You finally get your behind to the gym, get down on a dirty gym mat, get into that all too familiar crunch position, get mentally syked up for an abominal abdominal workout, and all you get is a pain in the neck!
Could anything be more annoying than your neck giving out before your abs do?
Yeah, maybe that Solider Boy Song!
Why this may happen:
The muscles of the front of the neck, like the chest and front shoulder, can become overactive and tight due to our seated posture. Imagine what position your head is usually in when you are on the computer? This forward jutted head position makes it hard for the muscles of the neck to relax, this is why they become greatly involved to stabilize the head when you are doing your crunches.
Some potential neck saving strategies:
Instead of pulling on your neck when your hands are behind your head, keep your fingers behind each ear and push your head back into your hands with only 5% strength while doing your crunches.
Alternate a set of a rib to hip with a hip to rib abdominal exercise, this will give you a small neck break while your head is resting on the ground.
Incorporate some isometric abdominal exercises which keep the head lined up with the shoulder preventing muscle stress in the neck.
Find an abdominal strength machine that keeps your body in a upright position, rather than lying reducing the forces of gravity on the neck musculature.
Try a twist on the usual neck breaking exercise with a cable trunk twist (see below)
Yeah, maybe that Solider Boy Song!
Some potential neck saving strategies: