All About the Human Flag (Part One)

The human flag is one of the greatest body weight challenges of all time. When someone can hold a full human flag, it always attracts the attention and admiration of onlookers. It’s one thing to be strong–it’s another thing to be a human flag! However, brute strength is not the secret to success with the human flag.

Most people assume it’s strictly an issue of upper body strength, but there are other things to consider when training for the human flag. Achieving a full human flag begins by having a thorough understanding of these considerations. From there it’s simply a matter of practice, dedication, and patience.

Different Approaches
There are basically two different methods to performing a human flag. The one most people tend to picture involves a vertical pole, both hands grasping the pole with an overhand or mixed grip. This is the textbook position (photo is shown above).

The second approach is to perform the human flag between two parallel bars. Not the type of parallel bars that you would use for a dip, but rather bars that are stacked vertically in a parallel fashion. This allows you to put your hands into a neutral grip (with your palms facing each other), which I find a bit easier to control (as seen in the photo to the left).

Watch the video below for a tutorial on the classic human flag and check out part two of my human flag series for more.

Other human flag posts:
Convict Conditioning 2
Human Flags Everywhere!
Clutch Flag Tutorial

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