Myth Busting: Doing Sit-Ups Will Give You a Flat Stomach

So you've got a little bit of bulge on your tummy? Sit-ups will help kill that fat fast, right?
WRONG!

There's a common misconception that targeted exercises like sit-ups can help burn fat. Unfortunately, that's not true. Sit-ups, push-ups and other exercises like weight lifting are meant to build muscle, not burn fat. Doing sit-ups will give you a killer six-pack, but if that's all the exercise that you do your killer abs will still be obscured by fat.

The key to burning fat is cardio exercises, meaning any exercises that raise your heart rate, like running, stair climbing, bike riding, playing basketball or even walking. Those are the exercises that burn calories and fat quickly. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you get your heart rate up.

If you're a beginner you should shoot for 5 or 10 minutes of exercise at least 3 or 4 times a week. You can start off by taking the dog for a walk around the block, or walking up the stairs to your apartment instead of taking the elevator. You should try to exercise longer or more frequently every time. Before you know it you'll be exercising for 30 minutes every day. Then you'll see the pounds fly off.

Basically, it's not bad to do sit-ups. It's actually an excellent exercise for growing and toning your abdominal muscles, but unless you're also doing cardio to trim the fat then you're not going to be able to show off all your hard work. It takes a variety of different tricks do get into the shape that you want.