The Abs Hundred Workout

by Toluwani Oyesola December 9, 2021

It is a classic Pilates mat exercise that is incorporated into almost every Pilates class you attend. The name is gotten from the number of beats the arms make while your legs are extended and your head and shoulders are off the mat.

Types of Hundred

Easy Hundred: This is a modified version of the real workout. In this type, you keep you head on the mat and place your feet on the mat (your knees should be bent) and then move your extended arm up and down.

One leg Hundred: It is a step further than the easy version. Raise one leg to table top position while keeping your head and the other leg on the mat. Then move your arms.

Table top Hundred: This modification helps to takes pressure off your upper body, place your body in a table top position as your start point. Then move your arms.

Table top with upper body raise: It is very similar to the variation, the only difference is in this form your raise up your head and shoulder while moving your arms up and down.

Low legs Hundred: This is a challenging form of this workout for advanced fitness levels. In this form you raise your upper body and straighten your legs and then lower as afar you can go without arching your lower back (45 degree level is enough). Then move your arms.

This workout can be quite challenging and thus have been modified to fit various fitness levels and people.

Muscles It Works

Abdominals (Transverse abdominis, Rectus Abdominis).

Quadriceps: (Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Medius, Vastus Intermedius).

Glutes (Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus).

Latissimus Dorsi and Deltoids.

How To Do The Hundred Workout

Step 1: Lie on your back. Bend your knees into table top position (ninety degrees) and place your arms by your sides.

Step 2: Raise your head and upper body off the mat to the base of your shoulder blades.

Step 3: Extend your arms and legs forward, and tighten your abs. your toes should be pointing towards the space in front of you.

Step 4: With your arms just a few inches over the floor, take 1 big breath in while you do 5 arm pumps and then 1 big breath out while you do 5 arm pumps.

Step 5: Do 10 cycles of 10 full breaths to get 100 arm pumps and don't forget to breathe.

*You can choose to lower your legs more, but only go as low as possible without lifting your lower back.

Benefits of the Hundred

Stabilize the Trunk: Doing this workout regularly, helps to develop your trunk stabilization.

Body Alignment: It helps to align your body from the head to the toes, particularly the pelvis.

Strong Core: It mainly works the muscle in the core and helps to build the strength around that area.

Good Posture and Stamina: When you have a strong core, it would lead to better posture and increase the body's stamina.

Common Injuries:

For the most part, this workout pose no risk, but when the body is not properly positioned, it can lead to strain on the muscles.

Neck Strain: If the head is not in a neutral position or if the chin is raised up, tension can be formed in the neck leading to strain in that area.

Lower Back Ache: When the legs go to low, it can cause you to arch your back and take away the effort from your abs to your back muscles. Overtime, this can cause ache in the back.

Who should not do the Hundred

Pregnant people that have passed the mid-point of pregnancy: Also avoid any exercise that involves lying on your back.

Those that have pelvic floor problems: This working places downward pressure on the pelvic floor.

The hundred is a workout that can be done as a part of a your warm-up as a dynamic stretch and also a part of your main core workout. If you have neck or back issues, it is best to do the modified versions of this workout, to avoid overworking the muscles.