When I do cardio I want to get the greatest
fat-burning effect in the shortest amount of
time possible and get it over with fast.

I want to burn a TON of calories and get the
greatest "afterburn" for the time I put in.

Essentially, I want to do the most EFFICIENT cardio I
possibly can.

And I'll be honest with you right up front...I don't do a whole
lot of cardio. Cardio USED to be my thing back in high
school, when I was a long distance runner, speedskater,
cross-country skier, swimmer and soccer player.

Now my thing is lifting heavy things and putting them
down again :)

That's why the cardio that I do perform now is primarily
in the form of what I call "Near Maximal Interval Training."
It allows me to work at near-peak levels for extended
periods of time...and I'm talking 80 to 90% of my
maximum pace for a period of 15 to 20 minutes.

(The base concept is somewhat similar to the Tabata
protocol only not quite as intense and done for longer
duration)

This is a technique I use in my program "Metabolic Surge -
Rapid Fat Loss," which I'm actually doing a cycle of
rigtht now myself.

And I have to tell you, the metabolic effects of this training
style are INSANE. It burn RIDICULOUS amounts of
calories and cranks your metabolism up long after
you're done. The fat loss you'll get from it is extraordinary.

I'll warn you right up front, though...as you can imagine, it's
hard work (VERY hard work) when done properly.

But when you do it right and do it regularly, it will help you
burn fat incredibly fast and accelerate your cardiovascular
capacity faster than ANY other form of cardio I've ever found.

I'm not going to go into the whole debate about which is
better for fat loss...interval training or long-duration slow
training. The best form of cardio is the one you're actually
doing to DO and if you hate the type you're doing, you
won't put your best effort into it or do it regularly. Case
closed. So do what you enjoy and stick to it.

For me, I actually enjoy interval training and using it to
really push my limits. I don't want to sit on a bike and
mindlessly pedal in place while reading a magazine for an
hour. If you prefer hard work, too, THIS is a technique
you're going to love...

• Start with a work interval of 10 seconds and a rest
  interval of 5 seconds. Your pace should be one
  that you would only be able to keep up steady
  for about 1 to 2 minutes before having to stop.
  
  
• Do that pace for 10 seconds then go very slow for
  5 seconds. After 5 seconds, jump right back in and
  do that same pace for another 10 seconds then
  very slow for 5 seconds.
  
  
• Keep this cycle repeating for a designated period
  of time, e.g. 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc.

• So the first time you do this training, start with a 10
  seconds work to 5 seconds for a total period of 10
  minutes.
  
  
• Repeat this for the second session.
  
  
• On the third session, increase your work time to
  15 seconds while keeping 5 seconds rest for a
  10 minute block. Repeat on the fourth session.
  
  
• On the fifth session, increase your work time to
  20 seconds on 10 seconds rest for a 10 minute
  block and repeat this for the sixth session.
  
  
• At that point, we're going to increase the total work
  time to 15 minutes and go back to the 10 seconds
  work and 5 seconds rest. Then repeat the
  progression as I talked about above, going to 15 sec
  work, 5 sec rest then 20 sec work, 10 sec rest every
  second session.
  
  
• When you finish your last 20:10 session on 15
  minutes, then you're ready for the big time :)...
  
  
• The work to rest interval is going to be 5:1...you'll do
  25 seconds work to 5 seconds rest...you'll do it for
  15 minutes for two sessions. Then, if you're feeling
  good, you can increase that to 20 minutes for two
  more sessions (or you can just stick with 15 minutes).

This type of training works very well with cardio machines
that allow you to switch resistance instantly or very quickly
(stationary bikes, stair machines or elliptical trainers often
allow this).

Machines that must cycle slowly through their speeds as
they change do not work as easily for this (treadmills fall
into this category, unless you feel comfortable hopping on
an off the treadmill while it's going full speed...if you DO
decide to try this on a treadmill, hold onto the rails with
both hands any time you hop on or off until you've got your
balance and pace).

It can also be done with running fast then walking (which is
the way I like to do it), cycling then pedalling slowly, or even
swimming hard then doing a slow stroke.

You're going to find it VERY challenging to be having to
constantly restart your momentum from almost scratch on
every interval, which is actually part of the benefit of this
type of training...you work hard not only during the
work interval but you also work hard to get up to
speed for that work interval!

On a side note, as I mentioned above, if you're familiar
with the Tabata Protocol, the framework will look similar
to you. The difference with the Tabata Protocol is that you're
going as hard as you can during the work interval and
doing it only for about 4 minutes.

Tabatas are also VERY good for conditioning and fat
burning...I prefer Near-Maximal Training because of the
ability to extend the time you're operating at that higher
workload to maximize the fat-burning effects.