“Fartlek training” is an invigorating way to spruce up cardio days and speed up weight loss. This training method comes from Swedish Olympian and coach Gösta Holmér and appropriately translates to “speed play.” It offers a dynamic workout that will challenge your body, burn major calories, and help you achieve your fitness goals.
We spoke with a personal trainer who shares everything you need to know about fartlek training and how to implement it into your workout regimen.
What Is Fartlek Training?
“[Fartlek training] is a type of interval training where you vary your exercise intensity without actually stopping,” explains Domenic Angelino, CPT with the International Personal Training Academy (IPTA). “If you are running, this would involve altering between sprinting and jogging regularly during the run without actually stopping.”
One of the main reasons fartlek training differs from other forms of interval training is that you mindfully tweak the exercise intensity based on how you feel. “If you feel you [can] sprint, you can break into a sprint when ready. If you feel you need to take some time recovering, you can slow down into a jog,” Angelino explains. “You can also alter the intensity of each activity based on how [you feel]. You can sprint at a speed that feels appropriate for your current level of fatigue and motivation, and you can do the same with jogging.”
What Are the Benefits of Fartlek Training?
A major pro of fartlek training is its accessibility and sustainability. It’s much easier to get motivated to exercise if you have complete flexibility to tweak the workout according to your mood and abilities on that given day. Because, let’s face it: Some days, you’re simply more motivated and energized than others!
“[In addition,] fartlek training can help you burn more calories overall because it helps you exercise at a higher intensity than you otherwise would have been able to through steady-state training,” says Angelino. “This results in your body developing an oxygen debt, which increases the total amount of oxygen your body needs to take in over the next one to two days [to] fully recover from the exercise you did during your workout.”
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Many individuals favor fartlek training because of its built-in variation and flexibility. It keeps things interesting compared to traditional interval training, making you more likely to stick with it. “You choose when to challenge yourself, and each workout differs a bit from all of the others,” Angelino points out.
How To Incorporate Fartlek Training Into Your Routine
When it comes to incorporating fartlek training into your routine, Angelino stresses not to overthink things. Simply utilize fartlek training whenever you head out on a run.
“You can replace any proportion of your running workouts that you feel comfortable with switching out,” he says. “You can replace one running workout with fartlek training or all of them. This relates to one of fartlek training’s greatest strengths—its flexibility.”
Angelino tells us that cardio should be performed three to five days weekly. That being said, always listen to your body. “If you had a really intense Fartlek workout recently, it’s okay to take an extra day off this week,” explains Angelino. “If you feel well-recovered between fartlek sessions, it’s fine to do an extra fartlek workout.”
The ideal workout duration depends on how intense your workout is and how you feel as well. “Generally speaking, more intense workouts should be shorter,” Angelino says. “Easier workouts should be on the longer side. Depending on what you do, aim for a workout between 15 and 60 minutes in length.”
