The Hundred
What’s your progression journey when it comes to The Hundred?
Are you still working on it?
There is no time frame for what progress should look like for any of us—and there is certainly no rule that all bodies must look the same during this exercise.
It isn’t even important if some of us never get the legs low enough to hover over the Mat.
We are all unique but we share this: We are all stronger now than we were without Pilates in our lives.
I remember watching my teacher performing the Hundred with her legs straight a couple of inches above the Mat at the age of 75.
Now I have clients who are approaching 80 and that’s what their Hundred looks like. 😊
You may have to wait to try the Hundred if you are injured, or deconditioned.
And that’s completely fine.
Before the exercise itself comes a few basic skills that make it possible to do it correctly and safely.
First, you learn how to access your lower and upper abdominals so they can support the weight of your legs, your head and neck. Then you practice breathing while the abdominals stay active. You add repetitions, and eventually are able to perform the entire exercise.
These may seem like small gains, but they are the building blocks that prepare your body and mind for this exercise. The Pilates method is full of these small but significant building blocks.
What your Hundred looks like any given day is a reflection of your working level.
Your working level is the way that your body moves today.
Now.
During this workout.
It can be entirely different from how it was during your previous Pilates lesson.
Maybe last week you were able to keep your legs straight, but today because your lower back feels a bit vulnerable, you need to bend your knees.
Your neck feels tight and you need to prop the head up on a pillow.
It’s okay to modify the Hundred.
Just don't get used to it or you will lose the strength you gained by practicing so diligently.
For the past 28 years, the name has definitely undergone a transformation. I’ve heard it called, and I’ve called it:
"One Hundred"
"Hundred"
"Hundreds"
"The Hundred"
You can learn a lot about your body when you can or cannot perform some version of the Hundred exercise.
It is a very accurate assessment tool.
It demonstrates your overall stamina, how strong your deep layer of the abdominals really is, your spine flexibility, your lung capacity, your coordination of breathing and movement. How strong is your lower back, neck, legs and arms.
Imagine the abundance of information your teacher gets about you just from this one exercise.
Imagine how successful of a Pilates journey they can map out for you because they know you. 😊
A lot of people love Pilates —until The Hundred shows up and their neck starts hurting.
Putting the head down isn’t the answer. Neither is avoiding the exercise altogether.
Reducing the repetitions or using props allows you to practice The Hundred with proper support while building the strength needed to hold it correctly.
When you pair that with exercises that teach head and neck support, the exercise becomes sustainable — not painful.
The goal isn’t to push through discomfort.
It’s to build the support that makes the movement possible.
I find it troublesome that our modern life has quietly made many of the people that make their way into Pilates studios today weaker than they should be.
They sit for long hours, move less, and gradually lose the strength that human bodies are designed to have.
As a result, even a basic Pilates exercise like the Hundred is impossible to teach.
But, I’m hopeful that with their determination and guidance they will eventually get there.
It will just take them a bit longer but then they will be stronger because of it.
The encouraging part is that the body can relearn strength and coordination once we begin training it again.