Most of us make the mistake of trying to bust belly fat by doing too much cardio, crunches and sit-ups. It may work for your upper abs, but it doesn't necessarily target your entire core. Here are some ways you can get your belly into washboard flatness:


Burpees:



It's brutal, but you'll see results. Start from a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Drop to the floor and do a push-up. At the top of the push-up, jump forward to bring your knees to your chest, and continue the jump to bring you as high off the floor as possible, and then back to a standing position. Try to do as many as you can in two to three sets, lasting 30 seconds per set.

Squat Press:



Begin from a standing position, with dumbbells at your shoulders. "Sit" into a squat with your butt angled back and your weight shifting onto your heels - as if you're about to sit down. Keep your torso straight, and only squat far enough to get your thighs parallel to the floor. Next, push your weight into your feet and lift yourself back into standing position while pressing the dumbbells over your head. Lower your dumbbells back to shoulder position and repeat the process.

Clean and Press:



It's something like a squat press, but place the dumbbells horizontally on either side of your feet. Squat, grab the dumbbells with an overhand grip and return to standing position. When you do, lift the dumbbells to your chest. Once you're standing, do an overhead press. Lower the dumbbells to your chest again, squat and return them to the floor.

Mountain Climbers:



This one's tough too, but it's great for strengthening your entire core. Start in push-up position. Keep your hips at the same height as your shoulders, shuffle your right knee in toward your chest, then immediately switch it out for your left knee. The move is like trying to run in a horizontal position. Do this continuously without rest, as many times as you can while still keeping your hips and shoulders at the same level.]

Front Squats:



Start out in normal squat position, but place the bar (or dumbbells) across the front of your shoulders rather than the back, using an underhand grip - this will allow you to keep your arms parallel to the floor as you perform the front squat. Lower yourself into the squat, then push back up to a standing position. As you're doing this, you'll feel those core muscles working.

Try to do each of these moves in two to three sets of six to eight reps each, using a weight that's just heavy enough to be challenging. You can do this entire core workout in just a few minutes. But if you want, you can do this for longer.