Lateral raise exercise machine

DETAILED DESCRIPTION To these ends, a lateral raise exercise machine includes a frame, a seat and backrest connected to the frame and a pair of independently pivotal levers connected to the frame on opposite sides of the seat and backrest.
The levers are upwardly pivotal through a lateral shoulder abductive motion by an exerciser supported on the seat, with the pivot axes of the levers converging with respect to the forward facing direction of the seat and and tilting downwardly toward the seat backrest.
The levers move through planes that are perpendicular to the forwardly converging and downwardly tilting pivot axes, so that the levers move through planes of motion that also angle forwardly and tilt downwardly.
This lateral raise exercise machine enables an exerciser to perform lateral shoulder abduction against a selectable weight resistance in a steady manner, through a relatively large range of motion, thereby maximizing the muscular benefit to the deltoid muscles.
Moreover, the structural orientation of the machine components provide natural positioning for coupling an applied lateral raising force to angled planes of motion.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, this lateral raise exercise machine includes a frame, a seat and backrest connected to the frame and bisected by a vertical midplane, and two levers pivotally connected to the frame on opposite sides of the midplane behind the seat and backrest.
The levers pivot along axes that converge with respect to the forward facing direction of the seat and backrest.
Each lever includes a hub adapted to hold at least one removable weight, a counterweight located opposite of the pivot point from the hub, a connector that extends forwardly from the lever alongside the seat and an actuating pad secured to an inside surface of the connector.
The connector extends forwardly at a downwardly tilting angle.
An inwardly directed surface of the actuating pad is adapted to be acted upon by the outside portion of a forearm of an exerciser supported on the seat and backrest during lateral shoulder abduction