How to stop neck pain while doing Ab Exercises...

We all strive to have 6-pack abs- Alas if it were that easy ! Most people exercise inappropriately and don't have proper form, leading to more pain.
Recently I noticed the following question on Yahoo Answers: "I do abs alot and i know everyone gets neck pain is there a way to prevent that?" I thought it was very interesting and a useful tidbit that I know my blog readers will find helpful.

Answer: Don't flex your head forward when doing abs- ie try not to bring your chin to your chest when coming up. This is very common and actually can cause neck pain because it places stress on the cervical spine. Keep your neck neutral and look up to the ceiling when doing your ab workout, to prevent any neck involvement.If you are somebody that interlocks your fingers behind your head, change that to placing your finger tips behind your ears when doing abs, that way your cannot pull on your head and neck (or cross your arms and hands across your chest). Focus on crunching with your abs and don't lift your head when doing abs. If your neck is sore, consider doing some cervical spine exercises to increase mobility and decrease pain: neck strengthening and stretching exercises is very important before doing any type of workout. Hope this helps.

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