WOOHOO, this is brilliant, this thread is getting going!
WhiteLinen you've done the first program session already?! Fantastic, well done!
Actually I find running is great for keeping my abs flat, which will be an added bonus you can think of whilst working through those sessions! As for specific ab workouts, there are a few different things you can do which are a nice alternative to the boring old crunch. I found a fantastic list of exercises on the oxygen magazine website which I'm dying to try, check out this link:
http://www.oxygenmag.com.au/oxygen/pages/training.aspx - and click on the second link down for Instant Abs.
Other things I do right now are..
Pikes - lay flat on a bench with arms stretched out behind head. In a smooth movement, bring both arms and legs up above your head, and try to get your feet and hands as close to the ceiling as possible. Don't worry about touching hands to feet, just point them upwards. Hold for a second, then flatten back out to the starting position and repeat. This exercise always makes me laugh, because as I do it I inch my way along the bench like a caterpillar!
Dangling crunches - okay, I don't know the correct term for these, but this is what I do.. Find an overhanging bar, and dangle from your hands. Tuck your legs up to your chest, and lower back down just a little, so that they're still bent and tucked up, but not as tight a tuck if you see what I mean. Go from this loose tuck position to a tight tuck and release, repeat about ten times. These H-U-R-T!!
Incline crunches - easy old favourite done on an inclined crunch thingy where you hook your feet under the paddy bars to hang on. I use a higher incline to work lower abs more, and a gentler incline to do all over or to do obliques. Sometimes I add a 10kg plate, but when I do this I do the crunches more slowly so as not to pull my hip flexors.
Ab strength is very important for protecting your back, you're right, but you also need to use them the right way. I've had old back injuries from work (Paramedic) and every time I've needed treatment for these the exercises the physios give me are ab workouts. I know now how to protect my back whilst lifting, by tensing my lower abs and pelvic floor. Learning which muscles to tense takes practise, but you can tell when you're doing this right by placing a hand on your lower abs and feeling them contract. When you're doing it right, the top half of your abdomen should bulge out a little. I started practising doing this and holding it for five seconds, then releasing and repeating a few times when I remembered. Now I do it whenever lifting anything, and whilst doing ALL weights at the gym, and hey presto, no back problems!
HTH.
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JustLooking, thanks for joining the thread! HIIT gives an awesome workout and is a great way to burn fat, too. Also good for busy sorts who don't want to (or can't) spend an hour or more in the gym every day. What are your programs like, do you do them on a bike? Starting the Cto5km would be great for you, and a nice gradual way to increase your weekly workouts without nuking yourself all at once! Pilates is wonderful and will help earn you that six-pack.. I wish like mad that we had a Pilates class out here, but think I might try something myself with a dvd or something.
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Hi
Adi, another swimmer, cool! You sound like you're already well into your exercising program and are doing really well.. a ten kilo weight loss is an amazing achievement, you should be really proud of yourself!
I know
exactly what you mean about not being able to swim for fun, it's something I've found with nearly all ex-swimmers I know! I can post up some swim session ideas if you're interested, and if other people did that too that would be cool. I've trained with many different coaches in my time, and it's always interesting how different squads will use different sets and drills. It gets boring doing the same style of sets all the time, and I know I find it hard myself to always think a good variety of things to do. I post my swim sessions on my blog if you want to take a look, but since I'm still in rehab for my leg they're not very interesting, mostly long and steady as of course without kicking properly I can't get a decent sprint or threshold work going.
) at all this year, so I've made one. 
Read the starting post..! 
