It might have a delicious-sounding name - the muffin top - but that extra layer of padding between the waist and hipline is not so enticing.

And as summer draws closer, it's even harder to hide.

Exercise is a great way to banish a muffin top but forget about committing yourself to loads of sit-ups, because that alone won't make much of a difference, according to exercise physiologist Fiona Simper.

"Spot reduction is the idea that by exercising a certain body part you will lose weight from that area. It's a common misconception," she said.

"You will never attain a flat tummy by performing hundreds of crunches.

"To lose fat anywhere on the body, you need to burn calories following a cardiovascular and weight-training program."

Health author Caitlin Reid said the focus should be on shedding fat from all over, and the best way to do this was to include activities that used the major muscle groups, such as running or kickboxing.

Varying your work-out intensity could also encourage greater results.

Ms Reid said research showed that interval training was more successful at shifting abdominal fat than exercising at one constant intensity.

"This doesn't mean that endurance exercise isn't as good as interval training; just that it's beneficial to put some high-intensity training into your work-out occasionally," she said.

Combining endurance and resistance activities had been found to be more effective than endurance training on its own.

And if you are really determined to slim down, she advised stepping up the exercise from 30 to 60 minutes daily.

"The recommended 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week, provides meaningful protection against various chronic disease, but greater benefit is achieved by exercising for longer and harder," Ms Reid said.