I was told in a class that putting my arms above my head or holding a weight above my head while doing sit-ups would cause my neck muscles to over develop and give me a “football players” neck. I’m a woman and I don’t want a big neck! What’s with this?

With most exercise and when doing sit-ups or crunches, form is more important than anything else.  When you extend the arms above your head with or without a weight, you have lengthened the lever arm your abdominal muscles have to lift up. The longer the lever, the more work the ab muscles have to do to lift you up. Sit-ups are an exercise meant to develop the muscles of the core and not the neck.  Therefore, if you are feeling any stress in the neck muscles it is because your form is compromised and you are pulling up with your head and not lifting with your core. Many people do not do sit-ups correctly; it is easy to get them wrong. If you believe your form is compromised, check with your instructor or with a personal trainer.