Dragon Flag Guide: Master the Ultimate Core Exercise
Learn how to perform the dragon flag with perfect form to build elite core strength and oblique stability. Expert tips for advanced athletes.
How to Perform
- Lie face-up on a flat bench and reach behind your head to firmly grasp the edges of the bench near your ears.
- Drive your legs and torso upward until your weight is supported by your upper back and shoulders, creating a straight vertical line.
- Engage your glutes and core to keep your body perfectly rigid from your shoulders to your toes.
- Slowly lower your entire body as a single unit toward the bench, maintaining a straight line without bending at the hips.
- Stop the descent just before your lower back or legs touch the bench to maintain maximum tension.
- Reverse the movement by pulling your body back to the vertical starting position using only your core strength.
- Control the transition at the bottom to avoid using momentum or arching your spine.
Common Mistakes
- Breaking the line by folding at the hips during the descent.
- Arching the lower back which shifts tension away from the abdominals.
- Resting the weight on the neck instead of the upper trap and shoulder area.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Obliquus externus abdominis
Stabilizers
- Rectus abdominis
- Latissimus dorsi
- Gluteus maximus
- Erector spinae
Related Guides
- 3008 Abdominal Crunch — Core
- Ab Roller — Core
- Ab wheel — Core
Obliquus externus abdominis · Core