toning abs

^^Yup.

I've also heard genetics play a role too.

10% is the figure for men - thought it was a fair bit higher for women?

There is no way you can 'burn stomach fat' - you can only 'burn fat' and your body will decide where it feels like burning it from.
Unfortunately my stomach is the last place it decides too.

I started doing the 'Weider 6' which is targetted at Abs, but since getting the capability, I've left that and am just doing the big 'compound' moves as per 'starting strength'.
From a session of squats/bench press/deadlift I've had a few times that I've really felt it in my abs, so it's definitely have an affect there. There's plenty on here with enviable six packs built from that sort of thing, so I'm happy enough with that.

i'm certainly not saying i have wonderful abs but you can see SOMETHING and i'm lucky if i'm 15% bf. btw bf% measuring is pretty inaccurate even if done professionally so just throughing out some bf% number as a goal is pretty pointless.

however, its obviously worth making the point that if you have too much body fat, you could have the most developed abs every and never see them.

but to answer your question, the best ab exercises i know are hanging leg raises and hanging knee raises. they are done pretty much how you see people doing them in that 'seatless chair/ dip' apparatus you see at gyms lol. Only you have to hang from a pull up bar (or something) and you move slowly so you don't use momentum to lift your legs. you can get arm slings so that you don't have to worry about grip strength. you'll be surprised at how much more directly it focuses on the abs when done hanging from a bar vs. the seatless chair thing (i should really learn the offical name of that thing).

There are plenty of other wonderful CORE exercises out there that will produce plenty of other pretty muscles in your middsection (and the exercises provide more functional, atheltically useful strenght), but as far as i can tell, these focus directly on the six pack the best. Google 'legendary abs II', there might be a pdf. i know the name sounds really cheesy but its a great program, has 9 progressive levels and is over in 5 min.

that being said, if thats you in the picture then the sit ups are really working for ya

but to answer your question, the best ab exercises i know are hanging leg raises and hanging knee raises. they are done pretty much how you see people doing them in that 'seatless chair/ dip' apparatus you see at gyms lol. Only you have to hang from a pull up bar (or something) and you move slowly so you don't use momentum to lift your legs. you can get arm slings so that you don't have to worry about grip strength. you'll be surprised at how much more directly it focuses on the abs when done hanging from a bar vs. the seatless chair thing (i should really learn the offical name of that thing).

I have to agree with this..I can do planks, side planks, sit ups, crunches, scissor crunches...but just started doing this with my pull up bar, and man, after like 10 I'm DONE! But you still can't see my abs got more work to do in the kitchen

If you are in a gym and you don't like weights have a look for "Absolutely Abs", "CX Workout" or even pilates. If you want athletic abs rather than a "six pack" you don't really need weights.

But you have to get the fat off to see them.

I'm at 12% BF and my abs didn't even start to show until I did deadlifts and squats...you need to lift heavy weights to make it happen happen doll.

i'm not knocking deadlifts or squats. but i don't do them because there is no squat rack and deadlifts are a no no at planet fitness lol.

i'd say your abs are involved in any and every lift. don't think squats and deadlifts are essential, but they'll probably help with the abs and pretty much all other aspects of fitness except maybe flexibility