports training purposes around the world. Since then, a lot of water has passed under the bridge, and the machine has slowly but surely transformed, first into an exercise bike, then into a bicycle ergometer. The important thing is that even now, after many years, the essence of the device and the principle of its effect on the athlete’s body and muscles have not changed at all. Of course, the device has acquired all kinds of electronics, sensors and diagnostic elements on all sides, now it has its own processor, or rather even a computer and a whole software package for operating modes, load selection, and also allows you to accumulate and analyze statistics and your personal anatomical indicators... Nevertheless the basic idea of ​​movement and the principle of operation remained almost unchanged...

A simple pedal exerciser for legs (Fig. 1) was welded from a 35X35 mm corner. A guide pipe 2 with a diameter of 60 mm passes through the middle of the “chair”, into which a pipe of a smaller diameter 4 freely fits. The movable pipe is fixed with a locking bolt 3. An axis 7 is welded to the movable pipe, on which pedals 6 are hung. The pedals are connected to the “chair” with cables 5 The back and seat of chair 1 are soft.

The exercises are performed as follows. Starting position: sit on a “chair”, straighten your legs, hold the edges of the chair with your hands. Feet on the pedals. The cable is taut. Movement of the feet back and forth. The exercise is performed at a medium and fast pace. The weight of the load is adjusted depending on the athlete’s preparedness and the tasks set during the training lesson.

This device is designed to develop the speed and strength qualities of athletes.

The proposed simple block mechanism (Fig. 2) is easy to manufacture and allows you to perform exercises that are similar in structure to the competitive movements of track and field athletes and athletes of various disciplines.

According to the manufacturer's website, the machine (Fig. 2, a) consists of an L-shaped base 4, made of pipes with an outer diameter of 50...60 mm (the vertical part of the base is 2000 mm long, the horizontal part is 500 mm), a movable bushing 6 (Fig. 2, a) and 13 (Fig. 2, b) are cylindrical in shape, the internal diameter of which is equal to the external diameter of the base. The bushing moves along the entire length of the vertical part of the base and is secured at the desired point with a locking screw 7. A trapezoidal plate with two blocks 14 (Fig. 2, b) is welded to the bushing, which direct the movement of the cable 5 through blocks 3, 8. The free end of the cable is secured on hook 2. Weights 11 are placed on rod 9. A simple cutout is made in the rod into which an eye with a block 8 is inserted. To perform exercises, a handle 10 or a ring 12 made of dense fabric with a diameter of 400 mm is attached to the cable. Exercise machine The block device is attached to the wall and floor with supports 1. Exercises that can be performed using this device are shown in Fig. 2, c.