Swedish Exercising in Short Bursts

Fartlek training, which translates as speed play, was developed in Sweden in the 1930s as a way to increase speed and endurance for races. Fartlek involves exercising in short bursts: quick jogs, fast sprints, and speedy middle distances done in succession and with many changes between speeds. This type of training can be done on almost all types of terrain and in most climates. You can do it with running, swimming, cycling or other sports where interval training is used. It creates flexibility, strength, speed and endurance in those who practice it regularly.

  1. Speed Play

    • Play is the most important aspect of this type of Swedish exercise. You move between different speeds continuously during an exercise session; you are basically playing with speed. You start out at a normal pace and then speed up at certain points throughout your session. After your burst of speed, you slow back down and continue for another interval of time. The key is to vary the speeds and intervals during your session, but to keep moving the whole time. This trains your body for running in different sports, helps you if you need to speed up during a race, or simply gives you a good cardiovascular workout.

    Free Play

    • There is not one precise way to do Swedish speed play training, which means that your workouts have a lot of freedom. The total session time, the location, the type of terrain, and the amount of fast intervals all vary depending on you or your coach, if you have one. You can do this exercise with swimming, running, cycling or on a machine at the gym, such as the elliptical. Play with your speeds and push yourself to achieve the best possible results, and to have a good time while you are working out. If you are uncomfortable with that much freedom during your workouts, it is easy to structure different speeds into your planning.

    How to Do It

    • Warm up by jogging for five minutes at a slow pace. Speed up and being jogging at a comfortable pace that is faster than your warm-up. Continue until you see a landmark ahead that catches your eye. Sprint until you reach the landmark and then slow back down to a pace that allows you to recover from the sprint. Choose different landmarks as you go, and different speeds to sprint and recover. Another option is to run with a partner and take turns leading sprints and recovery speeds. Cool down by jogging slowly at the end of your workout for five minutes.

    Training Schedules

    • Your training schedule depends a lot on your fitness goals. Athletes looking to become better competitors should plan to do this type of training two times per week in addition to strength training, distance running and doing intervals. Individuals interested in becoming more fit through fartlek training should also take it slow at first and gradually work up to a more difficult training schedule. Two times per week for 30 to 60 minutes is a good place to start.

    Other Considerations

    • Make sure that you supplement fartlek with weight lifting at the gym to strengthen your upper and lower body. Do this at least twice per week to reduce risk of injury from training. Since Swedish speed training involves using a lot of energy, make sure that you eat well before and after training sessions. Have a protein bar or a piece of fruit and a glass of milk to give you the energy you need to train and to help repair your body after training.