FARTLEK

TRAINING
 HISTORY
Fartlek training was developed in the 1930s
by Swedish coach Gösta Holmér (1891–1983)
Has been adopted by many physiologists
since.
It was designed for the downtrodden Swedish
cross-country teams that had been thrashed
throughout the 1920s by Paavo Nurmi and
the Finns.
Holmér's plan used a faster-than-race pace
and concentrated on both speed and
endurance training.
 AIM
Fartlek, which means "speed play" in Swedish, is
a form of conditioning which focus mainly on the
aerobic energy system due to the continuous
nature of the exercise.
The difference between this type of training and
continuous training is that the intensity or speed
of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and
anaerobic systems can be put under
consideration.
Most fartlek sessions last a minimum of 45
minutes and can vary from aerobic walking to
anaerobic sprinting(to run a short distance as fast
as you can). Fartlek training is generally
associated with running, but can include almost
any kind of exercise.
 Fartlek sessions

Sessions should be at an intensity that causes the

athlete to work at 60% to 80% of his or her
maximum heart rate (estimated at 220 minus
age), as outlined by the Karvonen Method. This
should mean that the body will not experience
too much discomfort while exercising.
An athlete should also include a good warm up at
the beginning of the session, and a cool down at
the end of the session, to improve performance
and to decrease the chances of injury and for
other reasons.
Warm up: easy running for 5 to 10 minutes.
Steady, hard speed for 1.5–2 km; like a long
repetition.
Recovery: rapid walking for about 5 minutes.
Start of speed work: easy running interspersed
with sprints of about 50–60 m, repeated until a
little tired.
Easy running with three or four "quick steps" now
and then (simulating suddenly speeding up to
avoid being overtaken by another runner).
Full speed uphill for 175–200 m.
Fast pace for 1 minute.
The whole routine is then repeated until the total
time prescribed on the training schedule has
elapsed.
 Advantages of fartlek
One of the main reasons for the success of
fartlek training is that it can be adapted to
the needs of the individual.
Unlike continuous training, fartlek training
can benefit participants of field games such
as football, field hockey, ultimate frisbee,
lacrosse, soccer, and rugby, as it develops
aerobic and anaerobic capacities which are
both used in these sports. To take this a step
further, athletes can make the most of the
flexibility of fartlek training by mimicking the
activities which would take place during their
chosen sport or event. It improves aerobic
capacity.
Fartlek training allows the athlete to
run freely over varying distances and
at varying speeds. A single session
might consist of walking, cruising
and sprinting. It might last for 20
minutes or 5 miles. The variations
are unlimited. And that means some
specific guidelines are in order so
each session can be made as
effective as possible.
In most fartlek training sessions intervals
are kept relatively short and frequent.
Anything too long simply becomes more
like interval training.Each interval might
range from 10 seconds up to 5 minutes for
example.
For long distance runners (anything from
1500m to 10k) more structured sessions
are beneficial. For example, you might run
hard for 5 minutes (above race pace) then
jog slowly for 1 minute to recover, and
repeat that five or six times.
A more effective fartlek training session:
-jog for 60 seconds,
-hard run for 30 seconds,
-jog for 30 seconds,
-all-out sprint for 10 seconds,
-a walk for 30 seconds. This
would then be repeated for a total of 20-
30 minutes.
In theory you could make the session up
as you go along, throwing in some jogs,
runs, sprints, backward running etc. as
and when. But in practise this becomes
hard for athletes to a) push themselves
and b) measure progression over time.
 Sample Fartlek Training
Sessions
Session 1 – Long Distance Events
(10k, 5k, 3k, Cycling)
Warm up with a steady jog for 10 minutes
Run hard, above race pace for 4-5 minutes
Jog slowly for 1 minute
Repeat 6-8 times
Cool down at a steady pace for 10 minutes
Session 2 – Middle Distance
Events (1500m, 3k, 5k)
Warm up with a steady jog for 10
minutes
Run hard, above race pace for 3
minutes
Jog slowly for 1 minute
Repeat 6-8 times
Cool down at a steady pace for 10
minutes
Session 3 – Astrand Fartlek (800m)
Warm up with a steady jog for 10 minutes
Run hard, above race pace for 75 seconds
Jog for 150 seconds
Run hard, above race pace for 60 seconds
Jog for 120 seconds
Repeat 3-4 times
Cool down at a steady pace for 10 minutes
Session 4 – Mulit-Sprint Sports
(Soccer,basketball tennis etc.)
Warm up with a steady jog for 10 minutes
Jog for 60 seconds
Run hard (3/4 pace) for 90 seconds
Jog for 45 seconds
Sprint for 10 seconds
Jog for 30 seconds
Run backwards for 30 seconds
Walk for 30 seconds
Run hard for 60 seconds
Repeat 3-4 times
Cool down at a steady pace for 10 minutes
 CONCLUSION
Fartlek training is good in the early
pre-season. It’s an ideal session to
re-introduce athletes to more
demanding endurance work after the
summer or winter layoff. One or two
sessions per week combined with
interval training is enough.