I tried Pilates Hundreds every day - and might just keep it up, they were so effective

We're almost at the end of 2024, and it's safe to say that Pilates workouts have been the trending workout of the year. I've been a fan of the practice for almost a decade, but with such focus around it, even I have ramped up my practice in the past twelve months, grabbing my grippy socks as often as I can.

So, when I was asked to try out Pilates Hundreds every day, I was delighted. A classical move, hundreds have long been an integral part of my repertoire, whether I'm practising at home or in my local studio, so I knew I'd enjoy the Pilates challenge. Plus I was interested to find out how doing hundreds every day might elevate my practice.

Why might doing hundreds every day be worth a go, you might be thinking? Alongside the many benefits of Pilates - think improved muscle tone, flexibility, and mood - as core moves go, hundreds are one of the safest, easiest and quickest to do every day. Not only are they effective for boosting core strength and endurance, but their focus on breathwork also cultivates a sense of calm and mindful practice, which makes them a truly unique move.

Keep scrolling to find out how I got on, and while you're here, don't miss our guides to the best Pilates exercises of all time, the different types of Pilates, and the best Pilates exercises for beginners.

I tried Pilates Hundreds every day - and I loved them for boosting core strength and calm

What are Pilates Hundreds?

If you've never so much as set foot in a Pilates class, you're probably wondering what on earth the Hundreds are. But trust us - they're not as scary as they sound.

"The Pilates Hundred is a foundational exercise part of the classical Pilates repertoire, designed to warm up the body, activate the core, and connect the breath with movement," explains instructor Aleksandra Warburton. "It involves lying supine (aka on your back), with your head and neck lifted, pumping the arms vigorously by your sides while maintaining a stable core and engaging the abdominal muscles."

Essentially, it's a half-hollow body hold, with arm movements - and the name comes from the aim of achieving 100 beats of the arms alongside the breath during the exercise; you breathe in for a count of five, and out for a count of five, until you've reached 100. We promise it doesn't take as long as you'd think.

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When were Pilates Hundreds invented?

History buffs, listen up. "The Hundred is the first exercise of Joseph Pilates' original 34 mat exercises," explains Pilates instructor Stacy Weeks. "It was published in his book Return to Life, in 1945, and as such, is the building block for many other Pilates exercises."

Given its current popularity, it's easy to forget that the method was originally developed back in the early 20th century, as a rehabilitation practice for injured war vets. It soon took off among the dance elite of New York City, and the rest, as they say, is history.

While the practice has moved on in the 100 years since, classical Pilates is still very much at the forefront of traditional classes, with a focus on breathwork, control, core strength and stability.

What are the benefits of Pilates Hundreds?

When it comes to the benefits of Pilates generally, the science speaks for itself. According to research (such as this study, published in the Journal of Physiology and Behaviour), the practice is effective in improving both physical and mental health, while it's especially beneficial for developing flexibility, mobility and core strength.

In fact, Pilates has long been hailed as one of the best ways to build core strength and stability - a central tenet of the practice. All Pilates moves begin with solid abdominal strength and control - Pilates himself originally named the practice "controlology", with the core being known as the body's powerhouse.

And Pilates hundreds in particular are known for their core activation - but this is far from their only benefit. Let's take a look at all the gains in more detail.

1. They boost core activation

As discussed above, Hundreds are a solid core move. But far from simply working the abs, the exercise targets the entire abdominal wall section, from obliques to the pelvic floor, and beyond.

"The Hundred targets the deep abdominal muscles, strengthening the core and supporting spinal alignment," notes Warburton.

2. They encourage full body enagement

While often considered a core move, when performed correctly the Hundred will engage muscle all over the body. You'll feel the burn in your lats, glutes, inner thighs and hamstrings alongside those deep abdominals.

3. They improve circulation

"As well as engaging many different muscle groups, the vigorous arm pumping synonymous with the hundred stimulates blood flow and warms up the body," explains Warburton. Trust us when we say you will definitely feel invigorated afterwards.

4. It improves stamina and endurance

"Holding the position for the full 100 counts builds strength, endurance, and focus," agrees Warburton. "Research has shown that exercises focusing on diaphragmatic breathing, like the Hundred, improve both respiratory function and abdominal strength over time, for an endurance boost like no other."

6. It increases lung capacity and function

"Hundreds encourage and develop what's known as diaphragmatic breathing," explains Warburton. "This enables you to fill the lungs more efficiently, increasing lung capacity and oxygenating the muscles. Pilates breathing is called lateral thoracic breathing; this means breathing into the sides and backs of the lungs, while maintaining core engagement. Breathing in this way also promotes a sense of mindfulness and calm, boosting mental wellbeing."

7. It boosts mental clarity and calm

The benefits of the Hundred aren't limited to the purely physical. Pilates as a practice is as much concerned with mental wellbeing as it is physical strength, and the combination of dynamic breathwork with muscle activation in the hundred sets it apart from other moves.

"The breath work pattern involved in the hundred can help improve your mental health as it encourages you to focus on your breath and body simultaneously," notes Weeks. "You cannot think of anything else, you have to be totally present in the move, which promotes a sense of calm and groundedness."

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How to perform Pilates Hundreds

As with all exercises, it's important to perform hundreds with correct form and technique. Not only will this help you to avoid injury, but it'll also mean you can reap the maximum benefits from your practice.

Here's the steps Warburton suggests you follow for fabulous form.

• Set-up: Lie on your back with your knees bent, imprint and bring the legs into a tabletop position if you're a beginner, or extended straight for an advanced variation.
• Lift: Raise your head, neck, and shoulders off the mat, keeping your eye gaze towards your knees; imagine that you are keeping a small orange under your chin.
• Position: Extend your arms straight and hover them just above the mat/floor, ensuring they remain parallel.
• Arm movement: Pump your arms vigorously up and down, as if bouncing small beach balls, without bending at the wrists.
• Breathing: Inhale deeply through the nose for five arm beats, then exhale through the mouth for five beats. Repeat for 10 cycles to complete 100 beats.
• Core engagement: Keep your lower back in a neutral or slightly imprinted position to protect the spine. Pay extra attention initially to ensuring there is no arching or tilting of the pelvis.

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I tried doing Pilates Hundreds every day - my thoughts

Days one to three

Day one and I'm raring to go with my Hundreds challenge - it's the perfect excuse to spend an extra few minutes on my trusty yoga mat, and I'm keen to get those benefits banked.

I take the opportunity for an extended Pilates mat practice, meaning I'm nicely warmed up for my hundreds, which undoubtedly helped. I know that my core strength leaves a little to be desired, but it's definitely improved with my more dedicated Pilates work, and I manage to huff and puff my way through the hundred counts with relative ease.

Day two looks a little different, as I'm working so there's less time for a proper warm-up first, and I squeeze my hundreds in between the school run and logging on to work - and, I have to say, it's actually quite nice to have the few moments of focussing purely on my breath and body before I start my day properly. The experts are right - my mind does feel clearer afterwards. So far, it's been a breeze.

Day three rolls around and the old adage rings true: pride comes before a fall. Being well-acquainted with the move, I decided to ramp things up a notch and focus more fully on my form and technique, in particular avoiding tensing my neck and keeping my arms totally straight with no bend in my wrists.

It always amazes me how the smallest of tweaks to positioning can make all the difference in Pilates - and trust me when I say that the merest millimetre movement takes the pose from pretty easy to oh-my-goodness-when-can-I-stop levels of difficulty. It's clear that there's a lot I still need to work on with this move.

Keeping my arms straighter engages my lats in a way I hadn't been doing previously - which, in the big scheme of things, is a great thing - but I certainly feel the burn. By the time I get to 80 beats, I'm desperate to quit - but as a health and fitness writer, I'm well aware that it's these last few reps where the magic happens, so I persevere (through gritted teeth).

Days four to seven

Halfway through the week, and I'm enjoying working on the hundreds every day. It takes less than five minutes to perform which means that even on days when I'm super hectic and life gets in the way, I still feel as though I've achieved something. And - even better - on day four I don't feel super motivated to workout (which is pretty unusual, but I've been under the weather) but once I've done my Hundreds, I fancy a little more, so complete a gentle 10-minute mat Pilates session, which I know I wouldn't have done otherwise.

Towards the end of the week, I'm back to full strength and ready to up the ante. I turn to the experts for some tips on how to advance the move, and Warburton suggests extending my legs to a 45-degree angle with my feet in a Pilates pliè (V-shaped feet). "The more you lower the legs towards the floor the more challenging it is to maintain good form," she warns, and it certainly ramps up the intensity.

The following day, I can feel my side abs and obliques as soon as I get out of bed - which I take as a good sign that I've engaged them in a deeper way than usual.

Overall, my takeaways are overwhelmingly positive: I feel strong, stable and in control of the move, even when I raise my legs. I can't say that I've noticed an increase in core strength, but it would probably be unrealistic to notice significant gains in just seven days.

That said, I'm pleasantly surprised that I feel bouncier on my 5k run this week - something I'm attributing to better breathing techniques - and I notice I'm more flexible in my reformer Pilates classes too, especially in swan pose (even my teacher notices - a real win!)

Will I keep up my daily Hundreds practice? In a word, yes. If you're after a quick, simple and achievable tweak to your daily routine, I highly recommend them.

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