A Safer Way to Strong Abs
Take a closer look. Repetitions:
For years, thanks to the aerobic craze of the '80s and '90s, we have been told in order to make your stomach look flat you had to bum the fat off through high-repetition abdominal exercises. That may not be the case. In fact, frequent, high-repetition abdominal crunches, although helpful in strengthening your abs, may actually cause or increase lower back pain.
The traditional crunch exercise can produce relatively high forces on your lower back by repeatedly flexing the trunk into the end of the range of
motion. This pressure can become even greater if you hold your breath during the exercise.
A good rule of thumb is to perform between 10 to 15 repetitions for each set of crunches or other abdominal exercises and don't hold your breath. You need to select an exercise that, when performed to your maximum ability, will result in the suggested amount of reps per set. If the exercise is too easy, add resistance by either changing to a partially declined surface or add a small weight over your chest or behind your head.
Proper form:
We have learned that old-school, full sit-ups are not necessary, which is why we all started doing those tiny sit-ups we refer to as crunches. The only problem is we have shortened up the motion too much.
The traditional abdominal crunch exercise does not allow the abdominal muscles to contract through their entire normal range of motion. The abdominal crunch is equivalent to training  the biceps muscles by doing arm curls only half way. If it makes sense to train your arm muscles through their full range of motion, then doesn't it make sense to do the same with the abdominal muscles? Here's how:
One of the safest, most effective abdominal training exercises is the stability ball curl-up.
The stability ball curl-up doesn't require much time or fancy equipment - you can purchase a ball at most fitness or sporting good stores. Your abdominal muscles will be strong throughout the normal range of motion for the spine, which will protect your back from injury and allow you to have additional strength for athletics. 
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