Build a Core of Steel with Dragon Flags

I want to do something a little different today and show you something I’ve been working on: the dragon flag exercise.

If you don’t know what it is, here’s a demonstration of the awesomely strong Al Kavadlo showing just what it should look like:

It may not look super hard, but the dragon flag requires a TON of core strength and stability and will humble even the strongest of athletes. When I first tried it, I was pretty humbled – to say the least!

So today I want to take you through some of the progressions I’m using to get a full dragon flag. Try them out and you can work up to it too. Train hard, and have fun!

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Video Tutorial: Look Like a Badass and Build Power with Ninja Jumps

In today’s tutorial, we’re going to take a look at an exercise that’s awesome for building lower body power and explosiveness but that you’ll rarely ever see in the gym: ninja jumps.

First, let’s take a look at why ninja jumps are beneficial:

  • They build explosiveness and athleticism
  • They strengthen your lower body and core
  • They look pretty badass

Before trying them, please keep in mind that ninja jumps are a slightly advanced exercise, so if you have knee issues or previous injuries, please stay safe and don’t try them quite yet! You should feel comfortable doing other plyometric moves like squat jumps before giving these a shot.

Let’s look at how to get started:

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3 Shrug Drills for Stronger, Injury-Free Shoulders

I’m sure it’s no big surprise to you that your shoulders are involved in so many of the exercises we do, and strong, functional shoulders are crucial to being able to do most intermediate and advanced bodyweight exercises, and even more importantly, stay injury-free.

Because shoulder injuries are the worst!

These three simple drills will help improve your pull ups and handstands as well as other cool functional exercises, as well as strengthen your shoulders to avoid getting injured in the future.

Try them out, all you need is a wall!

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Video Tutorial: 5 Exercises for a Stronger Handstand

There’s no doubt that building a solid, strong handstand takes a lot of work.

Not only do you need a lot of patience and practice upside down, you also need to make sure your upper body and core muscles are strong and stable to be able to hold you inverted for extended periods of time, and today’s video focuses on just that.

Some of these are slightly advanced exercises, so you should already be able to hold a handstand against a wall for at least 30 seconds before trying them.

If you’re not there just yet or you haven’t started working on handstands yet, make sure to check out our Beginner Handstands course to get started with your handstands today!

Watch the short video above for a demo of each of the exercises, then find a wall and get working!

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Tutorial: Getting Started with Explosive Push Ups

If you really want to take your push ups to the next level, it’s time to start working on your explosive push ups.

When you first start with explosive push ups, it’s important to make sure you know how to do a proper regular push up. Start with your shoulders directly above your hands, tighten your core, and tuck your hips. Lower down so that your chest touches or almost touches the floor then push back up.

Here’s how to get started with explosive push ups:

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Simple Front Splits Tutorial (Video)

Today I want to take you guys through the method I learned how to do the front splits.

Even if you think you’ll never ever be able to do the splits because you’re way too inflexible, stick with me! I used to be one of the most inflexible people ever but consistent practice helped me get full splits on both sides in just six months.

First, aside from looking cool, there are some really good reasons to work towards your front splits:

  • They help you open up and increase the flexibility in your hips and hamstrings
  • The reduce the possibility that you’ll get injured due to extreme tightness
  • They make cool exercises like handstands, l-sits, and pistol squats way easier and cleaner and open up possibilities for more challenging skills

Ok, now that we know why we should work on them, here are the stretches to get started:

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Burpees: Push Up or No Push Up? (Video)

Today we’re going to talk about burpees.

Though burpees are a pretty simple exercise, they’re also one that people get really opinionated about.

Because while some people do burpees with a plank, others do a Crossfit-style chest to floor burpee, and another group does them with a full push up at the bottom.

So which one is correct?

Check out today’s short video above for more on different burpee types and benefits:

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9 Push Up Variations To Mix Up Your Training (Video)

Push ups are one of the best bodyweight exercises of all time to work your entire upper body and core muscles.

Not only do they require your entire body to work together in order to properly perform the exercise (meaning they’re super functional!), they also use absolutely no equipment—meaning you can do push ups absolutely anytime, anywhere. And adding them to your workouts or even just busting out a couple of sets in the morning will help you build up strength before you know it.

Note to beginners: You can do any of these styles of push ups while on your knees or with your hands on an elevated surface. No excuses!

Here are 9 ways to mix up your push ups to keep them interesting and mix up your training:

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