The very first Pilates exercise if you do them in the "classical order" - the aim of this exercise is to prepare you for all the other work that you'll do. 

You can do this with your feet on the floor, your legs in table-top or with your legs straight and extended at anything from 90 (easiest) to 60 (hardest) degrees. Focus on keeping your belly pulled into your spine throughout the exercise. 

If your feet are off the floor, use your hip flexors to maintain the legs still and steady. When you start pumping the arms, focus on isolating the movement into the shoulder joints, so the upper body and head stay still while your work the muscles that run just below your armpits. 

Remember, we are not at home to Mrs Spaghetti Arms! F

or some breathing variations, try either one hundred sharp exhalations or breathing in for five counts and out for five counts for a total of one hundred.

Not sure what it looks like? Check out this video

Now you're warmed up after The Hundred, let's crack on and add some more movement.

Single Leg Stretch is a really valuable exercise that teaches stability and emphasises your abdominal muscles. They've got multiple roles here: they keep your upper body lifted off the mat; they support the weight of your legs; and they stop your pelvis rocking from side to side. 

Throughout the exercise, focus on keeping the belly button pulled in and notice what's happening with your lower back (should be lightly imprinted into the mat) and the hips (your butt should be stable on the floor with weight evenly distributed through both cheeks throughout). 

Remember that the lower you drop your straight leg, the harder your abs have got to work to keep everything stable. This is one of my favourite exercises and I have so many variations that you can check out here. Perform ten stretches with each leg

Now you've managed to keep stable with one leg straight....let's add make them both straight! Woohoo, so much more weight for your abs to hold up when you straighten both the legs. Once again, the lower you drop you legs, the harder your abs have to work. 

Also, if you have tight hamstrings, you get a bonus hamstring stretch into the bargain. Win. 

Focus on keeping the upper body still and on keeping your shoulder blades in neutral. Ten stretches with either leg. Watch the video here

Now we are cooking with gas! Both legs, at the same time, from bent to straight. Your abs and hip flexors will be so grateful to finish off with ten of these. 

As with the other two stretch exercises above, keep your belly button pulled in, your spine lightly imprinted and your butt cheeks still on the mat. If you want double trouble, you can extend the arms in the opposite direction to the legs. 

This set of variations goes from easiest (with a band) to hardest (upright on a foam roller which works the hip flexors like a beast and on a ball on your elbows which works the abs hardest). Whichever option you choose, please do ten of them.

For this exercise, we start with legs directly above the hips and head and shoulders lifted off the mat, with hands behind the head. Turn the toes out so that the heels are together, but squeeze the thighs and calves together. Check out some variations here.

Once again, keeping belly button in, lower back imprinted and butt still on the mat, inhale to drop the legs as low as you can go without the spine lifting; exhale to bring them back up. Guess how many times? 

If you want to make this a whole lot more fun, let me remind you of my favourite  torture of "The Interrupted Hundred" - do twenty breaths of The Hundred; 10 x Single Leg Stretch; twenty more breaths of The Hundred; 10 x Single Straight Leg Stretch; twenty more of The Hundred; 10 x Double Leg Stretch; twenty more breaths of The Hundred; 10 x Double Straight Leg Stretch; and finish with twenty final breaths of The Hundred. Your abs and hip flexors will be burning. 

If you start getting too tired and find yourself shifting about, bring your feet to the floor for each set of The Hundred.

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