I find that I can get more of an ab burning workout, with less strain to my back and neck by doing the following:

When using a Sit-Up bench..."Do Not" Touch your head or upper back onto the padding when going down. This not only strains your neck, but also puts most of the workout into your back.

I've been using this new method for 2 weeks now and my abs are stronger than ever. My back always gave out when I touched my head and upper back to the matte, but with the new method...I can do 5x more sit ups...5x the burn.

The reasoning is because by not letting yourself go all the way back, your continually putting stress on your abdominal muscles. A good way to 'target' them but make sure you do get 'close' to the bench as you still want to ensure your basically doing a full range of motion on them.

The reasoning is because by not letting yourself go all the way back, your continually putting stress on your abdominal muscles. A good way to 'target' them but make sure you do get 'close' to the bench as you still want to ensure your basically doing a full range of motion on them.
Oh yea. I touch my lower back for sure.

Also remember to stretch as far as you can (legs pushed down, arms above your head) like a 'superman' stretch afterwards and it'll help. Stretching is always recommended for any workout training.

Good Luck, thanks for the tip!