Intervals #4 (Fartlek)

Fartlek Training

Interval training is an athletic training system that combines short bursts of intense activity, called intervals, with periods of lower intensity, or rest periods. By alternating the two throughout your workout your body is forced to exert more effort than it normally would during a steady, continuous workout of moderate intensity.

Developed in Sweden during the 1930s, interval training was known as “fartlek,” — that’s Swedish for “fast play” — for its bursts of speed of various lengths and duration. German running coach Woldemar Gerschler took things a step further, focusing on heart rate recovery.

Soon, interval training caught on among track stars, cross-country runners, and swimmers. It is now a mainstay among professional and amateur athletic coaches.

•In this type of training your work time = you rest time. So in other words, what ever you work for you get to rest for.
•An example of this is W-30sec/R-30sec…W-1min/R-1min…W-2min/R-2min…W-3min/R-3min…W-4min/R-4min…then work your way back down again 4/3/2/1/30.
•This is known as pyramid Fartlek.
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