Fartleks Make You Faster!

Fartleks Make You Faster!

A funny named training method makes exercise more fun!  A fartlek is a Swedish word that means “speed play.”  This method of training is a way for you to find your next gear in running speed or it can be applied to other types of training.  With a fartlek, you engage in random speed training that is playful so it doesn’t feel like work.   Basically, you trick yourself into getting faster.  Ready to give it a running try?

The workout:

WARM UP:  10 minutes of easy running

DYNAMIC WARM UP:  30 seconds each of high knees, butt kicks, forward lunges with a kick and leg swings

4 x 20-second strides with a 40 second recovery

WORKOUT: 10 to 20 total minutes of unstructured fartlek.  Randomly pick up your pace for whatever distance you feel like.  Maybe run faster to the next street sign or count off 7 mailboxes.

You can scale this workout up or down to match your fitness level.  Have fun!