How To Perform The Dragon Flag

The Dragon Flag is a grueling bodyweight exercise that requires an incredible amount of strength and endurance. It builds powerful core muscles that are the perfect foundation for any physical activity, earning it well-deserved recognition as one of the toughest moves in calisthenics. And while this punishing routine has been accepted across the fitness world, it was popularized by two of our most beloved stars – Bruce Lee and Sylvester Stallone in his iconic portrayal of Rocky Balboa. While you may not be joining a prizefight anytime soon, performing the Dragon Flag will undoubtedly help you reach peak levels of physical fitness – just like these two legendary superstars!

Instructions:

To perform the Dragon Flag, start by lying on a flat bench or the floor with your arms and legs straight. Your body should be in a straight line, tucking your chin into your chest.

Next, slowly lift your entire torso off the bench while keeping your legs straight and hold your weight with only your upper body and arms at shoulder level. This is the dragon flag position. Pointing the toes of both feet will further engage your core muscles.

To increase the difficulty level, you can add weights to your ankles, or use a medicine ball or stability ball to support the hips and knees while holding the position. It is important to maintain proper form throughout the exercise—keep your legs straight and chin tucked into chest at all times.

Once you are in the dragon flag position, you can start to perform the exercise by executing a series of slow and controlled reps. Try to keep your torso steady and parallel with your legs as you lower it down towards the floor.

Don't forget to keep your legs straight throughout this motion – bending them will make it easier but decrease the effectiveness of the exercise.

Exhale while lifting and inhale while lowering, completing sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Once you have mastered the DF, there are variations that can be done such as the Tuck Dragon Flag, Single Leg Dragon Flags and Kettlebell Dragon Flags.

DF's are an advanced bodyweight exercise that requires strength and balance to perform. It is a compound movement that works several major muscle groups, including upper, mid and lower back, deltoids, triceps and core muscles.

Benefits

The DF a great core exercise that helps to build strength and size in your abdominal muscles, hip flexors and lower back. It's also an effective way to burn calories and lose weight, as it requires the entire body to be engaged during the movement.

Variations

There are several different variations of the Dragon Flag exercise you can perform, depending on your level of fitness and experience. Easier versions include reverse crunches, hanging leg raises, lying leg raises and kettlebell dragon flag. For more advanced levels, you can attempt to create a human flag or perform the shoulder flag. You may also add weights like ankle weights or a barbell for extra resistance.

Mastering the Dragon Flag requires patience and dedication. Start by performing your chosen progression slowly and without weights until your body is used to the movement and you can perform it with correct form. Gradually add more difficult progressions as you get stronger and add weights once you have mastered the movements with bodyweight alone. Finally, set yourself a goal of performing the Dragon Flag for 1-2 minutes continuously and time yourself each day to track your progress.