Upper body, lower body, compound exercises or isolation exercises… You name it and the landmine can do it!

The Landmine itself is when one end of the bar is anchored to the floor, while you move the other end of the bar. It can be anchored to the floor in many ways: using a power rack anchor or using various freestanding landmine anchors.

Best Landmine Exercises:

Landmine Viking Press

How to do it

• Using the Viking Press Attachment, lift the attachment to the same height as if you were to do a barbell military press.

• Drive the handles away from you until your arms are fully locked out.

• Take a deep breath and brace and then reverse the movement to bring the weight back towards you.

Why perform this exercise?

• The arced bar path takes the stress away from the shoulder joint, making it a perfect exercise for beginners or those that lack thoracic (upper back) mobility, exposing them to vertically dominant pressing movements, strengthening the shoulders.

• The arced path of the bar also allows you to press without the head getting in the way of the bar, unlike a normal barbell overhead press. This stops us from over arching the back due to poor coordination between the head and the arms.

Landmine 2 Up 1 Down Shoulder Press

How to do it

• In a standing position, holding the Single Arm Viking Press Attachment with both your hands above your shoulder, drive the bar away from you until your arms are fully extended.

• And then lower the weight, as slow as possible, with one arm, back to your shoulder (lower the landmine with the same arm as the shoulder it comes down to).

• Swap sides and do the same with the other arm.

Why Perform this exercise?

• The 2 Up 1 Down landmine shoulder press allows you to eccentrically overload your shoulders; lifting more weight with 2 hands than you’d be able to lift with one and then lowering it as slow as possible with one, hence supramaximal eccentrically overloading the muscle. This has been shown to increase strength and power and is also a nice way to get people working closer to failure, without the risk of lifting the same heavy weight in the concentric phase (ascent).

• This exercise isolates one arm at a time, thus addressing side to side imbalances, making it the perfect supplementary exercise to the Landmine Viking Press. The key is to always train your weaker arm first and then simply match the effort with your stronger arm so that you weaker arm catches up and we don’t increase any imbalances.

Landmine Row

How to do it

• Standing on a Landmine Row Platform, using either the landmine multi grip attachment or the Straight Grip Landmine Handle, hinge down to pick the bar up, as if you were doing an RDL.

• Push the floor away, keeping your arms straight, to initially lift the bar up, while maintaining a strong hinge position and a neutral spine.

• Then simply pull you elbows past your torso, before slowly lowering the bar back down, until your arms are straight again.   

Why Perform this exercise?

• The row platform allows you to get full horizontal upper body pulling range of motion, while also being in a deep hinge position. Not only does this strengthen your upper back but also your lower back and deadlift technique by reinforcing the movement pattern.

Landmine Squats

How to do it

• Hold the end of the bar in both hands, just above your chest, similar to a goblet squat.

• Get your feet approximately shoulder width apart, point slightly outwards.

• From there, simply squat down, thinking about sitting between your knees, before standing back up.

Why Perform this exercise?

• The counterbalance of the landmine gives the individual the confidence to sit back into the squat properly, instead of assuming an incorrect knee dominant strategy.

• The upper body loading front goblet position, reinforces correct spinal posture as the individual is forced to create upper body tension to avoid dropping the landmine.

Want even more variety? Take a look at our blog of the 20 best landmine exercises.

Written by guest author Ewan Hammond.

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Tags: Equipment > Landmine ; Exercise Type > Strength