If you're trying to lose body fat (yes, belly fat too) and build muscle, Rondel recommends strength training two to three days a week. On strength days, you should focus on full-body workouts that incorporate compound exercises like pull-ups, squats, and deadlifts. These are multijoint movements that work multiple groups of large muscles at once. Because you're using more muscle, your body has to expend more energy to perform these exercises, as opposed to an isolated movement like the bicep curl. As a result, you'll burn more calories and fat.
"You definitely want to target the large muscle groups because you'll develop bigger muscles," Rondel said. You should also adequately stress your muscles (aka lift heavy) "so you can elicit an adaption, which is developing more muscle fibres and increasing your overall resting metabolic rate," Rondel said. If you aren't sure how heavy you should be lifting in order to stress your muscles, use this guide to help you choose the right weight.