Tips on preventing neck strain?

I find that I don't strain my neck as much on ab exercises if I focus on using the muscles I am supposed to be using for the particular exercise. If your abs are lifting your body off the ground then your neck should be relaxed, if you are letting other muscles do the work your neck will strain. Hope that helps!

When I was getting neck strain from ab exercises is because I was pulling my neck up with my arms rather than letting the abs do the work.

Try crossing them over at the front and see if that helps at all?

Take your hands away from your neck. Put them on your abs, so that you can feel how the muscles are moving. This will help you isolate them in your mind, and focus on contracting them. And look at the ceiling.

I have degenerative disk disease and there are may ab exercises I just can't do because of the strain. I know I may never get the same kind of abs as others (Big sigh) but, at least I have less pain and I had to decide what I could live with and what I couldn't - pain free is much better. I do all my exercises with weights while on a bosu so every exersice works my core. I keep my neck as neutral as possible. And if I have to do an exercise that involves the possibility of neck strain, I stick my tonge to the rook of my mouth - it is very hard to bend your neck when you do this.

/Kristine

yea, i dunno, i just try to remember chin up, there should be a space between ur chin and neck that you could fit your fist in, eyes on the ceiling always and lift with using ur abs only, no momentum, no jerkiness, shoulder blades off the floor.
oh yea, and if your putting ur hands behind ur head or neck there will always be a tendancy to pull...try crossing hands at chest(easiest-unless u wanna clench a weight to ur chest)), finger tips at temples (harder), hands over head (hardest). these r the 3 levels of difficulty that the instructors always give us as options in class.

Focus on looking up at the ceiling and keeping your chin off your chest, when you're doing the ab work put your fingers behind your ears rather than holding / cupping your head or as someone else suggested cross your arms over your chest.