Yes, cardio is important for fat loss, but lifting weights can also help you burn calories and lose weight long-term. Strength training will allow your body to build muscle, and more muscle mass means your body burns more calories at rest. Jim recommends strength training about two times a week.
To make the most of your strength-training session, Rachel Gerson, an NASM-certified personal trainer, said to focus on compound exercises, which are exercises that target groups of large muscles, like barbell squats, deadlifts, and the leg press. "Compound movements concentrating on larger muscle groups will burn the most calories," Rachel said. "If you think about it, you'll feel a lot more tired after doing a barbell squat than doing a bicep curl."
Plus, moves such as squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses also target your core, so you are working multiple muscle groups at once. "When you burn the fat off your midsection, you'll have built nice muscle underneath that will start to show, which is what gives you that toned look in your midsection," she said.