Dragon Flag

The dragon flag is an advanced bodyweight core exercise performed on a sturdy bench or firm surface with a secure object to hold behind your head. From a shoulder-supported position, you lower and raise your torso and legs as one rigid unit without allowing your hips to fold or your lower back to arch.

Unlike a conventional leg raise, the dragon flag requires you to control the position of your pelvis, spine and legs together. It is primarily an anti-extension exercise: your abdominal muscles must prevent gravity from pulling your body into excessive lumbar extension as you approach the horizontal position. The NCBI overview of the abdominal wall describes how the abdominal muscles contribute to trunk movement, pressure generation and stabilization under load.

Before attempting the full movement, develop a strong hollow body hold, controlled hanging leg raises and the ability to lift your pelvis without relying on momentum. The tuck hollow body hold and bent-knee dragon flag variations provide more appropriate starting points for athletes who cannot yet maintain a straight body.

The dragon flag should not be confused with the tuck dragon press hold. A dragon flag uses an overhead grip to anchor the upper body and is normally performed as a controlled raising and lowering exercise. A dragon press uses the hands or fingertips beside the body to press into the floor and support a static position.

The exercise creates substantial leverage as the body approaches horizontal, so progress through shorter levers and controlled negatives before attempting full repetitions. Use a stable bench that cannot tip or slide, keep the load on your shoulders and upper back rather than your neck, and stop if you experience sharp pain, tingling or persistent discomfort in your neck, shoulders or lower back.

The dragon flag is a full-body tension exercise, but its primary demand is placed on the muscles that stabilize the trunk and prevent the lumbar spine from extending as the body approaches horizontal.

Primary Muscles

• Rectus abdominis: The rectus abdominis maintains trunk stiffness and helps control the relationship between the rib cage and pelvis.
• Transversus abdominis: This deep abdominal muscle contributes to abdominal compression and trunk stability during the movement.
• Internal and external obliques: The obliques assist with trunk stabilization and prevent unwanted rotation or lateral movement.

The abdominal wall contains several muscles with overlapping roles in trunk movement, compression and stabilization. These relationships are described in the NCBI abdominal-wall anatomy reference.

Secondary and Stabilizing Muscles

• Hip flexors: The iliopsoas and rectus femoris help control the position of the legs relative to the pelvis.
• Gluteus maximus: The glutes help maintain hip extension and prevent the body from folding at the hips.
• Quadriceps: The quadriceps keep the knees extended and contribute to the rigid straight-leg position.
• Latissimus dorsi and teres major: These muscles help anchor the upper body through the overhead grip.
• Serratus anterior, trapezius and rhomboids: These muscles stabilize the shoulder blades against the supporting surface.
• Spinal erectors: The back extensors co-contract with the abdominal muscles to maintain a stable trunk while the body moves.
• Forearms and upper arms: The grip and arm muscles secure your connection to the bench or fixed support.

The hollow body hold trains a related anti-extension position with a shorter and more manageable lever. The hanging leg raise develops hip-flexion and abdominal control from a hanging position, while the dragon flag combines those qualities with a shoulder-supported full-body lever.