What is the right kind of exercise for weight loss? While any type of exercise is better than nothing, if your goal is to lose fat, then there’s one kind of exercise that is best:

Weight training for weight loss

While you may know Dan DeFigio for nutrition coaching, he’s also a personal trainer in Nashville. Here’s what Dan has to say about exercise for weight loss:

Muscle is what burns fat. If you want to lose weight, the best kind of exercise is strength training i.e. lifting weights. Strength training will

• Tone and strengthen your muscles
• Increase your metabolism
• Improve your posture
• Reduce aches and pains
• Improve bone density
• Increase immunity and health
• Help regulate hormones and sleep
• Increase your energy
• Reduce depression and anxiety
• Improve diabetes

Strength training exercise for weight loss

There are six fundamental moves in a basic strength training program:

Exercise move #1: Squat stuff

The whole family of what’s called triple-extension moves includes all multi-joint leg exercises: squats, lunges, step ups, leg press, etc. These exercises strengthen your thighs and glutes. And since your leg muscles are some of the largest muscles in the body, squat-type exercises are great for boosting your metabolism.

Exercise move #2: Pulling

Pulling moves are upper-body pulls like rows, chin-ups, reverse flys, and pulldowns. By strengthening the muscles that pull your shoulder blades together, you’ll improve your posture too!

Exercise move #3: Pushing

Upper body pushing moves include the (mostly) horizontal pushes, like pushups, chest flys, and bench presses. Chest, shoulders, and triceps are the primary muscles used for these.

Exercise move #4: Core

The “core” means all the muscles around your waist and pelvis. Rectus Abdominis (your “abs”), obliques (twisting muscles), and erector spinae (“lower back” muscles). Typical exercises for the core include planks, crunches, twists, and back extensions.

Exercise move #5: Overhead

Overhead moves are vertical pushing moves, like the overhead press or handstands. You’d also put lateral raises in this category, since the shoulders are the primary movers.

Exercise move #6: Posterior chain.

The posterior chain includes the muscles in your — you guessed it — posterior. The hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors. All the muscles that pull you backwards.

Exercises that target these muscles include deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and bridges.

If you’re putting together a strength training program to lose weight, you should include all 6 of these basic moves for a complete workout. You can also try other kinds of exercise, such as cycling, to make your training program well-rounded. Exercise for weight loss is much more than just cardio, and it’s a lot more fun too!