For the most part, the ab instructions you get from personal trainers, workout DVDs and other resources today are straight forward and mirror images of one another. Some trainers have unique ways of working different parts of the body but the basic science behind every workout remains the same.

That is, most of the science remains the same and most trainers use the same strategies to get people in shape. There are some little known strategies and secrets that a lot of trainers don't know. One of those little known secrets is an exercise that allows your tongue to stimulate the muscles deep in your neck so the spinal sections located around your neck are stabilized.

Yes, you can do that with your tongue! Before you roll your eyes or assume this is a joke, stick around and try it just once. You will see that ab instructions like these really do work.

Why would this be considered ab instructions when it involves the neck muscles? This is a good question with a good answer: you can use this little known secret to support your neck muscles when working out. It is especially useful when doing crunches on the floor.

Many people don't like doing crunches on the floor because it causes a lot of tension and pain in the muscles in the back of your neck. This is why most trainers will have you place your hands on the back of your neck or head. The problem is you are putting too much strain on those back neck muscles as they tense up to support the head and spine around your neck.

You can prevent this by learning to stabilize the head with the muscles in front of the neck. That is the muscle group that should be holding your head up during crunches. If you guessed your tongue is the secret to making that happen, you are correct.

If you press your tongue against the roof of your mouth just behind your top teeth, you should feel the deeper muscles in your neck engage and tighten. You may have to apply a bit of pressure to feel this, but you are essentially engaging those front neck muscles when you are doing crunches and similar exercises.

You may not have heard of this before, but it is a legitimate secret to ab instructions. Many trainers just don't know about it! It was our on board fitness expert Ross Harrison at VFT who actually put me onto it. We have video instructions provided for it.

You can use this tongue secret anytime you need to support your neck and head without using your arms and hands. This will apply to many situations in life for some people, but it is especially useful for personal trainers and those who work through ab instructions regularly. When put into play with crunches you may not even need to put your hands behind your head.

When practiced consistently, little known ab instructions like this can strengthen those front neck muscles so they naturally give better support to the neck and head.