Whenever I do ab exercises, my neck and back hurt. How can I strengthen my core and work towards a six-pack?

• Neck or back pain while performing ab exercises like crunches is very common, but often because those movements are quite advanced.
• It can also be a sign that your technique isn't right or you're trying to do too much, personal trainer Tashi Skervin-Clarke told Insider.
• Instead, you should be focusing on core-strengthening exercises that resist movement, like planks.
• Go back to basics by starting with floor-based exercises, ensuring your keep your back pressed firmly to the ground beneath you.
• Defined abs aren't everything, but if you stick with your calorie deficit and strengthen the muscles, they'll come through.
• Read more Working It Out here.

Dear Rachel,

I want to work on my core strength but really struggle with ab exercises as I always seem to feel pain in my neck and back. I don't have a lot of excess fat on my belly and hope to lose a bit more by continuing with the calorie deficit that's been working for me so far, but I know I can increase ab definition by building up the muscles too.

I'm also aware that I need a strong core to support me in my training, which is a mixture of resistance and cardio. What can I do to develop my abs and core strength without hurting my neck and back?

— Stumped

Dear Stumped,

This is a struggle I know all too well.

Every time I go to an exercise class that involves movement like crunches, I have to use my hands to support my head because the neck pain is so bad. I've tried so many different tricks that are supposed to help, but to no avail.

So I'm very pleased you asked this question — I've consulted three experts who explained how we should be training to strengthen our core and build our ab muscles without hurting our necks and backs.

The pain could be down to incorrect form

It's possible that the reason you're feeling pain (and not the ab-burn we're looking for) when performing certain core exercises is that your technique or positioning isn't quite right.

"There could be a number of reasons why your back and neck hurt during core exercises, but one of the main causes of neck pain during ab exercises like crunches is due to simply straining your neck," Tashi Skervin-Clarke, qualified personal trainer and founder of the TSC Method, told Insider.

"Make sure you're lifting up your shoulders to support your neck, unclench your jaw, and you can always cradle your head in your arms to offer more support."

If the pain is more in your back, this can be a sign that you're trying to do too much.

"Try to lower your rep count or try a regression of an exercise," Skervin-Clarke advised.

"Don't be afraid to take regular breaks too. If you feel any discomfort in your lower back, take a break, catch your breath, and go again."

If you know your form is on point but a movement still hurts, leave it.

Think resistance, not movement

According to elite personal trainer Luke Worthington, core training should focus on resisting movement, rather than promoting it.

"If we imagine our bodies as a series of segments, the hips and the shoulders should both be areas of motion and mobility (and they have the large cross-sectional areas of muscle to assist that), our midsection should be an area of stability — the muscles we have there are designed to stabilize and protect," he told Insider.

"Training our core to resist movements gives our whole body mechanics the opportunity to move in the way it should, and addressing any kind of movement dysfunction should always start with re-establishing this starting point.

It's for this reason that Worthington recommends avoiding exercises that involve moving the core, especially as someone who experiences neck pain.

"If you're doing endless crunches and sit-ups then this is actually encouraging and promoting movement through a segment that should be stable, and also creating work for the neck that it was never intended to do," he said.

Maya Saffron, a female-only personal trainer, pointed out that many ab exercises in popular workout plans are far too advanced for most people and you need a very strong core already to be able to perform them right, hence why we feel pain in our necks and backs.

Instead, Saffron also recommends performing exercises that involve stillness.

Try isometric holds like planks: "I would recommend isometric ab exercises (where you hold a position) to build the deep internal core strength in the transversus abdominis," she told Insider.

There are tons of ways to modify planks, and I find they never lead to any neck pain personally.

Focus on floor-based exercises

To start working your core muscles in a painless and effective way, go back to basics.

"Try scaling back the core training and starting with exercises that are floor-based and encourage correct alignment of the hips and lower back," recommends Worthington, who has a six-week dedicated Core Training Guide designed to be used from a mobile device.

"Choose exercises that challenge your core to resist movement in all three planes of motion: Sagittal (front to back), frontal (left to right), and transverse (rotation)."

Once you've built strength and stability in floor-based exercises, Worthington said you can then move on to kneeling and eventually standing, but only when you're ready and can work well in all three planes of motion.

Saffron, who is a pre- and post-natal specialist focusing on core strength, suggested lying on the floor with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Walk your legs away from you then back to the starting position.

"Pay close attention to how your lower back moves on and off the floor," she said. "You want to carry out all floor ab exercises with your back firmly on the floor." This is how you ensure your core muscles are working.

Equally, ensure you engage your core while doing any other exercises.

Saffron pointed out that correctly performed push-ups, for example, can be a great movement to strengthen the core muscles — which is something I definitely noticed when undertaking my 100 days of 100 push-ups challenge earlier this year.

Make sure you activate your core properly before performing your main workout too, so that your muscles are primed to support you.

Ab definition will come from keeping body fat down and gradually increasing strength

Starting with floor-based exercises and gradually progressing will prevent the neck from doing any unnecessary work, whilst also building your muscles.

"It will encourage balanced development of the whole abdominal area, so when the body fat is reduced, the 'six-pack' abs are there!" said Worthington.

It's great that you already understand that you can't spot-reduce fat, so kudos for cracking on with your calorie deficit.

"Full marks for understanding that fat loss comes down to energy balance rather than a specific type of training," said Worthington.

However, whether you reveal popping abs after losing the excess fat on your mid-section or not will come down to training.

"There is an expression that 'abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym,' which is not strictly true," said Worthington. "It's more accurate to say: abs are made in the gym, but revealed in the kitchen!"

Try not to stress about ab definition, as genetics play a huge role in this area. There's a lot more to life than having a six-pack, but if you focus on strengthening your muscles and fuel yourself adequately, aesthetic change will likely take care of itself in due course.

"If you are actively keeping your body fat percentage down and doing core strengthening exercises, you will start to see your ab definition come through," said Saffron.

Wishing you well,

Rachel

As a senior lifestyle reporter at Insider and a self-described fitness fanatic with an Association for Nutrition certified nutrition course under her belt, Rachel Hosie is immersed in the wellness scene and here to answer all your burning questions. Whether you're struggling to find the motivation to go for a run, confused about light versus heavy weights, or unsure whether you should be worried about how much sugar is in a mango, Rachel is here to give you the no-nonsense answers and advice you need, with strictly no fad diets in sight.

Rachel has a wealth of experience covering fitness, nutrition, and wellness, and she has the hottest experts at her fingertips. She regularly speaks to some of the world's most knowledgeable and renowned personal trainers, dietitians, and coaches, ensuring she's always up to date with the latest science-backed facts you need to know to live your happiest and healthiest life.

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