Kempele, a municipality of 20 000 habitants in Northern Finland, had a five-week testing period with the popular Omnigym outdoor fitness area. Based on a survey, the free outdoor gym was an absolute hit, and Kempele decided to turn it into a permanent one.
Sarkkiranta Sports Center in Kempele has three tennis courts, a skateboard park, a baseball field, and an ice hockey rink. In addition, the area provides facilities for track and field, cross-country skiing, beach volley, ice skating, and football. In spring 2023, the municipality sought to develop the versatile site and arranged a temporary outdoor gym to test its utilization rate.
Omnigym’s Global User Study provides data for municipalities to increase the understanding of outdoor gym users and usage. The outdoor fitness equipment is free for residents' use for five weeks. The user study and the testing period are helpful when estimating the user rate or determining the perfect location. Locating the Omnigym outdoor fitness center next to other frequently used sports facilities, such as Sarkkiranta in Kempele, is recommended.
As a matter of fact, accessibility is one of the most critical factors for making the outdoor gym a permanent part of people’s lifestyles. Most users in all Omnigym fitness areas arrive on foot. And according to the Global User Study, many people have first spotted the site when walking by. There are very few criteria for the equipment installation apart from the flat surface.
99 % of users rated the outdoor gym as good or excellent
During the five-week trial period, in 2013 people used the outdoor gym in Sarkkiranta. Of 139 respondents, 99 percent rated the outdoor gym as good or excellent. Furthermore, they placed their workout experience at 4.4 / 5. Additional interesting facts were that, during the testing period, Sunday was the busiest day, and visitors kept coming between 8 AM and 10 PM every day of the week.
The respondents appreciated the adjustable loads of Omnigym equipment that drastically differ from traditional ones using one’s body weight. They especially valued the possibility of efficient weight training outdoors, the costless use, and the effortlessness to train and adjust the loads. Respondents said, for example, that “A free outdoor gym is the best a municipality can offer” and “This is the best outdoor gym I have ever used.” 
Due to the frequent use and great reviews, the municipality of Kempele did not hesitate to turn the outdoor fitness area into a permanent one. The new gym will be opened in August 2023, supplementing the Sarkkiranta Sports Center. As 25 % of the respondents wished for more leg and back training variety, Kempele decided to replace a few upper body equipment with Multilift, which allows lower body strengthening and trapezius.
Are you interested in testing the Omnigym outdoor fitness equipment?
Contact us and learn more about the five-week testing period and a user study that will help you determine the following:
- The suitability of the location
- The user profile and utilization rate
- How the users rate their training experience
