Let's face it: lots of us carry a little extra weight in our midsection. One of the biggest struggles people face in losing weight is how to target belly fat. Well we've got good news and bad. The bad news is that there's no way to target weight loss in a specific part of your body; you can't lose weight only in your stomach. The good news though is that you can target certain muscle groups so that when you do lose weight, your abs will begin to show. We've put together a list of our favorite ab exercises to help you get started so you can show off all your hard work this summer!


  1. Twist Crunches 
    Lie down on the floor with your hands behind your head. Bend your knees as you would do in crunches, keeping your feet on the floor. While you have to lift your upper torso while performing crunches, in twist crunches, you have to lift just your right shoulder towards the left, keeping the left side of your torso on the ground. Again alternately, lift your left shoulder towards the right, keeping the right side of your torso on the ground. Repeat 10 times.


  2. Side Crunch
    This is same as the twist crunch exercise. The only difference is that you need to tilt your legs to the same side simultaneously with your shoulders. The side crunch focuses on the muscles on your sides.


  3. Reverse Crunch
    This is similar to the twist crunch exercise. The only thing that you need to do is tilt your legs behind simultaneously with your shoulders. The side crunch focuses on the muscles on your sides.


  4. Vertical Leg Crunch
    Lie flat on the floor, or on the mat, with your legs extended upwards (towards the ceiling) and one knee crossed over the other. Now that you have positioned your body perfectly, do the same as you would have done in the case of crunches. That is, breathe in and lift your upper body from the floor towards the pelvis. Breathe out slowly. As you bring yourself down, breathe in again, and exhale as you go up. Do 12 to 15 reps and up to three sets.


  5. Bicycle Crunch
    Lie on the floor and keep your hands either by your sides or behind your head as you do in crunches. Lift both your legs off the ground and bend them at the knees. Bring your right knee close to your chest, keeping your left leg away. Now take your right leg away and bring your left leg close to your chest. Keep doing this as if you are paddling a bicycle.


  6. Lunge Twist
    Stand with your legs hip width apart. Keep your knees slightly bent. Lift both your hands in front of you, aligning them with your shoulders and keeping them parallel to the ground. Lunge forward as shown in the picture. Take a big step forward with your right leg, and sit down as if on a chair so that your knees make a 90-degree angle with the floor. The left leg should be positioned backwards, supported by the toes. The spine should be kept straight. Don’t bend your spine forward. Twist your torso (just the torso, and not the legs) to the right and then to the left. Repeat 15 times.


  7. Rolling Plank
    Position yourself on the floor with your knees and elbows resting on the ground. Keep your neck aligned with your spine. Look forward. Lift the knees up and support your legs on the toes. Contract your knees and keep breathing normally. This is the plank pose. Stay in this posture for 30 seconds.


  8. Stomach Vacuum
    This is similar to what we call the cat stretch pose. This is also known as the four-point, transverse-abdominal stomach vacuum. Follow the steps mentioned below to do this exercise for reducing belly fat:
    Go down to the ground on all fours, supporting your body on your hands and knees. Inhale deeply and loosen your abdomen. As you exhale, tighten the abdomen muscles. Hold this position for 15-30 seconds. Repeat the process as desired.


  9. Captain's Chair
    Sit on the chair with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed. Keep both hands beside you with your palms by the side of your hips, facing downward. Inhale deeply. As you exhale, bring both your legs upwards such that your knees are close to your chest. Hold for five seconds. Don’t bend forward and arch your back. Bring down your legs slowly and repeat.


  10. Side Bend
    Stand erect with your feet together and keep your hands to the sides. Keeping your legs grounded, bend your body to the right as much as possible till you feel a strain on your left waist. As you do so, ensure your right hand is on the right hip, and the left hand is raised upwards. Stay in the position for 15 seconds. Return to the original position. Now bend to the left, and retain the position for another 15 seconds. Slowly, you may increase the holding time to 30 seconds.