fartlek

[fahrt-lek]

noun

1. a training technique, used especially among runners, consisting of bursts of intense effort loosely alternating with less strenuous activity.

fartlek

/ ˈfɑːtlɛk /

noun

1. sport another name for interval training

Word History and Origins

Origin of fartlek¹

1950–55; < Swedish fart speed + lek play

Word History and Origins

Origin of fartlek¹

Swedish, literally: speed play

Example Sentences

This simple approach is a classic form of fartlek training.

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“It always feels like a fartlek out there,” Obiri said, referencing a training system for distance runners in which terrain and pace are varied in an effort to tamp down boredom.

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The beauty of the fartlek is that, unlike in traditional high-intensity interval training workouts, walkers or runners don’t have to glue themselves to a watch or a fitness tracker to boost their muscular endurance.

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It was Pappas’s second mistake of the night, leaving Wang the last speller standing, and “fartlek” as, technically, the championship word.

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Swedish for speed play, fartlek workouts involve picking a goal, such as a tree or light pole up ahead, and speeding up until you reach it.

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