A manually operated treadmill is provided that includes a treadmill frame having a front end and a rear end opposite the front end, a front shaft assembly rotatably coupled to the treadmill frame at the front end, a rear shaft assembly rotatably coupled to the treadmill frame at the rear end, and a running belt disposed about the front and rear shaft assemblies, wherein the running belt defines a curved running surface upon which a user of the treadmill may run. The treadmill also includes an incline adjustment system movably coupled to the treadmill frame for moving at least one of the front end and the rear end relative to a support surface, wherein increasing a height of the front end relative to the rear end and the support surface increases a running speed that a user can achieve on the running belt.

An exercise device that includes a frame, a user interface; a connection cable and a plurality of components that provide resistance to the cable and user interface. These components include a programmable, driven carriage capable of vertical movement between first and second positions and including one or more pulleys mounted thereon, wherein the cable extending away from the first end and user interface passes around the one or more pulleys on the carriage, a slider mechanism moveable between first and second positions and including one or more pulleys mounted thereon, and a pneumatic resistance device that is secured to the frame and that is operatively associated with the slider mechanism to provide resistance to slider mechanism movement between the first and second positions.

Described herein are embodiments of stationary exercise machines having reciprocating foot and/or hand members, such as foot pedals that move in a closed loop path. Some embodiments can include reciprocating foot pedals that cause a user's feet to move along a closed loop path that is substantially inclined, such that the foot motion simulates a climbing motion more than a flat walking or running motion. Some embodiments can further include reciprocating handles that are configured to move in coordination with the foot via a linkage to a crank wheel also coupled to the foot pedals. Variable resistance can be provided via a rotating air-resistance based mechanism, via a magnetism based mechanism, and/or via other mechanisms, one or more of which can be rapidly adjustable while the user is using the machine.

A stationary exercise machine in accordance with some examples herein may include a frame, a crankshaft rotatably supported by the frame, an upper moment-producing mechanism and a lower moment-producing mechanism both operatively engaged to the crankshaft to cause the crankshaft to rotate. The lower moment-producing mechanism and the upper moment-producing mechanism may be resiliently coupled to one another, such as via a resilient coupling between a crank arm of the lower moment-producing mechanism and a link or virtual crank arm or the upper moment-producing mechanism. The exercise machine may further include a measurement apparatus which may be configured to measure differential forces between the upper and lower mechanisms.

An exercise device providing a fore and aft horizontal component of striding motion that is dynamically user-defined, while providing a vertical component of the motion that is maintained on a predetermined vertically reciprocating path in some embodiments. The exercise device guides the user's foot in a pseudo-elliptical stride path, while providing a dynamically variable stride length that allows the user to move with a natural stride length. The exercise device allows tall and short users to extend or curtail the stride length to match their natural stride lengths. The length of the reciprocating path is dynamically adjusted during the exercise operation without equipment adjustments by changes in the length of the stride input by the user at a pair of foot engagement pads disposed on laterally spaced apart foot support members.

An exercise device featuring a pair of knee joints, each pivotally coupled to a pair of calf linkages having foot pedals at their opposite lower end that support low impact user-defined natural exercise gait patterns. The knee pivots joints are supported and directed to travel by linkage and/or carriage systems that operate substantially below the user hip area, and direct the knee pivot joints in a variety of travel paths, ranging from having a constant arc, linear pathway, to having a variety of irregular arc shaped paths, as well as, pathways that may change during use. A secondary system coupled to the knee pivot support system, provides lift and dampening forces to influence the responsiveness of the foot pedals via the bending and straightening of the calf linkage about the knee pivot joint, yet do not restrict the back and forth travel of the knee joint.

A motor-less leg-powered curved treadmill produced that allows people to walk, jog, run, and sprint without making any adjustments to the treadmill other than shifting the user's center of gravity forward and backwards. A closed loop treadmill belt running between front and rear pulley rollers is formed with a low friction running surface of transverse aluminum, wooden, plastic, rubber or carbon fiber slats attached to each other in a resilient fashion. Since an essential feature of treadmill is the concave shape of the running surface of belt in its respective upper portion, the treadmill configurations insure that this shape is maintained during actual use. These configurations prevent the concave upper running surface portion from being pulled taut into a flat shape between the front and rear pulley rollers.

There is provided a motorless treadmill. The motorless track includes: a motorless track having a curved shape such that an inclination angle increases with respect to the ground toward a front end and a rear end, and configured to move around by user's foot steps; and a pair of side covers disposed on both sides of the motorless track, wherein the motorless track changes movement speed according to a location at which the user steps on the motorless track, and wherein, on at least one side cover of the pair of side covers, a speed-related indicator is disposed to indicate information related to movement speed of the motorless track.

An exercise apparatus comprising: a foot support, a user interface that includes a visual display, the foot support being movable by the user on the frame back and forth through any one of a plurality of complete, reproducible and different arc segments of a master arcuate path, the foot support being interconnected to a selection device that enables the user to select any one of the plurality of arc segments, one or more detectors adapted to detect one or more of force, energy or power exerted by the user over time on the foot support or distance or velocity of travel of the foot support or resistance assembly during the course of the user's performance of all or a portion of an exercise cycle, the visual display displaying a visually recognizable format of one or more of the force, energy, power, distance, time or velocity.

Split-crank pedaling devices and methods of operation support patient use and rehabilitation, particularly for stroke patients. A split-crank pedaling device includes first and second crank assemblies. First and second motors are operably connected to the first and second crank assemblies. A first shaft sensor produces an indication of a position of the shaft of the first crank assembly. A second shaft sensor produces an indication of a position of the shaft of the second crank assembly. A controller is communicatively connected to the first and second motors and the first and second shaft sensors and calculates a phase error between the positions of the first and second shafts and a predetermined phase relationship between the first and second shafts. The controller operates at least one of the first motor or the second motor to provide a supplemental torque to one of the first crank assembly and the second crank assembly.