Pilates Exercise: The Hundred
with
Katherine Korp
The pilates hundred is a classic exercise that targets abdominal endurance and builds core strength. See how to master the hundred through proper form and breathing.
Transcript: Pilates Exercise: The Hundred
Hello, I am Katherine Corp of Pilates on Fifth in New York City for About.com. Today, we will explore the classical pilates exercise, The Hundred. My model will be my sister, Kimberly.What Is the Pilates Hundred?
The hundred is a great exercise for targeting abdominal endurance. We will also explore the breath – five inhales and five exhales, which are great for learning how to keep the abdominals engaged while breathing.Get in Position for the Hundred
So let's begin. You will start lying on your back with your knees bent. The first important thing is that you want to create a strong connection with your abdominals before you lift both legs off the mat.Lift Into the Hundred
So we will have Kimberly roll her hip bones closer to her ribs, so the lower back is aiming toward the mat, but it may or may not touch, depending on your makeup. But your abdominals are nice and taught, and your ribs are closing together. Then you lift one leg into a tabletop position. And then on the exhale, lift the other leg into tabletop position. Inhale, lengthen the back of the neck, and exhale straighten the legs as you curl the head and shoulders off the mat, reaching the arms about shoulder height. From here we begin the exercise.Breathing in the Hundred
So we inhale, two, three, four, five and exhale, two, three, four, five, and inhale, two, three, four, five, and squeeze and squeeze the inner thighs. So with the breath, you can either do a staccato breath or you can do smooth breaths like Kimberly is doing. She is inhaling smoothly for five counts and exhaling smoothly for five counts. Both are correct.The Hundred Modification
You can also bend your knees in this exercise if the weight of your legs starts to get too heavy. What we do not want is we do not want the hips to start to roll away from the rib cage. That is very bad for the lower back. So a lot of times, if you just bend your knees, reestablish connection, you will be good to go.Finish the Pilates Hundred
To finish, you exhale, two, three, four, five, you bend the knees and curl up even more on an inhale, and exhale, the head and shoulders come down. And then you let one leg drop, and then the other leg drop, and that is The Hundred.Thanks for watching! To learn more, visit us on the Web at About.com.
