Even a short workout is enough.
Heikki Riihijärvi tries to do even a short workout that opens up the thoracic spine. Sami Aspelund
Founder of gym chain Liiku Heikki Riihijärvi turned 60 on June 4.
He says he experienced an age crisis because of it, even though he is in good shape.
– Of course, it depends on who you are, but I feel that I am in better shape than the average Finn in his sixties. There are small dents, but no place is going to be changed, says the former top ice hockey player.
You can feel the humanity in the answer when you ask Riihijärvi how the gym owner works out.
– A little wavy, as I’m sure with many others. Sometimes there are good pipes, but sometimes there are moments in life when the pipes are shorter. However, I’m always up to something.
The most important point is in the last sentence.
– I don’t know if it’s due to my background as an athlete, but in a 20-30 minute workout, I immediately open up my chest and stretch five centimeters longer.
Glad I went, he sums up his thoughts and tips.
– It’s funny to read those things that you should eat spruce and pakurikäpää and exercise for an hour and a half in the morning and in the evening. As if that’s all that matters.
Former top hockey player Heikki Riihijärvi runs Finland’s largest gym chain. Sami Aspelund
– When you take just half an hour away from something and in the meantime go to pump your arms, you feel like a hero afterwards. Or if you do a 20-minute aerobic workout, I’d say that after that you’ll walk out of the gym with your chest rattling.
Heikki Riihijärvi founded Liiku together with his wife Johanna with. The division of roles was clear from the first hall.
– I talked to people in the gym, made training programs and coached. Johanna then took care of marketing, backgrounds and everything else, says Heikki Riihijärvi, who also worked as a personal trainer.
In 2016, Cor Group became the main owner of the company. It allowed for great expansion. Now Liiku has 72 offices open. Four new ones are under construction.