What’s the best routine for losing belly fat? Don’t get lost in the sea of information out there. Dropping the fat really isn’t that complicated. Here are four exercises to make it happen:

The Plank

This is one of the better exercises to tone your belly. You might want to use a rug or exercise mat to make it easier on the joints.

Start on the ground and raise yourself up using just the forearms and toes. Don’t let your back round out. Make sure it stays locked the whole time.

An important tip is to avoid letting your hips fall downward. You need to keep them as high as possible to get the full effect.

Then hold as long as possible. For many this will start out around ten to fifteen seconds. Whatever your number is, just gradually work your way up.

But remember it’s absolutely vital you keep your hips and back held high. It won’t work if you allow them to droop towards the floor.

Hanging leg raises

This is a variant of the standard crunch. Many prefer it because it’s more challenging, and in many people’s opinion more effective.

Start with hanging on a secure bar that is three or four feet above your head. Once your feet are off the ground, thrust yourself forward and up as high as you can until your feet are touching the bar you are holding.

Warning: this takes quite a bit of strength, and you might not be able to do many repetitions at first. Just keep working at it, and you will slowly build up.

Bicycle Crunch

This is another variation of the standard crunch, and it focuses on the rectus abdominus. This is the deepest of the abs muscles, and the one that most exercises fail to target.

Start in a standard crunch position, with your legs raised to roughly a forty five degree angle. From that position raise your knees and gradually assume the biking motion. As you do, just make sure you go far enough where your elbows and knees are touching.

Half Curl

Again, you want to start in a regular crunch position. From the standard position put your hands on your thighs.

Then gradually start raising your midsection to the halfway point between your chest and knees – the point where you feel a slight pull on your abdomen. Then slowly go back to the original position.

To wrap up: With all these workouts, start with a manageable amount and gradually increase your repetitions each week. You’d be amazed how much of a difference simply boosting your reps by 5-10 a week can make.