Outdoor gym equipment is becoming an increasingly familiar sight in Finland’s urban terrain. New all-weather fixtures provide opportunities for strength training, simple fitness or resistance training. Finland’s cities are investing in more outdoor gyms, with city planners often choosing to situate them next to popular running tracks.
An elaborate new outdoor gym can be found in Helsinki’s Pirkkola Sports Park this spring. Complete with equipment for practicing squats and weight-lifting, the shiny new outdoor gym has attracted up to 300 fitness enthusiasts a day since it was taken into use. Helsinki student Tuomas Taanila stopped at the equipment for some strength training during his run.
“Especially for students, this is a great opportunity to work out. It is free and near my home, and so I’m happy to take advantage of the possibility,” he said.
All-weather gym equipment is hardly a new phenomenon in Finland. Sit-up benches and chin-up bars have been posted near jogging paths for decades. The difference now is that the new equipment investments use better technology, offering more durable all-weather equipment with a much wider variety of uses.
“Bodyweight exercises are not enough for some fitness buffs. We’ve had several requests for more resistance training equipment. Our experts have joined together with the equipment manufacturers to develop a series of fixtures that we feel is optimal,” says the City of Helsinki’s head of outdoor recreation Petri Angelvuo.
Much more durable
Helsinki has established outdoor gyms in about 140 locations throughout the city. The popularity of outdoor strength training equipment also means the equipment has to meet to more exacting standards.
Angelvuo says the durability of the equipment chosen has been one of their primary concerns, for the gyms have to stand up to not just the weather, but also vandals that may try to break things.
“Designing equipment intended for outdoor use is different, because the equipment can’t be supervised at all times. For this reason, the fixtures have to last. The new gyms we have invested in should be functional year round,” he said.
Making waves outside the capital city too
Outdoor gyms have no age limits, as they are suitable for everyone. Angelvuo nevertheless does not recommend the more advanced equipment for children under 15. He still hopes the threshold for anyone at all to give the equipment a try will stay low.
“They have very good user instructions. We also plan to post video instructions and a sample exercise programme online soon.”
Several other cities in Finland like Tampere, Jyväskylä and Turku also feature outdoor gyms, so the trend is not limited to the Helsinki area. Student Tuomas Taanila says the outdoor gyms have clear advantages.
“Outside you can be at peace and listen to the birds singing as you work out. I prefer the outdoor gym to its indoor equivalent.”