The Dragon is a fire-breathing Burpee. Beginning with one of the most challenging bodyweight exercises, the Burpee, we add a couple of pushups and a renegade row on each side.
Online Personal Training Video: Dragon
How To Do It
1. Set up by placing your dumbbells on the floor, at the width you perform renegade rows.
2. From a standing position, squat down so that your arms are outside your legs and your hands are on the floor. Grip the dumbbells.
3. From this position, “shoot” your legs back, landing in the pushup position. Then perform the following with either your toes or knees on the floor…
4a. Pushup
4b. Renegade row with your right arm
4c. Pushup
4d. Renegade row with your left arm
4e. Pushup
5. Reverse the motion and “pull” or “jump” your feet back to the starting squat position.
6. Once in the squat position again with your hands on the floor, in one motion return to a standing position and jump, hands above your head, feet off the ground.
Online Personal Trainer Tips
1. Keep your hips up. Do not let them fall below the imaginary straight line drawn between your shoulders and ankles when in the pushup position. Letting your hips drop can put undue pressure on your lower back and lead to injury.
2. Do not jump from a squatting position in which your back is hunched. To avoid injury, return your back to a neutral, vertical position before jumping.
3. During the pushup, your hips, stomach and chest should touch the floor at approximately the same time.
4. While lifting one dumbbell during the row portion of the exercise, imagine you’re driving the other dumbbell through the floor. This can often help with balance.
5. During the renegade row, looking in the direction you’re rotating can help assure you’re achieving a proper range of motion during the row.
6. As with all exercises, master form before increasing the speed of the exercise.
