Intervals
Michigan Ladder
Michigan-style tempo-and-hard ladder
Main set: 6 min @ 70% + 1 min @ 40% + 4 min @ 88% + 1 min @ 40% + 4 min @ 70% + 1 min @ 40% + 3 min @ 90% + 1 min @ 40% + 2 min @ 70% + 1 min @ 40% + 1 min @ 95%
About this workout
Ron Warhurst, cross-country coach at the University of Michigan, devised this session in the 1970s: 1600 m at 10K pace, a tempo segment of about a mile, 1200 m at 5K pace, another tempo, 800 m faster still, a last tempo, then 400 m all out. It teaches you to change pace and run fast on tired legs, which is why milers and 5K runners use it.
Fartlek's version is a time-based, Michigan-style ladder you can run anywhere: tempo blocks of 6, 4 and 2 minutes alternating with hard efforts of 4, 3 and 1 minutes, with a minute easy between each. The story of the Michigan.
The workout
| Block | What to run | Cue |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 5 min @ 30% + 3 min @ 40% + 3 × (20 s @ 60% + 40 s @ 30%) + 1 min rest | Easy flow, gentle build; three short pickups, float between, then settle |
| Michigan ladder | 6 min @ 70% + 1 min @ 40% + 4 min @ 88% + 1 min @ 40% + 4 min @ 70% + 1 min @ 40% + 3 min @ 90% + 1 min @ 40% + 2 min @ 70% + 1 min @ 40% + 1 min @ 95% | Trade tempo and hard, descend |
| Cool-down | 7 min @ 30% | Unwind, deep breaths |
How each effort should feel
Efforts are a percentage of your all-out effort, set by feel (RPE), not by pace. From Fartlek's effort guide:
- 30% Very easy. Walking pace or the gentlest jog.
- 40% Easy. Relaxed jog, easy to chat.
- 60% Steady. Still chatty, breathing deeper.
- 70% Moderately hard. Short sentences only.
- 88%, 90% Very hard. A word or two, tops.
- 95% All out. Nothing left in the tank.
Pete's tip
Alternate rhythm tempo with harder efforts, dropping the time each round. Float a minute between and hold form as the reps sharpen.
Pete, Fartlek's AI coach
What it trains
Stamina. Maintain intensity over sustained efforts.