Overview
The Hundred is the reformer's signature breath work: supine with the legs in tabletop and the head and chest lifted, the arms pump against the springs for ten breath cycles of five pumps each. It is not an arm exercise — it is an abdominal endurance test disguised as one, and the breath is the point. Teach it only after the client can hold a stable supine curl without cranking the neck.
Setup
- A light-medium setting (in our reference ladder: 1 Green or 1 Yellow); footbar up.
- Lie supine with the legs in tabletop, the head and chest lifted, holding a strap in each hand with the arms long and hovering by the sides.
- The shoulder blades settle down and back; the gaze is toward the knees.
Key Teaching Cues
- Pump the arms from the shoulders — small, fast beats, not big swings.
- Breathe in for five pumps, out for five pumps; the pumps follow the breath, never the other way around.
- Keep the lower back anchored — the curl is held by the abdominals, not the neck.
- Keep the legs still in tabletop; the hips do not rock with the arms.
Common Faults
- Cranking the neck to lift the head and chest.
- Pumping from the elbows instead of the shoulders.
- Holding the breath and losing the rhythm.
- Sinking the curl as the arms fatigue.
- Rocking the pelvis with the arm beats.
Variations
- Regression: keep the head down and supported, arms hovering by the sides; or work the arms only with the legs bent and feet on the footbar.
- Progression: extend the legs long and low to increase the abdominal demand.
- Safety: for low-back sensitivity use the Bent-Knee Hundred with the feet on the footbar; for pregnancy after the first trimester, keep the head supported or move to side-lying; for osteoporosis, avoid the loaded curl — see the Low Back Pain Protocol and the Pregnancy Pilates Protocol.
Programming Notes
Place the Hundred early in the session as the first abdominal endurance test. Start with one set of ten breath cycles and build; the goal is rhythm and stability, not speed. It pairs naturally with the Short Box series and prepares the client for Coordination.