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“Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
-Steven Pressfield
This week:
Knowledge Corner: Fartlek training
Monthly Challenge Update: June read-athon
Meme Center: Curls for the…
Knowledge Corner: Fartlek Training
Building off our discussion of energy systems and interval training, today I’d like to cover a great way to mix up your endurance workouts: fartleks. Fartleks are a type of interval training that involves modulating speed or intensity throughout. You can think of fartleks as a workout where you switch between sprinting and jogging. By combining bouts of all-out effort with periods at a recovery pace, fartleks provide a great method for increasing both aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
Fartleks are traditionally associated with running. The simplest fartlek is sprinting a short distance and then jogging at a sustainable recovery pace, repeated multiple times. My favorite way to employ this is hill sprints. Find yourself a nice hill or set of stairs, run up as fast as you can, and then jog back down. You can also mix up your run speed based on landmarks along your route, e.g. sprint to the next stop sign and then jog the next block. Doing fartleks like this are a great way to improve endurance while adding variety to your cardio.
You can also get more creative with fartleks than just changing how fast you’re running. Another idea is to stop periodically while on a run to do bodyweight exercises. Squats, burpees, core work, etc., along your run route can be a quick way to shock your legs and lungs. For example, you could run 3-miles, stopping every minute to do five burpees. This fartlek would be a great benchmark for overall endurance. You could also do burpees anytime you are waiting for a crosswalk sign (just be prepared for some weird looks).
Sources: National Strength and Conditioning Association and this study
Trivia
What is the origin of the term fartlek?
A. It’s an acronym: Fast And Realistic Training Leveraging Energy, Kapow!
B. It was invented by Dr. Domoore Fartlek
C. The Fartlek monkey, known for it’s sprinting ability
D. It’s a Swedish term that means “speed play”
June Challenge: Read a chapter 5x per week
My mom is really proud of me for doing all this reading. And no, they aren’t books with pictures.
Read a book chapter 5x days per week
Meme Center:
Don’t forget to stretch after your fartlek!
Trivia answer: D. It’s a Swedish term that means “speed play”. Can you believe I didn’t make a fart joke there? Me either.
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