To burn fat, you need to raise your heart rate and body temperature through medium- or high-intensity exercises, depending on your fitness level.Ĭore workouts don’t do that. In fact, you can’t target where you want to burn fat. Unfortunately, ab workouts alone won’t give you a flat stomach. Planks also provide that toned, defined look that you may have been pursuing with sit-ups or crunches. They give you strength and stability in your core that will help you complete other exercises more easily. Planks, along with other ab workouts, such as bicycle crunches and mountain climbers, are better exercises to build your stomach muscles. RELATED: So, You’ve Got a Fitness Tracker - Now What? Benefits of Core Workouts There are more effective ways to strengthen and stabilize your core. While sit-ups might help increase strength in the abs, they don’t provide stability, which is more important. Additionally, research shows crunches can even be bad for the spine. In reality, classic sit-ups are proven to be ineffective at reducing belly fat and increasing core strength. Sit-ups are a common physical activity that women and men perform to help strengthen abdominal muscles.

Exercises to get a flat stomach