Abstract

An exercise apparatus for safely assisting a person to lift weights which incorporates concurrently functioning vertical and horizontal guidance mechanisms. The exercise apparatus is comprised of a frame including two rectangularly shaped parallel aligned structures having four horizontally extending support members, a lifting bar, a horizontal guidance mechanism, and a vertical guidance mechanism. The horizontal support members function also as the horizontal guidance bars. Each horizontal guidance bar has a bearing block slidably attached thereto via a linear bearing. Pairs of bearing blocks are connected to the ends of two vertically extending guidance bars which move horizontally via their attachment to the bearing blocks. Similarly, the vertical bars have bearing blocks with linear bearings attached thereto which are also connected to the ends of the lifting bar. The lifting bar moves vertically along the vertical bars and moves horizontally via the vertical bars' connections to the horizontally moving bearing blocks. The vertical bars are pivotally attached to the horizontal bearing blocks at their bottom end to compensate for any minor bearing misalignment. The apparatus can be used for a variety of exercises where the weight is pushed or pulled in the vertical direction. The horizontal guidance feature allows the apparatus to adjust to the human body's natural propensity to pull towards or push away while pushing up or pulling down, the attached weight.