Pilates Exercises Decoded: The Hundred
We’re bringing you a series of blogs where we showcase and explain some different Pilates moves - how to do them correctly, what parts of the body they benefit and more. First up, The Hundred.
Add this one to your daily or morning mat routine and we guarantee you’ll start to feel your strength grow as you continue to attempt it.
The Hundred
Origins: The original repertoire was from the man himself, Joseph Pilates.
Muscles worked: It’s a full body exercise, with a focus on the abdominals.
Health benefits: The Hundred is a great exercise for blood circulation and lung capacity. It helps to build a strong trunk, including upper and lower abdominal muscles.
Mat or reformer? The hundred can be practiced on the mat or reformer. Our video example below is shown on the mat, because this is a great exercise to make the foundation of any mat practice at home.
Beginner vs Difficult versions: It can take some time to develop enough strength to master the full version which requires strong lower abdominals to keep the legs lifted just above the floor with the lower back keeping connected to the mat or floor. Beginner variations can include legs all the way down to work on lifting the neck and shoulders up or legs in a table top position to lighten the load on the low abdominals while keeping the lower back grounded.
The biggest mistakes people make when doing this move:
Not lifting the head up high enough - it’s important to lift the head up on top of the shoulders and tuck your chin to create a shorter lever length making the neck more comfortable.
Allowing the low back to lift off the mat - legs should only go as low as the low back stays connected to the mat.