Single-Leg Negative Dragon Flag
What Is the Single-Leg Negative Dragon Flag?
Single-Leg Negative Dragon Flag is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core and also engages the lats, obliques and hip flexors. It is an advanced-level movement in which you lie on the floor, grip a wall bar behind your head and slowly lower your body from a near-vertical position on your shoulders, with one leg straight and the other knee tucked toward your chest.
It is a regression of the Negative Dragon Flag, which in turn builds toward the full Dragon Flag. Tucking one knee brings that leg's weight closer to the shoulders, so the lever your abs have to control is shorter than with both legs straight. That makes it the usual next step once tucked negatives feel easy but a two-leg negative still breaks down partway. Coaches commonly work it until they can manage about 5 slow, clean reps per side before moving to two-leg negatives.
The main job is anti-extension. As the body descends, gravity tries to arch the lower back and drop the hips, and the rectus abdominis and obliques work hardest near the bottom, where the lever is longest. The lats and teres major pull on the wall bar to pin the shoulders down and give the body a fixed pivot, while the hip flexors keep the straight leg in line with the torso. Because only one leg is extended, alternating which knee is tucked keeps both sides of the hips and trunk trained evenly.
It suits trainees with solid core basics who are working toward the dragon flag. If you cannot yet hold a flat lower back through the descent, build up with the Hollow Hold, Lying Leg Raise and Reverse Crunch first. Wall bars give a fixed rung that will not slide, but any sturdy anchor you can grip behind your head at floor level works the same way.
Muscles Worked
- Rectus Abdominis
- Primary
- Rectus Abdominis (Lower)
- Primary
- External Oblique
- High
- Latissimus Dorsi
- High
- Rectus Femoris
- Medium
- Teres Major
- Medium
- Sartorius
- Low
Instructions
- Lie on your back on the floor with the top of your head a few inches from the wall bars.
- Reach back and grip a low rung with both hands, elbows bent and pointing up.
- Keep one leg straight and bend the other knee, drawing it toward your chest.
- Pull on the rung, tuck your pelvis and roll your hips up until your weight rests on your upper back and shoulders.
- Point the straight leg at the ceiling so it lines up with your torso, keeping the other knee tucked.
- Brace your abs, keep your ribs down and squeeze the glute of the straight leg.
- Lower slowly, pivoting at your shoulders, with your torso and straight leg moving as one line.
- Stop just above the floor, before your lower back starts to arch.
- Set your hips down, roll back up to the top and repeat, switching the tucked leg on the next set.
Common Mistakes
Arching the lower back
Letting the pelvis untuck as the body nears the floor shifts the load from the abs onto the lower spine.
Breaking at the hips
Bending at the hip of the straight leg turns the descent into a leg lower and takes tension off the abs.
Dropping too fast
Falling through the bottom half skips the hardest part of the rep, which is the whole point of a negative.
Rolling onto the neck
Letting the hips travel too far over the head puts body weight on the neck instead of the upper back and shoulder blades.
Always tucking the same leg
Keeping the same knee tucked every set leaves the other side less practiced, so alternate it between sets.
Injuries
Single-Leg Negative Dragon Flag is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The lower back takes the most strain: if the abs cannot keep the pelvis tucked as the body nears the floor, the lumbar spine arches and absorbs the load. The neck and shoulders are the other common problem areas, the neck when the body rolls too far back onto it and the shoulders from pulling hard on the bar overhead.
Keep your weight on your upper back and shoulder blades rather than your neck, keep your ribs down and your pelvis tucked, and lower only as far as your lower back stays flat. Make sure the wall bars are securely fixed to the wall before you pull on them.
If you cannot keep a straight line from shoulders to the foot of the straight leg, tuck both knees, lower through a shorter range, or go back to the Hollow Hold and Reverse Crunch. Once you can lower slowly on each side with a flat back, progress to the Negative Dragon Flag and then the Dragon Flag.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in your lower back, neck or shoulders. Anyone with an existing back, neck or shoulder injury should let it heal or get cleared by a professional before training this movement.
- Primary Focus
- Core
- Equipment
- Body weight and other
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is it different from the Negative Dragon Flag?
The descent is the same, but one knee stays tucked toward your chest. That shortens the lever, so your abs control less load than in the two-leg Negative Dragon Flag.
- Q: Should I switch which leg is tucked?
Yes. Alternate the tucked leg between sets, or do the same number of reps on each side, so both sides of the hips and trunk get equal work.
- Q: Do I need wall bars?
No. Wall bars give a fixed rung to pull on, but any solid anchor you can grip behind your head works, and the same lowering can be done lying on a flat bench and holding its edge.
- Q: How slowly should I lower?
Aim for about 3 to 6 seconds from the top to just above the floor. If you speed up in the bottom half, lower only as far as you can stay slow and build the range over time.
- Q: When should I move on to two-leg negatives?
A common marker is about 5 slow, clean reps per side with your lower back flat all the way down. Then try the Negative Dragon Flag, starting with partial lowers if needed.