Pilates: The Hundred

Step 1: To prepare

Lie down on your mat with your legs bent, feet and knees together, arms down by your sides and back in imprint.

This is the starting position for the basic version of the hundred which is most recommendable for those who've never done Pilates before or people who suffer from occasional lower back ache.

Let's briefly review the coordination of the breath and arm action. You breathe in over the count of 5 while lightly beating your arms up and down and then breathe out also over the count of 5, continuing to beat your arms. Do this until you reach one hundred.

Step 2: The exercise version one

Inhale lengthen the back of your neck, exhale draw your shoulders down as you reach forwards and flex your upper body off the mat.

Now inhale and beat 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,10, inhale 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,20 inhale 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,30, and so on until you reach one hundred.

To finish inhale and reach a little further forward then exhale and relax back down to the mat.

Step 3: The exercise version two

To prepare, pick one foot, followed by the other off the floor to a table top position.

Now inhale and lengthen the back of your neck, exhale draw your shoulders down as you reach forwards and flex your upper body off the mat. Now inhale and beat 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,10, inhale 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,20 inhale 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,30 and so on until you reach one hundred.

To finish inhale and reach a little further forward then exhale and relax back down to the mat.

Step 4: The exercise version three

This is the most complete and challenging version of the hundred and is not recommendable to novices to Pilates.

To prepare, lengthen your legs out from the table top position to a low diagonal.

Now inhale and lengthen the back of your neck, exhale draw your shoulders down as you reach forwards and flex your upper body off the mat. Now inhale and beat 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,10, inhale 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,20 inhale 2,3,4,5 exhale 2,3,4,30 and so on until you reach one hundred.

To finish inhale and reach a little further forward then exhale, relax back down to the mat and hug your knees into your chest.