At first glance pictures with the human flag look quite impossible just like they had been created with Photoshop. But with the right training you can also achieve that skill yourself. The human flag is an intermediate calisthenics exercise that requires athletes to hang from a pole in a 90 degree angle with only their arms holding the whole body weight. The fact that the world record of holding the human flag is only 1 min and 5 secs truly shows the difficulty of this exercise. There is tremendous leverage on the feet since they are so far from the hands on the pole which is in fact the only place where force can be applied to hold the body. In order to counteract gravity and this huge leverage an athlete needs to develop significant strength in the side obliques, the lats, the scapula as well as in the front deltas. Depending on your current fitness level it can take months or even years to achieve the human flag. But its definitely worth it since your overall strength and coordination will also increase along the way. This article guides you through the different progressions and training methods for the human flag that will hopefully help you to unlock this skill yourself.

The human flag progressions already require an intermediate strength level as foundation. If you are an absolute beginner you should firstly focus on building said foundation with basic body weight exercises that demand similar muscle groups as the human flag. For this purpose push ups, scapular shrugs, pull ups and the side plank suit perfectly fine. Once you are able to start with the human flag progressions there are a few aspects to bear in mind. Firstly it is crucial to focus on a good form and on the muscle feeling during the training in order to make progress. Secondly you should be able to perform at least 8 repetitions for 2 sets. If that’s not possible you can jump back to an easier progression. During the training you should generally begin with the most advanced progression you can do and move back to the previous progression when you are too exhausted. That will permit you to create more training volume which means faster progression. Thirdly it is important never to forget training both sides in order to avoid deficits.

#1 Side-plank flag

#2 Jumping flag

For this progression you jump to the position of the human flag and try to lower your feet as slowly as possible by contracting the shoulders and core.

#3 Straddle flag

The straddle flag is like the human flag position but with the legs spread apart. This decreases the leverage and therefore the difficulty of the exercise.

#4 Flag raises

#5 Human Flag

As previously mentioned a perfect form is crucial to achieve the human flag while making it look aesthetically pleasing. For all of the progressions you have to keep the head and the whole body in a straight line. Furthermore it is important to bear in mind that the upper arm is pulling and the lower arm is pushing in order to lift your feet off the ground. Also the hand positioning plays an important role. Using an over-grip with the fingertips pointing upwards creates more stability for the human flag.

If you don’t have access to a calisthenics park, the human flag can also be trained on regular street signs, lanterns or playgrounds with poles. Of course you should always check before if the construction is stable enough to carry your body weight. So just start training and try to be persistent because it will certainly take time until your progress becomes visible.