Question about abs work & neck

[Guest guest]

I just did Sansone's Firm Walk (toning, not walking) video today for the first time. During the abs work she has you come up in a crunch with your arms at your sides kind of pushing into it at the level of your body (slightly above it I guess). I was doing it but found it was putting so much pressure on my neck (even when I wasn't craning to look at the screen) that I wasn't sure it was doing me that much good. I felt so much uncomfortable pressure in my neck and not much in my stomach even though I had my back pushed down. I substituted for it by doing abs work the way I've always done it before which is to *lightly* put at least one hand behind my neck just for a little bit of support (did that for when you twist to each side as you come up, had both hands behind my neck for coming up straight), press my back into the floor (especially my lower back) and then come up. I felt a much better pull in my abs and almost none on my neck. Is this an indication that my abs are not very strong (which they aren't right now, I haven't worked them regularly in about a year) and I'll work up to not needing to support my neck or it no problem at all and my way is just another variation on the same thing (different strokes for different folks)?

Thanks for your help on this!