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Exercise guide
Dragon Flag
A demanding core hold performed on a bench: gripping behind your head, you raise your entire body into a rigid straight line supported only by your upper back.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- rectus abdominis · erector spinae · hip flexors · obliques · transverse abdominis
- Goals
- hypertrophy · strength
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- advanced
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
- Lie on a bench and grip it firmly behind your head.
- Raise your body up so only your upper back stays on the bench.
- Keep your body rigid in a straight line.
- Lower your body under control until nearly horizontal.
- Raise back up and repeat.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Keep your body rigid from shoulders to toes and move only at the shoulders.
- Lower as slowly as you can — the eccentric is the exercise.
- Start with tucked or single-leg progressions before the full flag.