When it comes to fat loss, there is a pecking order of exercise effectiveness, according to a growing body of research. At one point, all of us were certain that doing steady-state aerobic work between 65 percent and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate would melt pounds mercilessly. Of course, we all learned that this type of cardio was mind numbing, and even your current playlist couldn’t speed up perceived time on the treadmill, the stepper, the rower or any other piece of cardio equipment.

