“Just a few more, you’re doing great! If this feels too easy for you, you can squat lower,” Lumo Trainer, physiotherapist and Pilates instructor Hedvig Lundsten cheers exercisers on. Lundsten leads workouts for residents of Lumo homes, this time she’s doing so from her own studio in Vallila. The exercisers are following her instructions on their own screens across Finland.

Almost one hundred people have dropped in on the circuit training session that is being streamed through Facebook Live.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the number of participants. Hopefully that includes some residents who don’t usually get to work out with a Lumo Trainer,” Lundsten says.

Lundsten’s remote fitness training through Facebook in late March marks the first time that Lumo Trainer services have been available online. The workout routine is designed to take as little space as possible, and all you need is a bottle of water, an exercise mat and a happy attitude.

“I try to plan the exercises so that they’re suitable for people of all fitness-levels and can be performed even in a small apartment. Almost all moves can be modified to be easier or performed at a slower pace – or a faster one. The point is to have fun and get your heart rate up.”

Before the start of the workout, Lundsten has not only planned the programme but also made sure that everything is in working order.

“I’ve never led a workout online before, so I’m a little nervous,” Lundsten muses before the workout as she places a timer and a cup of water next to her exercise mat.

Lundsten has already checked that the camera and microphone are working before the big moment arrives.

“Us organisers put together a small test group that made sure the connections were working. Other than that, leading a workout remotely isn’t all that different from a regular Lumo Trainer workout, except that we’re usually outdoors and I can see all the participants,” Lundsten laughs.

Of course, the participants can still make their presence known, and many of them send messages to Lundsten during the workout.

“It’d be nice to chat even more, but I can’t really stop to read the messages while I’m leading a workout.”

Getting the blood pumping

Lundsten’s currently leading a circuit training session, which brings your heart rate up and gets you sweating in no time. That’s exactly the point.

“Circuit training alternates between exercises that increase heart rate and build muscle,” Lundsten explains.

The workout itself is about 35 minutes long, but Lundsten includes a warm-up before it. The workout concludes with cool-down stretching, and all in all the session takes a little less than an hour.

According to Lundsten, circuit training that increases heart rate is particularly beneficial now that many people are working from home and aren’t getting enough incidental exercise through running their daily errands.

“Getting your heart rate up is particularly important if you don’t move around a lot on a daily basis,” Lundsten offers as a tip.

“If you can’t jump, get up on your toes. You’re doing great, there’s just a few more seconds to go. Remember to get up slowly and drink some water so you don’t get nauseous!” Lundsten is encouraging but doesn’t let the exercisers off the hook too easily. Many of them are undoubtedly breaking a serious sweat by the half-way point of the routine.

“That’s the idea, but the workout is also scaled so that almost anybody can participate. You can do the exercises at your own pace; the most important thing is to keep constantly moving,” Lundsten explains.

Once the cool-down stretches are done, Lundsten thanks her viewers and reminds them of the next workout. Bye, and thanks for the workout, it was fun, the screen fills up with messages addressed to Lundsten.

“It’s surprisingly easy to lead a workout even without seeing the participants. I could constantly feel their presence. I go through the comments afterwards and respond to any questions people might have,” Lundsten beams.

A recording of the workout stays up for a week after it was originally streamed on Thursday evening. The next workout, this time a Pilates session, is held the very next Sunday. The Pilates workout is also streamed through Facebook Live.

“Pilates is a good counterbalance to this kind of fast-paced exercise. It strengthens deep abdominal muscles in particular and improves posture,” Lundsten explains.

The last Lumo Trainer workouts were held in June 2021.