Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The hundred

The hundred is a classic pilates exercise. I searched youtube and found a video that goes over the form of the hundred so that you could also see what it looks like. It is generally one of the first exercises you learn. It gets your ciruculation going as well as strengthens your abdominal muscles. It is called the hundred because you are doing 100 beats with your hands. Breathing in for 5 beats and out for 5 beats counts as one repitition. You repeat that up to 10 times equaling 100 beats. Remember to take your time and work up to 100- you can always do 30-50-etc.

  • To get your head in proper position you want to keep your head down and nod your head bringing chin towards chest like you are trying to give yourself a double chin, then curl up to the tips of your shoulder blades using your abs aka "powerhouse"
  • 1st progression: If you are just starting out keep your feet on the floor with inner thighs connected and engaged-imagine squeezing a ball between the knees(this is not shown in the video)
  • 2nd progression is to bring your knees into your chest by lifting your feet off the floor.
  • 3rd progression is extending the legs up to 90 degrees with heels together and toes a fist distance apart. Making sure to engage the inner thighs as well as powerhouse.
  • 4th progression is extending the legs to 45 degrees.



Warning: If you feel any discomfort in the low back area bring your legs back in, you should not feel any back pain or neck pain. If you experience fatigue, straining, or pain in the neck let your head rest on the floor and you can continue the exercise. Remember to start at the basic exercise for the full set and progress from there.


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