I have just started the Awesome Abs program but I find that when I do crunch-like excercses my neck hurts more than my abs. Is this just because I am not used to the exercises, should I carry on or maybe try and support my neck during the exercise? Any suggestions would be welcome.
Neck muscles are pretty important… might as well train them too.
Some things that might help:
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Hand placement - not behind your head. You might be pulling on your head to get height and straining your neck muscles. Touch them to your temples or cross them on your chest.
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Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth during the exercise. It’s a TC tip and it works. Don’t ask me why.
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Concentrate on moving your chest towards your hips not getting your head as high as possible. You’re working your abs here. You can also think of it as rolling your torso up towards your hips. Do not use how high your head reaches as an indication of the success of the reps.
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Close your jaw. It works like the tongue thing in keeping more tension in your neck. You don’t need to bite hard or anything, just keep it closed with as little effort as possible.
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You can also clench your fists hard in either arm position (on temples or across chest) - it will generate more tension in your body which is what you want.
Hope all that helps.
It’s probably incorrect form. Concentrate on lifting from your abs, and not from your head, if you know what I mean. Keep the mind in the muscle, abs in this case. Try to keep the neck and shoulders free of tension. I agree with the comment about putting the arms across the chest and not behind the head.