Exercises such as leg raises, crunches and planks can all improve your core strength. If you do these regularly and want to challenge yourself then go for the dragon flag exercise. It is believed that martial arts master and actor Bruce Lee performed it as part of his physical training. It is considered a full-body workout but is known to particularly target the core muscles. It is a demanding but effective exercise that can improve your core strength, and offer flexibility. However, beginners should perform simpler core exercises like crunches before trying this challenging move.<\/p>\n
What is the dragon flag exercise?<\/h2>\n
It is a bodyweight exercise<\/a> that focuses mainly on building the core muscles. In this exercise, you lie on your back, with your hands gripping onto a firm surface for support. From there, you lift your entire body off the floor, keeping it straight from the shoulders to the toes, like a flag on a pole.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge is in keeping control as you lower and raise your body, all while engaging your core, glutes, and shoulders,\u201d says physiotherapist and fitness expert Dr Aijaz Ashai<\/a>. This movement requires a high level of core stability and strength, making it an advanced level exercise for developing abdominal and overall body control.<\/p>\n Core muscles<\/strong>: The core is like an anatomical box consisting of several muscle groups that are used in this exercise. According to 2020 research, published in the International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health<\/a>, core muscles include:<\/p>\n Hip flexors<\/strong>: These muscles are used to lift and lower the legs. The major advantage of the dragon flag exercise is its ability to enhance core strength<\/a>. \u201cYou develop a strong, rounded core because you activate your abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back in every movement of the exercise,\u201d says the expert.<\/p>\n The dragon flag exercise is an excellent workout to improve overall body stability. While holding your body in a straight line and lowering it slowly, your body has to stabilise itself. To do this, you need balance and strength. The improved stability carries well into other physical activities and decreases the chances of injury from daily movements. The dragon flag exercise comes under core strength training, which can increase balance, as per a 2021 study published in the Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n The dragon flag is a strength exercise, still it can help in improving flexibility, particularly in the lower back and hamstrings. \u201cAs you move your body through the controlled lowering and raising motions, your spine and leg muscles get stretched, contributing to better flexibility and mobility over time,\u201d says Dr Ashai.<\/p>\n The dragon flag exercise is often thought of as an effective core workout<\/a>, but it works the entire body. As you perform this exercise, you engage your shoulders, chest, arms, glutes, and legs. The workout on the entire muscle engagement helps to build overall muscle tone and strength.<\/p>\n The dragon flag exercise is a demanding workout that requires focus and mental discipline. \u201cMaintaining control of your body during the exercise can be challenging, particularly while performing multiple repetitions,\u201d says the expert. Over time, consistently practicing it can help to build mental toughness.<\/p>\n You may also like<\/p>\n Low back pain has become a common problem, particularly among those who work in front of their computers for long hours. During a study, published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology<\/a> in 2024, core strength training was found to be more effective than general exercise at reducing low back pain<\/a>.<\/p>\n The dragon flag exercise can improve core strength, and enhance flexibility. It is an advanced movement that demands considerable strength and control. So, assess your fitness level first to prevent injuries.<\/p>\n Related FAQs<\/span><\/p>\n You can practice the dragon flag at home provided you have something stable enough that you could grab hold of as support. You may need to use a bench or a simple secure place to grasp and stabilise your hands.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The dragon flag is an advanced exercise, and in general, not recommended for beginners because of the amount of strength and control it requires. Beginners can work their way up to it by doing simpler core exercises such as leg raises, planks, and flutter kicks. Building up the core strength from these exercises will prepare you for the dragon flag. Once your strength and control are built, you can try the dragon flag with some variations, such as bending your knees during the exercise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are you looking for an effective core-strengthening exercise? Do dragon flag exercise to build core muscles and improve overall health. Exercises such as leg raises, crunches and planks can all improve your core strength. If you do these regularly and want to challenge yourself then go for the dragon flag exercise. It is believed that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.healthshots.com\/healthshots\/en\/uploads\/2025\/01\/21175707\/Dragon-flag1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-8125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8125"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musthavebuys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=8125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Dragon](\"https:\/\/images.healthshots.com\/healthshots\/en\/uploads\/2025\/01\/21175707\/Dragon-flag1.jpg\")
Muscles engaged while performing the dragon flag exercise<\/h2>\n
\n
Glutes and hamstrings<\/strong>: These muscles help to stabilise the lower body during the movement.
Shoulders and upper body<\/strong>: The arms, chest, and shoulders are used as you grip the bench for stability and control.<\/p>\n6 benefits of dragon flag exercise<\/h2>\n
1 Strengthens your core<\/h3>\n
2. Better stability and balance<\/h3>\n
3. Increases flexibility<\/h3>\n
4. Engages your full body<\/h3>\n
![\"Crunches](\"https:\/\/images.healthshots.com\/healthshots\/en\/uploads\/2023\/09\/29134641\/crunches.jpg\")
5. Improves mental toughness<\/h3>\n
![\"Muscle](\"https:\/\/images.healthshots.com\/healthshots\/en\/uploads\/2021\/07\/03104739\/Thumb-Swati_Muscle-300x169.jpg\" "\\"Muscle")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Strengthen](\"https:\/\/images.healthshots.com\/healthshots\/en\/uploads\/2025\/01\/17174719\/French-press-300x169.jpg\" "\\"Strengthen")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n6. May reduce back pain<\/h3>\n
How to perform the dragon flag exercise?<\/h2>\n
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Who should avoid doing the dragon flag exercise?<\/h2>\n
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Can the dragon flag exercise be done at home?<\/h3>\n
Can beginners do the dragon flag exercise?<\/h3>\n