Whenever I do crunches, I always strain my neck! How can I do crunches without straining my neck?

Try placing your hands (clenched as fists, palm-in) under your chin, keeping your elbows out slightly. Start out slow, then you can speed up a little as you get better at it.

This is used to perfect form in some martial arts excercises and I've seen a similar method in calisthenics. It prevents you from using your head as a counterweight by snapping it forward into the excercise to gain momentum. As indicated by another user here, your goal is to use the abdominal muscles.

You are NOT doing crunches correctly if you're straining your neck. You're not relying on your stomach to lift. When you lie on your back and get ready to crunch, make sure there is no space between the floor and the small of your back. And use those abs like you're supposed to!

yes your form for the crunches may be correct but your pulling up on your neck and putting the strain on your neck so as a result your neck is going to hurt

TO DO PROPER CRUNCHES, PLACE YOU ARMS ACROSS YOU CHEST AND PLACE YOUR HANDS ON THE OPPOSITE SHOULDER. PLACE YOU LEGS STRAIGHT IN THE AIR THEN BEND YOUR KNEES AND KEEP YOUR LEGS IN THAT POSITION. YOU SHOULD BE DOING 50 CRUNCHES STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN. THEN 50 TO THE LEFT, TOUCHING YOU RIGHT ELBOW TO YOU LIFE KNEE, AND 50 TO THE RIGHT, TOUCHING YOUR LEFT ELBOW TO YOU RIGHT KNEE. AFTER THAT YOU SHOULD LAY FLAT AND LIFT LEGS (KEEPING KNEES AND THIGHS TOGETHER) STRAIGHT IN THE AIR. YOU WILL FEEL THAT IMMEDIATLY AND DO 50 OF THOSE AS WELL. THAT IS 200 CRUNCHES...EACH SET WORKING OUT A DIFFERENT PART OF YOUR STOMACH. THAT WILL GIVE YOU RESULTS IN NO TIME! AND WILL NOT STRAIN ANYTHING!!!

Is it in the front? Because I do the same thing. We basically put pressure on our neck and not use our ab strenghth. I'm not sure if that's correct but I'll stick aroudn to find a solution for this.

you need to support your neck with your hands. Not pull up with your hands but support ir. This happenes because your body may not be used to working those muscles and other muscles are trying to work with it. That would be your neck and therefore it starts to hurt.

Try moving your lower body to work your abs instead. I also suggest putting a tennis ball under your chin while doing regular crunches to make sure you are keeping your form (put the ball between your chest and chin, to keep it elevated).

try different ways of doing stomach exercises

heres some different ones you might wanna try

Hanging Leg Raise,Russian Twist and One-arm high pulley crunches

You're not making your stomach muscles do the work. Also, don't curl your head forward, towards your knees, keep it more at an angle when you bring it up, a little more straight.

Maybe try tucking your chin into your chest while crunching?