How to do the Pilates Hundred Exercise on a TRX
Classic Pilates workouts begin with the "hundred" exercise, which heats your body with 100 quick breaths, according to master Pilates teacher Romana Kryzanowska. Performing the hundred on a TRX suspension unit adds an element of instability that differs from traditional Pilates machines, according to TRX teacher Kirsten Gerding. The TRX hundred will strengthen your abdominal muscles while improving your breathing and coordination, notes Gerding. Try this exercise on the TRX for a new muscle challenge.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Beginner
-
1
Set up for the beginner hundred exercise by adjusting your TRX straps to full length. Lie face up with your hips under the TRX ceiling mount. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Grab the foot cradles, and extend your arms beside your hips with your palms facing down.
-
2
Draw your navel in as you lift your breastbone toward your knees in a low abdominal curl position. Take three inhale sniffs through your nose as you slide your arms out from your sides, into a letter "T" position. Exhale out in three tiny puffs as you slide your arms back by your hips. Maintain your low abdominal curl position as you perform 10 sets of this exercise. You will only reach a count of 60 total breaths at this beginner level.
-
-
3
Make the hundred easier by holding your head up for one set and lowering it down for the next set.
Intermediate
-
4
Set up for the intermediate Pilates hundred by bringing your legs into a tabletop position Bend your knees and float them directly above your hips. Lift your shins parallel to the floor. Grab the foot cradles, and extend your arms beside your hips with your palms facing down.
-
5
Engage your abdominal muscles and lift your breastbone forward until the top of your shoulder blades are off the floor. Take five inhale sniffs through your nose as you slide your arms away from your body, into a letter "T" position. Fill your lungs completely. Exhale out in five tiny puffs as you slide your arms back by your hips. Empty your lungs completely. Keep your legs in a tabletop position as you perform 10 sets of this exercise to reach 100 tiny breaths.
-
6
Intensify your lower abdominal work by squeezing a towel roll between your knees throughout the hundred.
Advanced
-
7
Set up for the advanced Pilates hundred by extending your legs straight toward the sky. Grab the foot cradles, and extend your arms beside your hips with your palms facing down.
-
8
Curl your upper body forward to peel your shoulder blades off the floor. Take five inhale sniffs through your nose and slide your arms out wide so your upper body looks like a letter "T." Keep your legs still. Exhale out in five puffs as you slide your arms back by your hips. Repeat this sequence 10 times.
-
9
Make this exercise harder by lowering your legs to a 45 degree angle. You can also add three to five small leg lifts in between each arm movement.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Pretend to hold a tangerine between your chin and the notch at the top of your chest. This will keep your head in the proper Pilates posture for the hundred, notes Gerding.
Put your head down if you start to feel your neck muscles. This will give your upper abdominal muscles a chance to recover. Alternate sets with your head up and down until you are strong enough to lift it for the entire series.
Do not use the TRX if you weigh more than 350 pounds. The maximum user weight for the TRX is 350 pounds.
References
- Photo Credit ring 8 image by Igor Negovelov from Fotolia.com
