Dragon Flag
oec:dragon-flag
An advanced bodyweight core exercise where the entire torso and legs are raised and lowered as a rigid lever supported only by the upper back and shoulders.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Dragonflag, Dragon Fly, Dragon-flag
How to do it
Setup
- Lie supine on a sturdy flat bench or on a mat next to an immovable vertical anchor.
- Reach overhead and grip the edges of the bench near your ears or grasp the anchor firmly.
- Brace your core, squeeze your glutes, and point your toes to lock your body into a straight, rigid line.
Movement
- Drive through your arms and upper back to roll your body upward until your torso and legs form a vertical line, resting your weight across your upper back and shoulders.
- Maintain a rigid plank alignment from your shoulders to your toes with no bend at the hips.
- Slowly lower your entire body in one straight segment toward the bench under strict control.
- Stop just before your lower back touches the surface, then either raise back up smoothly or lower fully to reset.
Breathing
Inhale deeply and brace your midsection before beginning the descent; exhale forcefully as you drive back upward or complete the repetition.
Cues
- Body like a steel board
- Squeeze glutes to prevent hip sag
- Control the descent
- Drive through the triceps and lats
Common faults
- Piking at the hips rather than moving the body as a single rigid lever.
- Actively squeeze your glutes and maintain hip extension throughout both the ascent and descent.
- Allowing the lower back to overextend and arch on the way down.
- Shorten the range of motion or bend your knees until you develop sufficient anterior core strength to resist lumbar hyperextension.
- Bearing weight directly on the cervical spine or neck.
- Keep your weight firmly across your upper back and shoulder blades, never pressing into your neck.
Safety
- Avoid this exercise if you have pre-existing lower back or cervical spine injuries.
- Ensure the bench or anchor point is completely stable and will not tip over when pulled.
Muscles
Joints
- Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
- Hip: Isometric stabilization
- Shoulder: Extension, Isometric stabilization
- Elbow: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Anti-extension
- Modality
- Calisthenics, Strength
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- pull
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- open
- Level
- advanced
- Equipment
- Flat bench or Power rack
- Record
- Repetitions
- Load
- bodyweight
Related
- regression of Front Lever
- progression of Hollow Body Hold
- progression of Decline Leg Raise
Sources
- wger: Dragon-flag, by clafal (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.