Warming Up in Pilates - The Hundreds

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Raymond_Villon]Raymond Villon
The typical warm-up exercise in any Pilates style is the exercise known as "The Hundreds". The hundreds gets its name from the breath count implemented while performing the exercise. During the movement, the person would inhale for a count of five followed by exhalation for a count of five. This would be done ten times, making the total breath count one hundred. It can increase circulation of the body in a short amount of time so that it can prepare for a vigorous workout. It is important to do this exercise correctly so no neck or back pain can occur.
The hundreds can be done just about anywhere. It can be done as a part of mat work, or on the reformer apparatus. I've even seen it done on top of the Cadillac apparatus and the Wunda chair too. The only thing needed is a flat surface to lie down on. The muscles used are the shoulders, chest, latissimus dorsi, and the core. The core is an overused term that means just about anything near the belly button so it is important to define what body parts those are. The core is made up of the transverse abdominus (TA), multifidus, diaphragm, and pelvic floor. The TA is special because it acts as a band that wraps all the way around your midline.
The set up includes doing the exercise on a thick mat. Unlike in yoga, Pilates practitioners tend to use mats that are at least 5/8 inch thick. This is because of the numerous spinal articulation movements involved in Pilates. The hundreds are done in supine position (face up) and with the legs in a table top position. To get into the table top, the legs are bent from the hip so that it is ninety degrees from the body. Then the knees are bent so that the lower legs are bent also ninety degrees from the body. The hands are face down on the floor but elevate as the upper body is curled up so that the chin is tucked to the chest. The upper body should be curled up so high that the scapula is lifted from the floor. The legs will straighten to a forty-five degree angle from the floor. It remains this way for the duration of the exercise. The straight arms then start pumping up and down. The breath should be in concert with the movement. As stated before, inhaling for a count of five breaths followed by exhaling for a count of five. This is repeated ten times until a count of one hundred is achieved.
Raymond Villon is a Los Angeles Pilates instructor who runs a business that brings a reformer apparatus to in home sessions.
He can be found at http://www.EastHollywoodPilatesCompany.com and http://www.ReformerRoadshow.com
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