Spot reduction — burning fat from one area by training it — is the zombie myth of fitness. A thousand crunches will build your abs. They will not reveal them. Fat loss is systemic: your body decides where it comes off, and it doesn't take requests.
What actually reveals abs (or lean arms, or defined legs): sustained fat loss through nutrition, plus muscle underneath built by training. Order matters — you can't carve what isn't there, and you can't reveal what's covered.
What to do instead
Train the muscle for shape and strength. Handle fat loss in the kitchen with a moderate, sustainable deficit. Be patient — the last place fat leaves is usually the first place you want it gone.
Yuki's takeaway
You can't crunch away belly fat. But you can build the muscle that shows up when it's gone.