5 Tips: Eliminate Neck Pain During Crunches.

Hey Davey,

Whenever I do crunches, I experience neck pain. What am I doing wrong?

Lots of love,
Collin

Hey Collin,

Crunches are a popular and effective exercise to increase abdominal strength. But when performed with compromised form, crunches can easily lead to neck pain and discomfort.

Here are some tips to maintain good form:

  • Maintain a fist-sized space between your neck and chest. This will decrease strain on the semispinalis and multifidi neck muscles.
  • Don’t tense your neck; keep neck muscles relaxed while crunching.
  • Remember: The lifting motion is done by elevating your shoulder blades off of the floor rather than straining your neck forward.
  • If your arms are behind your head, do not pull on your head. To prevent this, fold your arms across your chest.
  • Stretch your neck muscles! It well help keep them relaxed.

If neck pain persists, then you’ll want to contact a medical professional for attention. And remember, as I shared in a recent YouTube video, it takes more than crunches to create a six pack!

Happy crunching!

Love,
Davey

About Davey Wavey

Davey Wavey is a certified personal trainer and YouTube sensation with more than 250 million video views. For Davey's fitness tips and secrets, sign up for his free monthly newsletter - or download any of his affordable and effective workout programs.

Comments

  1. Apparently from the picture, sliding your pants down to mid-thigh helps with that pesky neck pain!! LOL

  2. A tip I always use iis to find a point on the ceiling and stare at it while crunching, this forces my neck to stay relatively neutral and prevents the head moving without the abs working!

  3. I find it helps to hold my hands against the side of my head instead of behind my head, that way I’m not pulling my head forward.

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