Can We Build an Independent Electric-Powered Gym? (Research Paper Sample)

CAN WE BUILD AN INDEPENDENT ELECTRIC-POWERED GYM THROUGH UTILIZATION OF ENERGY FROM EXERCISES?
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Abstract PAGEREF _Toc35367002 \h 3Introduction PAGEREF _Toc35367003 \h 4Background PAGEREF _Toc35367004 \h 5Methodolgy PAGEREF _Toc35367005 \h 7Overview PAGEREF _Toc35367006 \h 71.Bench Press PAGEREF _Toc35367007 \h 8How to perform the bench press exercise PAGEREF _Toc35367008 \h 82.Squats PAGEREF _Toc35367009 \h 9How to perform the squat exercise PAGEREF _Toc35367010 \h 103.Deadlift PAGEREF _Toc35367011 \h 11How to perform the deadlift PAGEREF _Toc35367012 \h 114.Biceps Curl PAGEREF _Toc35367013 \h 12How to perform the biceps curl PAGEREF _Toc35367014 \h 135.Overhead press PAGEREF _Toc35367015 \h 14How to perform the overhead press PAGEREF _Toc35367016 \h 15Potential energy in performing Gym Exercises PAGEREF _Toc35367017 \h 16Research Type PAGEREF _Toc35367018 \h 17Data/Analysis PAGEREF _Toc35367019 \h 17Table Showing the Number of People PAGEREF _Toc35367020 \h 17Table Showing the Average Mass (kg) and Head (m) PAGEREF _Toc35367021 \h 18Bench Press PAGEREF _Toc35367022 \h 18Squats PAGEREF _Toc35367023 \h 19Deadlift PAGEREF _Toc35367024 \h 19Biceps Curl PAGEREF _Toc35367025 \h 19Overhead Press PAGEREF _Toc35367026 \h 19Total Energy Produced (kJ) PAGEREF _Toc35367027 \h 19Discussion and Reflection PAGEREF _Toc35367028 \h 20Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc35367029 \h 21References PAGEREF _Toc35367030 \h 23
Abstract
Energy happens to be an essential component in human life because it drives and improves the life cycle. However, energy consumption is directly proportional to the advancement of human life. The idea of conserving energy is gaining pertinence for many researchers in the community today. People are discovering new ways to produce energy using alternative approaches instead of depending on fossil fuels and energy from the national grid. The current renewable energy technologies employ methods that source energy from solar, wind, tides, biomass, fuel cells, geothermal, and humans. Since the energy demand is high, this study aims to investigate the possibility of building an independent electric-powered gym with the energy that goes into doing different free weights exercises. Human power is sufficient to generate electricity to run the gym operations. Exercises such as bench press, squats, deadlift, biceps curl, and overhead press are considered during the study. These exercises are analyzed to discover the energy that can be comfortably converted into electrical energy to run the gym. Human power is a renewable and sustainable form of energy that can prove essential to the energy crisis that the world is facing. It is crucial to determine whether the gym can withdraw its dependence on fossil fuels and energy from the national grid. As such, the human-powered energy would be clean energy and energy that can reduce the strain on the energy demand in the country. Gym exercises contain potential energy that can be converted to electricity hence reducing the energy demand in today's life while maintaining healthy lifestyles for the exercisers.
Keywords: human-powered, renewable, clean, energy demand, exercises, potential energy, electricity
Introduction
Energy surrounds us from all corners, and this energy drives almost everything in our lives. Human beings are dependent on energy to undertake most activities and to make life a lot easier. In the current era, human beings consider it a critical component in their lives; it has become a basic need (Bidwai, Jaykar, and Shinde, 2017). Take an example of having a dead cell phone battery; living without energy can make life unbearable, and this proves how vital energy is to people. Energy consumed by people is extracted and released into the same environment. People depend on the efficient generation and utilization of energy for their development.
The rate of energy consumption is escalating day by day. Continued dependence on fossil fuels for energy is dangerous because it implies that people will be left without energy in the future. Fossil fuels continue to get depleted, and as a result, individuals are looking into developing sustainable green energy sources from wind, hydro, solar, tidal, and human power (Chalermthai, Sada, Sarfraz, and Radi, 2015). Research and development continue to be conducted to serve as substitutes for the depleting energy resources.
The ever-rising demand in energy has influenced people into settling for energy harvesting techniques. Energy harvesting refers to the process of generating energy from naturally occurring external sources, for example, heat, pressure, sound, vibration, among others. (Chalermthai, 2015). The energy harvesting process incorporates energy conversion, harvesting, and utilization of energy for future use. Researchers have worked tirelessly to achieve efficient and economical energy harvesting approaches (Chalermthai, 2015). Several industries have begun the process of generating energy to sustain their activities from within, without relying on external energy. This research paper focuses on the gyms; it studies and analyzes the possibility of building an energy independent electric powered gym with the energy that goes into different free-weight exercises. In other words, the research intends to determine whether people can use energy acquired from doing various tasks in the gym and convert that energy into electricity to power the gym. This paper, therefore, aims to analyze five exercises, including bench press, squat, deadlift, biceps curl, and overhead press, to understand whether potential energy from these exercises is reasonable and can be converted into electricity that will, in turn, be used to power the gym. The physics and biological knowledge of science will be used to analyze the different exercises carried out in the gym, to see whether energy harvesting is possible from such human power energy.
Background
Gyms and fitness centers happen to be amongst the most inefficient areas of energy consumption. The majority of the exercising equipment, such as treadmills, consume electricity. Also, other requirements consume power such as the lighting of the premises, regulating the temperatures of the gym, among others (Chalermthai et al., 2015). For some gyms, they provide entertainment to the users, such as showing Television shows and documentaries. These televisions displayed also consume considerable amounts of electricity. Lastly, gym users carry along some of their rechargeable entertainment equipment such as mobile phones, mp3 players, and iPods, which they use for entertainment during exercises. These electronic pieces of equipment use energy in their batteries and need to recharge using electricity once the battery charge is depleted. Besides, most of the energy used by people working out in the gym is lost as useless heat, when these exercises could be used to create potential energy that can be converted into useful electrical energy. This research focuses on the free-weight exercises, such as bench press, squats, deadlift, biceps curl, and overhead press. It also analyzes the possibility of harvesting energy from doing such exercises in the gym and converting that potential energy into electrical energy. Such electrical energy can then be used to run the electrical components present in the gym premises, ranging from powering the TV to charging the electronic equipment such as mobile phones brought along by the gym users.
The gym happens to be a convenient and potentially feasible location for harvesting human energy. The gym equipment is not only available to help people burn off calories but also helps in improving muscle function through performing periodic and repetitive exercises. The increased number of people who visit the gym corresponds to an increased energy demand to run the gym. The facilities owners can make use of the increased influx of people in the gym by realizing ways to harvest energy from human exercises. Harvested energy will serve as a substitute for acquiring electricity from external sources; this also encourages the development of a self-sustained gym premise as well as making the gym a green energy sector. The gym is an excellent and suitable location for energy harvesting because of the equipment present. The gym equipment can be modified to allow for variable physical resistance levels, thereby eliminating the need to balance energy generation. A gym located in a public setting has the capability of harvesting energy from many people because the potential energy can be harnessed from many people doing the free-weight exercises.
For gyms that do not have advanced equipment, free-weight exercises could serve as possible sources of potential energy that can be converted into electrical energy. Therefore, this research paper will investigate the various activities, including bench press, squats, deadlift, biceps curl, and the overhead press, to determine whether these exercises can provide adequate energy to power the gym. Potential energy is a component of the mass, gravitational acceleration, and the height of elevation for that particular mass. Other engineering skills can be merged to help convert this potential energy into electricity. The principal objective of this research is to study the feasibility of a gym by realizing the possibility of building a self-powered gym from energy harvested from human exercises.
Methodology
Overview
Human beings acquire calories from food. Calories are essential in performing work. However, when calories are in excess, particularly from an unbalance...