Effective Cardio workouts
Think like you’re ordering from a Chinese menu.

The American Heart Association recommends we spend 30 minutes per day in some type of cardio exercise. Many do not have the extra chunk of time; many would rather spend their time doing something else.
It becomes an issue of quality of cardio over the quantity. Examine your time allowed for your workout. If you have extra time, opt for L.S.D. Long Slow Distance workouts are valuable because they cause changes in the body that increase aerobic fitness. L.S.D. increases the amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. It also increases the body’s ability to store glycogen, creates a better network of capillaries and increases the muscles aerobic metabolic capacity. In essence, the body becomes a better fat burning machine.
If you have a moderate amount of time to devote to your workout, consider the Tempo Set. Tempo Sets utilize both fat and carbohydrates as fuel for the workout. The harder the exertion, the more carbs are burned. The less intense, the more fat is used as fuel. Tempo sets are done in an aerobic state.
Tempo sets raise the lactate threshold and therefore delays a state of fatigue. They are generally great fat burning workouts. Strive for working harder than L.S.D., about 75 ~80% MHR, for 15 min to 20min. Make sure a recovery period of one minute is included if you choose to do multiple sets.
Interval workouts are the type for those who do not have a great amount of time for their exercise. Working both aerobically and an-aerobically, you can manipulate: time (distance) of each period, the intensity of each segment, time of each recovery and the number of repetitions. These sets raise your aerobic capacity. It encourages the development of fast twitch muscles.
All of these choices of Cardio have advantages. Time is an important commodity. Choose wisely!

The facts for this post comes from an article by Jason Karp.