Stop The Pain: Why Your Neck And Back Hurt After Ab Training

Neck tension and low-back discomfort after abdominal workouts usually mean the crunch is loading the wrong structures. When the head leads the lift or the lower back jams into the floor, the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis stay quiet while the cervical spine and lumbar tissues absorb the force. The exercise loses its purpose and injury risk rises. Recognizing three specific technique errors lets you redirect the work to the intended muscles.

Photo: Pravda.Ru by Анна Маляева is licensed under publiс domain

A man doing abs exercises

Error 1: The neck does the lifting

Many people initiate the crunch by jerking the chin toward the chest or reaching the chin upward. The head weighs several kilograms; when the neck muscles pull it, the cervical spine takes the load and the abdominals remain inactive. Pilates instructor Marina Guseva explains that control of the deep structures is lost. She suggests imagining a spring between the ribs and pelvis that you compress, while the hands fully support the head’s weight so the neck stays relaxed.

A practical correction: place one hand on the lower abdomen and the other on the lower ribs. On each exhale, feel the ribs move toward the pelvis and the belly flatten inward. Closing the eyes during this drill helps the nervous system recognize true abdominal shortening instead of chasing visual height.

Error 2: Flattening the lower back too hard

Pressing the lumbar spine forcefully into the floor often tucks the pelvis excessively. A telltale “dome” then pushes up along the midline of the abdomen, signaling that intra-abdominal pressure is rising and the transverse abdominis is being stretched rather than strengthened. Therapeutic exercise instructor Andrey Solovyov notes that the lumbar spine should keep its natural, slight curve and the weight should rest on the center of the sacrum. If the belly bulges upward during the lift, the inner unit is overwhelmed and must be retrained with slower movement.

The source describes a “vacuum-pack” sequence: begin the exhale slightly before the trunk rises. As air leaves, the abdomen draws in and compacts; only then do the ribs approach the pelvis. This order protects the spine from unnecessary compression.

Error 3: Chest breathing, breath-holding, and abdominal doming

When the rib cage rides up and down, energy leaks into accessory motion. On the inhale the ribs often flare and the low back arches, making the subsequent curl ineffective. A sharp exhale on effort creates a Valsalva-like bearing-down that pushes the abdominal wall outward — the opposite of the desired flattening.

Personal trainer Artem Kiselev emphasizes finding the contact point of the lower back ribs with the floor — the zone just above the lumbar spine. Holding that contact throughout every repetition forces the deep core muscles to work at full capacity even when the range of motion is small. Stabilizing the rib cage isolates the abdominals; a prolonged exhale through a narrow lip opening activates the transverse abdominis, the muscle responsible for a flat abdominal wall in daily life, in its most natural way.

Practical takeaway

The priority in any crunch variation is not how high the shoulders rise but whether the ribs move toward the pelvis on a controlled exhale while the head rests heavy in the hands and the lower ribs stay glued to the floor. If neck strain, low-back pain, or abdominal doming appear despite these cues, the exercise has exceeded the current capacity of the deep stabilizers. At that point, reduce the range, regress to a dead-bug or supine breathing drill, or seek hands-on guidance — independent repetition of a faulty pattern will not self-correct.