What are dragon Flags?

[Kumkuat]

Well, what are they? Thanks.

[Shadow Dragon]

Not sure if this is what you are after.
But this is how BL did them.

The "flag" exercise was a particularly difficult drill Lee devised for working the abdominal. While lying on a bench, he would grasp attached uprights with both hands and raise himself, supported only by his shoulders. Then, with his knees locked straight and his lower back raised off the bench, he would perform leg raises.

[fa_jing]

Can anyone describe these?

[Ford Prefect]

I'm leaving work, but if somebody doesn't by tomorrow I will. This is one **** good ab drill.

[yenhoi]

Lay on your back. Put your hands under your but. lift your neck and shoulders off ground, look at your feet, raise your feet off the ground about 6 inches. Hold this position for as long as possible.

Thats a flag. A "Dragon flag" is what Pavel calls his verson of a flag done on a weight bench:

lay on weight bench, reach up and grab leg bars with hands, and lift legs off bench 6inches - 1 foot.

Or so...

:eek:

[fa_jing]

So in the dragon flag only the shoulders and neck are touching the bench? Kind of like the training sequence in Rocky 4.....?

[yenhoi]

Yep. There are pictures of bruce lee's legs at like a 80 degree angle from the bench. Pavel calls his the dragon in honor of mr bl....

:eek:

[nothingness]

Yenhoi

When you say 'reach up and grab leg bars with hands'- what does t hat mean? What are leg bars?

[Serpent]

Can anyone post a pic?

Me confused!

[MasterKiller]

OK, after reading this thread, I tried to do these last night. All I have to say is, that shlt hurt. My tummy needs a massage.

[dwid]

When you say 'reach up and grab leg bars with hands'- what does t hat mean? What are leg bars?

I think they mean grabbing two of the legs the bench is standing on.

So your back is on the bench and you're holding the legs of the bench at the end by your head and then lifting your legs.

[rubthebuddha]

maybe i'm just imagining it wrong, but this sounds like more of a hip flexor exercise than anything else.

am i imagining it wrong? :confused:

[Robinf]

It is.

However, you need to keep your abs tight to keep your back from arching.

[Kempo Guy]

See the following article on T-mag. (http://www.testosterone.net/articles/190fat.html) Look towards the bottom of the article under "Reverse Crunch", it shows pictures and a description of how to execute this move.

KG

[Ford Prefect]

Good post, KG. Please note the guy has **** poor form though. Your body should remain straight as an arrow throughout the movement. It's also good to position your body so your butt hangs off the edge of the bench. This will give you a large ROM and make the movement more difficult. (not aimed at you KG - aimed at the general viewing public ;) )

[Kempo Guy]

Ford,
No worries!

fa_jing,
If ab exercises are something you want to concentrate on, I'd recommend getting a hold of "Beyond Crunches/Bulletproof abs" video or book. Dragon Flags are one of the exercises featured there.

KG

[ewallace]

Hey, when you have a program that goes something like

A1-Bench
A2-Squats

B1-Lunges
B2-Deadlifts

The program says no rest between A1 and A2, but rest 1 minute or so between A2 and B1. Repeat the list of exercises 5 times.

Does this mean do one set of A-1s and A-2s, then rest and move on to B-1, or Do 5 sets of A-1s and A-2s and then rest and do 5 sets of B-1s and B-2s?

[norther practitioner]

Boxer's crunches.... If you have a partner working out, have them push your feet back towards the ground (and resist the push).... makes those reverse crunches even harder....

[yenhoi]

ewallace:

I think it means do a1, a2, b1, b2 as a set 5 times.

:D

"Grab the leg bars" - either grab the legs or some benches have a leg rack on one end, grab that.

:eek:

[ewallace]

I think so too. That's the way I did it this morning...the A1-A2 to B1-B2. :)

[ewallace]

Actually I was wrong. You are supposed to do A1, A2 for X number of sets, then move on to the B1 and B2s.

[GeneChing]

THE DRAGON WALK IS SO HARD YOU’LL BE BREATHING FIRE BY THE TIME YOU’RE DONE (https://www.wellandgood.com/good-sweat/dragon-walk-exercise/)
GOOD SWEAT
TEHRENE FIRMAN, DECEMBER 10, 2019

https://www.wellandgood.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Getty-Images-Ridofranz-dragon-walk-608x400.jpg
Photo: Getty Images/Ridofranz

It’s safe to say any exercise with “dragon” in its name is going to be ridiculously hard. Take the dragon flag, for instance—a Martial arts-inspired move where you literally turn your body into a human flag on a flag pole. And the dragon walk is no exception.

“It’s an excellent core exercise, but it incorporates so many muscle groups that it feels like you’re working the entire body,” says Tee Major, trainer and author of Urban Calisthenics. “I like to start with this exercise because it takes the most energy, by far, than any other exercises you’re going to have in your workout.”

Once you’re done with the dragon walk, you might just be breathing fire.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9QMwxysHoo

How to perform the dragon walk

Start in a push-up position. Go down into a push-up, and on your way back up, raise your left arm and right leg into the air, keeping your hips square to the floor.

As you move your left hand forward and position it onto the floor, bring your right leg to your side at a 90-degree angle and complete a staggered push-up.

Push youself back up, this time repeating the process on the opposite side with your right arm and left leg in the air.

After you get used to the movement, speed it up so you’re walking forward like a macho, badass dragon. I'm delighted that we have a thread related to this already.

[GeneChing]

This was linked from the article above. It's more relevant but the one above popped up on my newsfeed just now and made for some good thread necromancy.


THE ‘DRAGON FLAG’ IS A MARTIAL ARTS-INSPIRED AB EXERCISE THAT SETS YOUR CORE ON FIRE (https://www.wellandgood.com/good-sweat/dragon-flag-bruce-lee/)
GOOD SWEAT
TEHRENE FIRMAN, OCTOBER 17, 2019

https://www.wellandgood.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Getty-Images-Masego-Morulane-dragon-flag-608x400.jpg
Photo: Getty Images/Masego Morulane

World-famous martial artist Bruce Lee was known for many things, including his signature abdominal strength-training move known as the dragon flag—the ultimate test of core strength. And considering it involves essentially turning your body into a human flag on a flag pole, I’d have to say it probably works pretty well.

If you can do perform the dragon flag, you’re probably at a good place with your core work and able move on to even harder bodyweight exercises, like one-arm pushups and front levers. And if you can’t quite do it just yet, we’ve got the break down.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ28-rSbiP8

Here’s exactly how to do a dragon flag

To get the base level of core and lower back strength required to do a dragon flag, start with these progressions recommended by THENX Elite Calisthenics. Then, you’ll eventually move into the full dragon flag.

PROGRESSIONS:
dragon flag flutter kick
single-leg dragon flag raises
dragon flag switching legs
dragon flag negatives
dragon flag hip raises

HOW TO DO A DRAGON FLAG:

Lie on your back with your arms overhead holding onto something stable, like a pole.

Lift your legs up into the air with your feet, legs, and torso sturdy and in a straight line. Only your upper back should be on the floor with all your weight in your shoulders and upper back.

Keeping that straight line, slowly lower your body back down until it’s hovering parallel to the ground. Remain controlled in order to avoid arching your back. Then, raise your legs back up and repeat.