It never ceases to amaze me that people who want to develop the ever-popular "six pack" abs will spend 30 minutes working their abs -- two or three times a week. While ab work will develop strong abs if done correctly, it will do nothing to burn the fat those newly buff abs are hiding beneath.
The opposite end of this scenario is where we find the people who do an hour of cardio, or more, every day -- and I'm talking ass-kicking cardio sessions -- and still look as soft as the Pillsbury Doughboy. All that cardio will usually create a lean face, lower body, and arms, but the torso will still be soft and smooth.
The answer, according to exercise physiologists in Korea and Japan, is combing a three-day-a-week full-body weightlifting program with three-day-a-week cardio sessions lasting about 60 minutes. The weight training helps shed fat in three ways: 1) burning calories during exercise, 2) increasing calorie use by muscle tissue at rest, and 3) stimulating the nervous system to release hormones (catecholamines like epinephrine and norepinephrine) that increase fat burning, especially in the abdomen.
[Info gathered from Testosterone Nation (click header to go there); do a site search for abdominals and you'll find good information and some excellent exercises.]
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