The Hundred exercise is considered one of the most effective Pilates exercises. Its implementation helps to fully work out the abdominal muscles, and to keep them in good shape all the time. It got its name because of the unusual breathing method, which consists of 10 approaches (10 breaths and 10 breaths).
This exercise is also actively used to warm up muscle groups before training on the mat.
Execution technique
Do the exercise "Hundred" as follows:
- Lie on your back, align your legs, lift them somewhere 60 degrees from the floor surface. If in this position it is inconvenient to keep the pelvis neutral, the legs can be raised slightly higher. Socks should be slightly pulled out and hands should be straightened along the body with palms down.
- As you exhale, draw in your stomach and slightly raise your upper body, for example, as you do when twisting on a press. Hands should be kept stretched forward at a distance of 15 to 20 centimeters from the hips, and palms should "look" down.
- Inhale, then move your hands up and down 5 times. You must breathe constantly during execution.
- After exhaling, repeat the same movements 5 times, actively working with your respiratory system. In total, it is necessary to make 10 such approaches, so that as a result exactly 100 oscillatory movements are obtained. The body should be in the same position.
- After completing all the actions, lower your hands, accept the starting position.
Muscle groups that are included in the work
Many people believe that the “Hundred” exercise for the press does not involve other muscles in the body. In fact, during work actively loaded:
- direct, internal and external oblique abdominal muscles, responsible for the stabilization of the ridge;
- the rectus femoris muscle, the comb muscle, the tailor muscle and the muscle responsible for the tension of the broad fascia of the thigh. Their main function is to bend the leg in the hip joint.
Muscles Receiving Indirect Load
In addition to the muscles listed above, the Hundred exercise also involves the following muscles:
- transverse abdominal muscle stabilizing the position of the spine;
- calf and soleus muscles, flexing feet in the soles;
- chest muscles (sterno-costal bundles), latissimus dorsi, and large round muscles involved in extension of the arm in the joint of the shoulder;
- chest muscles (bundles in the clavicle) and front deltas, bending the arm at the shoulder joint;
- large, thin, long and short adductors of the thigh ;
- triceps - the muscle responsible for flexion of the elbow.
"Planck" - an alternative to "Hundred"
Exercise "Hundred" and "Planck" in many ways are very similar, since both work out many muscles of our body. The “plank” is able to tone the muscles of the arms, shoulder girdle, legs and abdominal cavity. There are many variations of this exercise: there are ways to perform that are designed for beginners, and there are more time-consuming and energy-intensive ones that should be performed only by experienced athletes. Let's look at the classic plank technique:
- Stand on all fours, leaning on your forearms, keeping your elbows at shoulder level, placing your knees in line with your hips.
- Align your body with your toes.
- Stand in this position until the breath begins to go astray and the muscles of the body are completely tired.
Some important tips:
- the abdominal muscles must be kept inverted and tense;
- the spine should be in an even position, and the body should be stretched in a straight line from the head to the heels;
- the shoulders should be below the level of the ears, and the hands should be at the same level with the shoulder joint;
- no need to lift the blades much.
The more correctly you perform these exercises, the better they will affect the muscles of the body. Such training tones the whole body. Good luck