Lappset offers an innovative solution to a popular fitness trend

– What makes our concept innovative is the combination that allows people of all ages to do both stair training and other fitness exercises. The concept is particularly well suited to encouraging people who are less active in their daily lives to get moving. Of course, it also provides a versatile training environment for active fitness enthusiasts, says Erkki Ikäheimo, Executive Vice‑President of Lappset.

Traditional fitness stairs are designed primarily for stair training alone. In Lappset’s solution, versatile exercise equipment for users of different fitness levels is integrated alongside the stairs.

– Versatile training has been shown to be linked to continued participation in physical activity. Furthermore, varied training supports brain health. The same exercise environment is highly scalable for different types of users. A certain degree of non‑linearity and unpredictability helps to develop motor skills, adds Sami Kalaja, Professor Emeritus of Sports Science at the University of Jyväskylä.

Sami Kalaja, who also works as a physical trainer, served as a skills expert on Lappset’s multidisciplinary product design team.

Motor skills can be developed and they influence the desire to take part in physical activity

– Physical skills are the gateway to participating in physical activity. The ultimate goal of skills training is not to learn a single trick by repeating the same movement, but to develop an adaptive, flexible individual through varied activities — someone who can adjust their actions to different situations and environments. The transfer effect of varied training is significant; for example, training on fitness steps can improve abilities that are useful in everyday situations, such as coping with traffic, Kalaja emphasises.

According to Kalaja, public outdoor exercise facilities are well suited to people of all ages.

Lappset’s solution combines form and function

Particular attention has been paid to both aesthetics and practicality in the product’s design.

The design also took into account people’s social needs, which traditional sports facilities do not always meet for everyone, says Erkki Ikäheimo.

Lappset’s innovation differs from traditional fitness steps in that it is designed for surface mounting at ground level, making it suitable for a wide range of environments, including parks, residential areas, school playgrounds and sports fields.

“This compact solution enables versatile exercise, allowing users to train strength, speed, balance, endurance and coordination, as well as to develop physical skills.”

The overall design creates a unique combination of fitness steps and versatile exercise equipment at their base, which could become a landmark for a sports area.