“Let’s get those feet moving! Go! Come on, keep them going! And stop!” Raatamo coach Jussi Oinonen leads a group of exercises on a dark autumn evening in Mustikkamaa.

It is an Outdoor Cross-training class for the tenants of Capellan puistotie 4 in Helsinki’s Kalasatama district.

A game of thigh tag gets the group panting, but also laughing. It looks like a fun game children might play. Next, they do a simple form of wrestling. There’s laughter all around.

Getting to this snowy football field for a game of tag only took the group a short run from the door of their apartment building, across a bridge and onto the island. The workout also included press-ups and chin-ups at an outdoor gym. Hill sprints got the participants sweating. It’s snowing and the ground is covered in slush, but there is no time to feel cold.

“It is very rewarding when you notice you are getting fitter. It motivates you to overhaul your habits in other areas of life as well.”

Antti Lampinen has joined every Lumo Trainer workout at his building since the start of the autumn, all five or six of them. In addition to cross-training, the tenants of Capellan puistotie have gone jogging and Nordic walking.

“The feeling after a workout is wonderful. I now spend all week looking forward to Thursday. Mustikkamaa is a great place for exercise. The outdoor gym equipment is really good,” Lampinen says enthusiastically after the hour-long workout.

The Lumo Trainer workouts are intended for all Lumo tenants. The service is included in the rent. Even those who can’t do a single chin-up are welcome to join the workouts. Raatamo, a provider of outdoor and local exercise services, is responsible for the coaching and the varying backgrounds and fitness levels of the participants are always taken into consideration.

“We want the workouts to be both effective and enjoyable. I plan the exercises ahead of time but adapt them as needed. The content of each workout depends on the participants,” says Jussi Oinonen, Co-Founder and Coach at Raatamo.

The idea for the Lumo Trainer workouts began when a Kojamo employee participated in a Nordic walking class organised by Raatamo a few years ago. Free fitness training is now offered at 13 Lumo properties in central Helsinki. According to Customer Account Manager Pekka Kivistö from Kojamo, the service is still in the pilot phase in some ways.

“Getting a new service off the ground always takes a lot of work. Any plans for expanding the service need to take Raatamo’s resources into account as well,” he says.

The free service has got off to a great start in Kalasatama. Over the course of just a few weeks, the workout participants at Capellan puistotie have become a cohesive group whose members know each other. Just before 6 p.m. each Thursday, they come down from their apartments and gather in the building’s inner courtyard. They look around and see if anyone wasn’t able to make it today.

The group’s mascot is Minttu-Roosa, an elderly Jack Russell Terrier that runs along with her owners.

In addition to improving the participants’ physical fitness, the Lumo Trainer service strengthens the sense of community at the apartment building.

“You could say that the Lumo Trainer concept helps build a traditional sense of community and the spirit of doing things together,” says Pekka Kivistö from Kojamo.

Speaking on behalf of the tenants, Lampinen agrees.

“There’s a nice feeling of togetherness in our group. It’s not something you can take for granted.”

The plan is for the activity to continue all year round. Raatamo’s principle is that workouts are not called off even if it rains or the temperature is 20 below zero.

“Our back-up plan goes into effect when the temperature falls to -25. There’s a good fitness centre in this building that we can use,” Jussi Oinonen points out.

Oinonen says there are no major requirements when it comes to the participants’ workout clothes and footwear.

“Shoes with decent traction are recommended. The ground was slippery today, so we adjusted our speed accordingly. If someone’s not dressed warm enough, we can up the pace to keep them from getting cold.”

While the idea is to keep the workouts a low-threshold activity that anyone can join, Oinonen also wants to make sure that the participants don’t have too much fuel left in the tank when they’re done.

“We don’t want it to be too easy for anyone. We keep the group together on our runs and walks by stopping to exercise once in a while. Participants who are in really good shape can go do some hill sprints while they wait for the others to catch up.”