Why the same old crunches make your belly stick out
When you think of a flat stomach, you think of crunches. But the usual ones only work the outer muscles. Underneath you have the transverse, which works like a natural corset, and if you don't know how to activate it, every crunch you do pushes your belly outward instead of pulling it in. That's why you bulge right at the line of your navel.
It isn't fat: it's misdirected pressure. And that can be relearned.