Hundred

Today we're looking at the Hundred. This is one of the first exercises you do in Pilates mat work. It's one of the signature exercises of Pilates, and you'll almost always find some version of it in class. Why do we do it? It's to work the abdominals.

It's to strengthen your core. It's one of the first places we go. It's also for breathing, so you can see that main principle come through throughout the exercise. Showing you the ultimate form of the exercise is Amy Havens. She's lying flat-- this is the set-up for you.

She's lying flat. Her feet are together. You can choose-- and your instructors will change this. So just listen to them. You can choose with your feet apart, heels together.

Or keep them parallel. From there, take your inhale. On the exhale curl your head, neck, and shoulders up. Reach the arms to about hip height, maybe a little higher, and float the legs up. The way that Amy is holding this is deep, deep, deep in the center.

If this is too much, you can take the legs higher or even bend them. So just know that. You want to make sure that your body is still, and it feels OK in the low back. From there she starts to pump her arms, inhaling for five counts. And exhaling for five counts.

She's going to do that 10 cycles. She inhales and exhale two, three, four, five. And inhale-- she does that 10 cycles and that becomes the Hundred. That's the name. How's it feeling so far?

So far, so good. So this is that one. It heats you up. You get to focus on expanding the lungs and filling the lungs. And really centering your body and your mind as you go through the rest of your workout.

Let's do one more cycle inhaling and exhaling. And then just release yourself to the floor. That's the Hundred.