What I'm about to tell you may go against everything you've learned about fat burning. But, if you're willing to open your mind and think outside the box, it might just be the most important information you've ever read.

The truth that there is a better way to exercise. It's the way sprinters and other high level athletes have done for years. It does not involve hours of grueling time on a treadmill or miles and miles of distance on the road. It can give you maximum results in as little as a couple of minutes of exercise per day.

Sprinters (and most other athletes) train primarily their anaerobic energy system... using the energy stored in their muscles to fuel short bursts of high intensity exercise. This type of exercise will give you more "bang for the buck" because it is the most effective way to burn fat and calories while also building lean, functional muscle.

These are benefits that low intensity, high volume cardio just won't give you.

High intensity allows you to "double dip" during your workouts.

First, as a fat burner, this type of exercise is hard to beat. That's because raising the intensity of your exercise results in your body burning huge amounts of calories. The demands placed on your body in quick short bursts of exercise require a lot of energy. Training like a sprinter will burn more fat due to these high energy demands (and, according to one study, may even teach your body to burn fat first).

Not only that, but your body will keep burning calories long after your workout. One study showed that doing high energy exercises every other day could lead to an extra 2 pounds per month (or more) of fat loss, just from the rise in metabolism and extra calories burned. Do the math ' that adds up to an extra 20 plus pounds of fat burned per year due to this post-workout metabolic effect.

And better yet, according to a report released by the American Diabetes Association, high intensity exercise is the best way to burn the fat around your middle (a.k.a. belly fat), one of the most difficult places to melt off the flab. Low intensity, high volume cardio will not give you the same effects.

But, high intensity exercise doesn't just burn fat. The second "dip" in your workout will result in building lean, powerful muscle as well. Hey, let's face it, losing flab is only half the battle. If you want to look good (and feel better about yourself), it's equally as important to tone and firm the muscles in your abs, arms, thighs, hips and backside. If you just lose the fat, you could look soft and flabby. Defining your muscles through high intensity exercise can take care of a lot of that and make you proud of the way you look.

High intensity exercise like interval training builds muscle by putting you through full body, ground-based movements. Forcing your muscles to work in unison - as a functional unit. Just the ticket to raise your natural HGH levels and make your muscles look and feel young again.

Long, slow cardio may actually have the opposite effect... shrinking your muscles to make your body more efficient for the long haul. Upping the intensity of your workouts will burn more calories and fat than tired old cardio. And, in a 2 for 1 bonus, it will also help you build strong, sexy muscle at the same time. (Not to mention that most high intensity workouts can be done in just a few minutes ' much less than the 30 minutes to an hour you've been trying to do on the cardio machines).

Losing a couple pounds of fat or adding a few pounds of muscle will make you look and feel good. Doing both with high intensity training can make things GREAT instead.

So, you have a choice my friend. Stick with traditional cardio in the "fat burning zone" and see minimal results. Or, try something different and up the intensity of your workouts to get into the best shape of your life. After just a few sessions, you'll see and feel the difference.