Power rack? Check! Weight Bench? Check! Barbell and weight plates? Check! You would be forgiven for thinking that you have the perfect home gym setup! Besides, you could train all the essential push, pull and leg exercises with this set up. However, a simple relatively inexpensive Landmine Attachment will power up your Power Rack training to a new level by providing a range of additional exercises that will allow multi-directional, rotational, and functional training options to include in your regular training.

Benefits of a Power Rack Gym Landmine Attachment

At first it doesn’t look like much. Just a pivot that attaches to the Power Rack that you can slide a bar in. However, unlike all the other exercises that you are able to do with your Power Rack, you are now able to train multi-directional and rotational exercises, making it the perfect companion to our Power Rack. Some of these benefits include -

Rotational and Anti-Rotational Exercises

A Landmine Attachment makes it possible to move a barbell through an arc, making it excellent training for rotational exercises. What is not trained as often but is equally important, is anti-rotation or the ability to resist rotational movements. You can train anti-rotational exercises by doing exercises or static holds that require your core to resist being rotated. A good example of this would be the Landmine Anti Rotations exercise. Anti-rotational exercises can benefit acceleration and deceleration through rotational movements, making your move explosive and reducing risk of injury. Think of a golf swing that needs to accelerate and then more importantly decelerate.  If you don’t have the strength to decelerate, then the risk of injury is high.

Balance, Stability, and Muscle Imbalance Exercises

Landmine exercises are excellent to incorporate balance and stability training into standard exercise. You are easily able to load one side of the body and perform single limb or unilateral training. This differs from anti-rotational training with the load acting to pull your body off balance as opposed to trying to cause a rotational movement. By performing unilateral training your muscles must work harder to keep you upright. This also has another benefit preventing muscle imbalances. By training limbs on one side of the body and then doing the same exercises on the opposite side you are preventing a weaker muscle from hiding away when you use both limbs or bilateral training.

Adaptation to Exercises

Landmine exercises offer stepping stones to the next level of exercise by providing more support while the muscle adapts. The best example of this is the Landmine Single Leg Deadlift. By starting with the landmine version, you are able to get used to the increased weight without having as much instability. Once you are used to the weight then you can introduce instability with free weights. Landmines also allow you to perfect the correct form of an exercise by allowing you to have more mobility. For example, the Landmine squat allows you to get into a deeper squat position without the limitations of having a bar on your shoulders and getting stronger in that position before progression to a standard barbell squat.

Get a Grip

You can enhance your experience with the Landmine Attachment by including the correct handle! These grips are easy to slide on and will give you a variety of training options that will improve your training experience. You can select from wide and narrow grip options as well as single or double hand options. Below are some of the most common handles.

Viking Landmine Press Handle

These handles are ideal for overhead pressing exercises such as the landmine squat to press exercise. Select from a narrow or wide grip depending on your exercise selection.

Single Landmine Handle

This is probably your most important handle. With this handle you can perform rotational movements with the landmine or simply provide a single hand grip for performing exercises that load a single side such as the half kneeling shoulder press.

Narrow Grip Landmine Row

The narrow grip handle is perfect to use as a T-bar row handle to target your lats.

Straight Grip Landmine Handle

Using a wider grip which places your elbows further away from your body and focuses on the trapezius more than the lats.

Multi Grip Landmine Handle

This is an all-in-one handle that features wide grip and narrow grip options in both neutral and pronated positions.

Unique Landmine Exercises

1 - Landmine Anti-Rotation Exercise

Improve your core strength and increase rotational acceleration and deceleration. Grip the top of the landmine with both hands and extend both arms in front of your face. Move the landmine towards one hip, keeping the arms as straight as possible and with minimal trunk rotation. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

2 - Landmine Squat

This is a great exercise to ensure that you are squatting with the correct form. Hold the barbell close to your chest and keep it there as you lower yourself into the squat position. If your squat mechanics are incorrect then the weight in front of you will pull you forwards.

3 - Landmine Squat to Press

The landmine squat to press is a progression of the Landmine squat that adds in a shoulder press, making it a full body exercise, working your body from your ankles to your shoulders.

4 - Landmine Single Leg Deadlift

Increase strength and hypertrophy of your glutes and hamstring with the landmine single leg deadlift. The landmine reduces the amount of stability required, allowing you to increase the weights used.

5 - Landmine Narrow Grip Row

Target your lat muscles by standing over the barbell with your back towards the landmine attachment. Use the narrow grip landmine handle on the bar. With your spine neutral and parallel to the floor, pull the handles towards your chest. This exercise is best used with the Landmine Row Platform to allow a full range of movement.

6 - Landmine Single Arm Row

This unilateral exercise is great for developing the lats and preventing muscle imbalances. Start in a split stance with the single landmine handle and lean forward. Pull the bar into your chest.

7 - Landmine Single Arm Split Squat Combo

Combine the single arm row with a split squat. This now becomes a full body exercise and increases the metabolic demand by utilising more muscle fibres in one movement. Start in a split stance with your back towards the landmine and your right leg behind you. Hold the bar in your right hand and then lower your right knee towards the floor with your arm straight. Push back up to the start position and at the same time pull the bar into your chest.

8 - Landmine Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press

Whenever you use the half kneeling position you are creating an instability that strengthens the muscles of the glutes, hip flexors, and core. That is before you do the actual exercise. For the half kneeling shoulder press, rest the back knee on the ground, tighten your core and keep your spine straight. Using the same arm as the knee that is on the floor, push the landmine upwards.

9 - Landmine Standing Single Arm Press

This unilateral exercise works the shoulders, pecs and triceps while requiring the core and glutes to keep you stable. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold the bar with one hand. Push the bar upwards and forwards.

10 - Landmine Single Arm Rotational Press

This is an excellent exercise to include a rotational element. Start standing in a split stance with your left leg forward and holding the bar with your right hand. Rotate and squat back towards your right leg before exploding and rotating upwards and extending your arm at the top of the movement.

11 - Landmine Single Hip Thrust

You can use more weight in the Landmine version of the hip thrust, resulting in greater strength gains in the glutes and hamstring. Place a hip thrust bench underneath your shoulders and the bar on one hip. Start with your glutes pushed up so your spine is parallel to the floor. Lift the leg of the opposite hip and then lower your glutes towards the floor before pushing the glute back up again to return to the starting position.

12 - Landmine Reverse Lunge

These lunges can strengthen the entire lower body including the quads, glutes and hamstring. The landmine version makes it easier to increase the load of the weights. Start with the landmine perpendicular to you and hold the bar with your right hand. Step backwards with your right leg and lower the knee to the floor. The further you step back the more your hamstrings will become active with less emphasis on your quads

13 - Landmine Sumo Deadlift

Due to the wider stance of the sumo stance, you will train the adductors as well as the glutes and hamstring. With the landmine version you will also get a greater posterior chain workout due to having to lean further forward to hold the bar.

14 - Landmine Viking Press

The Viking press is a great exercise to increase your training load for overhead press motions and minimise shoulder pain due to movement occurring further forward. Stand facing the landmine attachment and hold the bar in one hand with your feet in a square position and hand at shoulder height. Push the bar upwards and forwards to straighten the arm and slowly return to the starting position.

15 - Landmine Romanian Deadlift

The landmine version of the Romanian deadlift forces you to push your hips further back for increased loading on the hamstring, glutes, and lower back. Stand holding the bar with two hands. Push your hips backwards and lean forward to lower the bar towards the floor before pushing through your heels and glutes to return to the starting position.

16 - Landmine Lateral Raise

While most lateral raises focus primarily on the anterior and middle deltoids, this landmine version allows you to target the posterior deltoid as well as external rotator cuff. Start with the bar perpendicular to you and with a straight arm lift it sideways and backwards.

17 - Landmine Flys

No exercise list should exclude chest exercises so we will include landmine flys. This version of flys allows you to train individual pecs and anterior deltoids. It is also great for lifting heavier weight as the pathway is more defined than the dumbbell version. Lie on a bench or on the floor with the bar parallel to you and your arm out straight to the side. Bring the barbell to the middle of the chest with your arm straight in front of you.

18 - Landmine Seated Shoulder Press

This exercise requires a higher degree of postural strength to keep you upright while you push the bar above your head and it can be very challenging. Start in a seated position on the floor with your feet out in front of you and the bar 45 degrees in front of you. Keeping your trunk stable, push the bar above your head.

19 - Landmine Half Kneeling Trunk Rotation

Similar to the landmine anti rotation but by being in a half kneeling position you can’t rely on your legs to help you. Start in the half kneeling position and hold the bar with both hands out in front of your face with your arms straight. Lower the bar to the side with the knee on the floor and then return to the starting position.

20 - Landmine Ab Rollout

Ab rollouts are a fantastic way to strengthen your abs as it requires eccentric loading. For the landmine version you get the added benefit of it targeting one side more as the bar does not move in a straight line. Kneel in front of the bar and hold the bar with both hands. Keeping your arms and back straight, roll the bar out in front of you. Contract your abs to roll back to the start position. Don’t forget to repeat this on the opposite side

Make sure that your Power Rack offers it all, from muscle building bench press to the variety and functional training of having a Landmine Attachment. This simple piece of equipment requires no additional weights or bar as it is compatible with your Power Rack equipment. All you have to do is attach it to the rack and enjoy the variety and training benefits that the landmine offers you.

You can read our ultimate guide to power racks here

Written by guest author Brendan McBirnie.

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Tags: Equipment > Landmine ; Exercise Type > Strength