Exercise equipment for sit-ups

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As indicated above in the Summary, the present device is designed to aid in shaping and strengthening various muscles during exercise, particularly including the various abdominal muscles.
The equipment assists an exerciser in maintaining proper arm and head position while performing sit-ups, and can be constructed to allow the addition of weights to provide greater resistance, thereby increasing workout intensity.
The usual position for a person performing sit-ups is reclining on his or back (flat or on an inclined board), with both hands behind the head.
While it is preferable for the person's elbows to be generally in line with the shoulders, the normal tendency is for the elbows to rotate forward, generally in front of the face (i.
e.
, elbows in front of the shoulders).
When a person performs sit-ups with elbows rotated forward, he person tends to pull forward on the head, bending and spraining the neck.
Also, this position encourages the exerciser to curl the abdomen, preventing the proper exercising of certain abdominal muscles and transferring an excessive portion of the strain to muscles of the lower back.
Use of this invention prevents the user's elbows from rotating forward, thereby maintaining the elbows approximately in the plane of the shoulders and head.
Maintaining the elbows in this position thus enhances the abdominal exercise and reduces the undesirable strain on the neck and back.
An exemplary embodiment of the exercise device is shown in FIG.
1; the device has a curved rigid headpiece (10) which is shaped to accommodate the back portion of an exerciser's head.
Typically, the headpiece receives only a portion of the back of the head, and does not extend around the face or forehead.
Preferably, the headpiece also does not extend around the top of the user's head.
The curvature may be simple, but is preferably compound to provide a more comfortable fit and a more stable positioning.
This headpiece may be constructed of a variety of materials so long as the construction provides sufficient strength and rigidity to maintain the structural geometry of the overall device during use