Landmine exercises are a versatile and joint-friendly way to build full-body strength, improve stability, and enhance athletic performance.
The five best landmine exercises are the Landmine Squat to Press, Rotational Press, Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press, Antirotation Twists, and Meadows Row.
Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of each exercise and how to perform them effectively.
Landmine Squat to Press (Thruster)
The Landmine Squat to Press, also known as a thruster, is a dynamic full-body movement that combines a squat with an overhead press.
It's a fantastic exercise for building both strength and cardiovascular endurance in a joint-friendly manner.
This movement is especially beneficial for those looking to target multiple muscle groups while maintaining a lower impact on their joints.
What It Targets:
This exercise engages your entire body, but it specifically focuses on three major areas: the legs, shoulders, and core.
The squat portion activates your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, while the press emphasizes your shoulders and upper arms.
Throughout the movement, your core muscles are engaged to stabilize the body and maintain balance, making this an efficient way to improve coordination and overall strength.
As a full-body exercise, it also helps develop power and explosiveness, which can enhance athletic performance in sports or other training activities.
Why It’s Easier on the Joints:
Compared to traditional barbell thrusters, the landmine version is much easier on your joints, particularly in the shoulders and knees.
The fixed arc of motion in a landmine setup helps guide your movement more naturally, which reduces strain on the shoulder joint during the overhead press.
For the squat portion, the landmine barbell’s angle minimizes the load directly on the knees, making it a safer option for individuals with joint sensitivities.
Additionally, the semi-fixed position of the landmine setup encourages a more stable movement pattern, allowing you to maintain proper form without unnecessary stress on your joints.
How to Perform the Landmine Squat to Press:
To perform this exercise effectively, you’ll need to focus on form and technique.
Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the landmine barbell at chest height with both hands.
Your elbows should be tucked in, and your stance should feel balanced.
As you lower into the squat, push your hips back and down, keeping your chest up and your core engaged.
Make sure your knees track over your toes to avoid collapsing inward, and aim to get your thighs parallel to the ground or slightly lower, depending on your flexibility.
As you rise from the squat, transition smoothly into the press by driving through your heels and using that upward momentum to press the bar overhead.
Make sure to fully extend your arms at the top of the movement, but avoid locking out your elbows.
Control the descent as you bring the bar back down to your chest to complete the rep.
To make sure you’re using proper technique, focus on keeping your torso upright and your core braced throughout the entire movement.
This will help prevent excessive forward lean and protect your lower back.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
There are a few common mistakes that can detract from the effectiveness of this exercise and increase your risk of injury.
One common error is leaning too far forward during the squat, which can strain your lower back.
To avoid this, make sure to engage your core muscles and keep your chest lifted throughout the movement.
Another mistake is overloading the weight too soon.
While the Landmine Squat to Press is a powerful exercise, it’s important to start with a manageable weight that allows you to perform the movement with proper form.
Gradually increase the load as you build strength and confidence in the exercise.
Finally, avoid rushing through the movement.
The squat and press should flow together seamlessly, but each part of the exercise should still be controlled.
Make sure you’re using smooth, deliberate motions to get the most benefit from the exercise and prevent injuries.
Landmine Rotational Press
The Landmine Rotational Press is a highly effective exercise that combines pressing with rotational movement, making it ideal for athletes or anyone looking to improve functional strength.
It engages multiple muscle groups, including your core, glutes, and shoulders, while also enhancing balance and coordination.
What It Targets:
The primary focus of the Landmine Rotational Press is rotational strength, which is crucial for sports that require twisting and turning movements, such as baseball, tennis, or golf.
This exercise activates your core as you rotate your torso, while also working your glutes and shoulders to provide the necessary power and stability.
In addition to strengthening these areas, the exercise helps build coordination between your lower and upper body, ensuring that your movements are smooth and efficient.
How It Improves Athletic Performance:
One of the key benefits of the Landmine Rotational Press is its ability to improve rotational power and stability, which is important for athletes engaged in sports that require dynamic, twisting movements.
By generating power through your hips and core, this exercise mimics the mechanics of many sport-specific actions like swinging a bat or throwing a ball.
As a result, it can help enhance performance in activities that involve torque and rotation, making you more effective and efficient in your movements.
It also trains your body to produce and control force in multiple planes of motion, which translates well to various athletic settings.
How to Perform the Exercise:
To perform the Landmine Rotational Press correctly, start by standing at a 45-degree angle to the landmine barbell, with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Hold the barbell with both hands, gripping near the end of the bar.
Position the bar so that it’s level with your shoulder on the side closest to the landmine base.
Begin the movement by pressing the bar overhead with one hand, rotating your torso and hips as you extend your arm.
As you press, your hips should turn with your torso to generate power, with the foot opposite to your pressing arm pivoting to help complete the rotation.
Engage your core throughout the motion to ensure stability and maintain balance.
Once you’ve extended your arm fully, reverse the motion by bringing the bar back down to shoulder height in a controlled manner, and reset your hips and torso to the starting position.
It’s important to keep the movement fluid, using the rotation of your torso and hips to assist in pressing the bar, rather than relying solely on your arm and shoulder strength.
Ways to Progress or Modify:
There are several ways to progress or modify the Landmine Rotational Press based on your current fitness level and goals.
To increase the difficulty, you can add more weight to the bar, which will challenge your ability to generate power through your core and hips.
You can also experiment with different angles or stances to target different parts of your core and shoulders, or increase the rotational aspect by widening your pivot.
For beginners, you may want to start with lighter weight and focus on mastering the rotational mechanics before adding additional resistance.
Another modification is to limit the range of rotation until you feel comfortable with the movement pattern, gradually increasing your range as you gain strength and mobility.
Landmine Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press
The Landmine Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press is an excellent exercise for developing unilateral upper body strength while simultaneously engaging your core for stability.
This movement is particularly beneficial for individuals who want to focus on shoulder strength without putting too much strain on their joints.
What It Targets:
This exercise primarily targets unilateral strength, meaning that it works one side of the body at a time.
In this case, it focuses on building strength in the shoulder, but it also engages the core to maintain balance and stability throughout the movement.
Additionally, the half-kneeling position activates your glutes and legs to provide a stable base for pressing.
As you press the bar overhead, the core muscles work hard to prevent rotation, making it an excellent exercise for core stability.
This helps you improve overall balance and coordination, which translates to better performance in a variety of other exercises and daily movements.
Ideal for People with Shoulder Issues:
The Landmine Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press is a great option for individuals who experience shoulder discomfort or are recovering from an injury.
The angled position of the landmine bar allows for a more natural pressing motion compared to traditional overhead presses, which can put excessive strain on the shoulder joint.
The fixed range of motion helps reduce pressure and keeps the movement controlled, making it easier on the joints while still effectively working the shoulders.
This exercise is also ideal for those with limited shoulder mobility, as it doesn’t require full overhead range of motion, which can be difficult or painful for some people.
Instead, the bar follows a slightly forward path, allowing for a safe and comfortable press.
For individuals rehabbing from shoulder injuries, this exercise can be used as a low-impact way to reintroduce overhead pressing into their routine without risking further strain.
How to Perform the Exercise:
To perform the Landmine Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press, begin in a half-kneeling position.
One knee should be on the ground, with the opposite foot forward, forming a 90-degree angle at both knees.
Hold the landmine bar with one hand, positioning the bar near your shoulder on the side opposite the kneeling leg.
This setup ensures that you have a stable base while pressing, and it challenges your core to prevent your torso from rotating.
As you press the bar overhead, focus on keeping your core engaged and your torso upright.
Your goal is to press the bar in a smooth, controlled motion without using momentum from your lower body. Fully extend your arm, but avoid locking out your elbow at the top of the movement.
Once you’ve reached the top of the press, slowly lower the bar back to the starting position, maintaining core engagement throughout the descent.
Make sure to alternate sides, switching your kneeling leg and pressing arm after completing a set on one side.
This will help ensure balanced strength development on both sides of the body.
Ways to Progress:
To make the Landmine Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press more challenging, you can gradually increase the number of repetitions or the amount of weight you use.
Start with a weight that allows you to complete the exercise with proper form and increase it as you become more comfortable and stronger with the movement.
Another way to progress this exercise is to add a slow eccentric (lowering) phase.
By lowering the bar slowly after pressing it overhead, you’ll increase the time under tension for your shoulder muscles, making the exercise more difficult and promoting greater strength gains.
This is particularly useful if you want to focus on building shoulder stability and control, as it forces your muscles to work harder to maintain proper form during the descent.
Landmine Antirotation (Landmine 180s or Twists)
The Landmine Antirotation, also known as Landmine 180s or Twists, is a powerful core exercise that emphasizes stability and control.
This movement is ideal for building the ability to resist unwanted rotation, which is crucial for athletes and anyone looking to enhance core strength and prevent injuries.
What It Targets:
The primary target of the Landmine Antirotation is core stability, particularly the muscles responsible for preventing excessive rotational movement.
Unlike traditional rotational exercises that encourage twisting, this movement challenges your core to resist the pull of the weight as it moves side to side.
By doing so, it builds anti-rotation strength, which is key for athletes who need to control rotational forces during activities like swinging, throwing, or running.
Additionally, it engages your obliques, lower back, and even your glutes to maintain balance and control throughout the exercise.
Why It’s Great for Injury Prevention:
One of the most significant benefits of this exercise is its potential to prevent lower back injuries.
By strengthening the muscles responsible for stabilizing your spine and resisting rotational forces, the Landmine Antirotation helps protect your lower back from strain.
Many injuries occur due to a lack of stability or control when your body is forced into unwanted rotational movement, particularly in sports or daily activities involving twisting or turning.
This exercise trains your body to brace against such forces, reducing the risk of injury.
Additionally, it helps improve balance and posture by encouraging proper alignment of the hips and spine throughout the movement.
This improved stability translates into better overall body control, which can enhance athletic performance and daily functionality.
Step-by-Step Guide to Performing the Exercise:
To perform the Landmine Antirotation, begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and holding the end of the landmine barbell with both hands at chest height.
Your arms should be fully extended, and you should position yourself so the bar is slightly tilted towards your body.
Start the movement by rotating the bar to one side of your body, allowing your torso and hips to turn slightly, but keeping your arms straight.
As the bar reaches the side, engage your core and use controlled force to bring it back to the center and then over to the opposite side in a smooth, controlled arc.
The key is to maintain a tight core throughout, preventing your torso from twisting excessively or losing form.
The goal is to control the movement with your core muscles rather than using momentum.
Keep the movement fluid and deliberate, focusing on keeping your arms straight and your movements controlled.
Your lower body should remain relatively stationary, with only minimal movement from the hips to allow for a full range of motion.
Variations to Increase Difficulty:
As you become more comfortable with the Landmine Antirotation, there are several ways to increase the difficulty.
One option is to speed up the rotation, which requires faster stabilization and increased core engagement.
However, be careful not to sacrifice control for speed, as the exercise's effectiveness relies on your ability to maintain proper form.
Another way to progress is by adding more weight to the landmine barbell.
Increasing the load will challenge your core stability even further, making it harder to resist the rotational forces.
Just be sure to adjust the weight gradually to ensure you maintain good form.
Finally, you can extend the range of motion by allowing the bar to rotate further to each side, which increases the challenge for your core and obliques.
Again, focus on control and avoid letting momentum take over the movement.
Landmine Meadows Row
The Landmine Meadows Row is a powerful unilateral exercise that targets the muscles in your back while also engaging your core for stability.
Named after bodybuilder John Meadows, this exercise is highly effective for building upper back strength and improving overall muscle balance.
What It Targets:
The Landmine Meadows Row primarily targets the latissimus dorsi (lats) and rear deltoids (rear delts), making it an excellent exercise for developing back strength and improving posture.
Because the movement is performed in a hinged position, your core muscles are also activated to maintain stability and prevent rotation as you pull the weight.
Additionally, the staggered stance required for this exercise engages your legs, particularly the hamstrings and glutes, to help support your body in the bent-over position.
Why It’s a Superior Back Exercise:
One of the key advantages of the Landmine Meadows Row is its unilateral nature, meaning that it works one side of the body at a time.
This is particularly beneficial for addressing muscle imbalances that can occur from overuse or improper training, as it allows you to focus on developing each side of the back independently.
In contrast to traditional barbell or dumbbell rows, the Meadows Row offers a more targeted approach to strengthening the back muscles without placing undue strain on the lower back.
Another unique aspect of the Meadows Row is the angled path of the landmine barbell.
Unlike a straight barbell row where the weight moves in a linear fashion, the landmine bar moves in an arc, which better aligns with your natural pulling mechanics.
This helps to reduce stress on the shoulder joint and lower back, while still providing a deep contraction in the lats and rear delts.
How to Perform the Exercise:
To perform the Landmine Meadows Row, begin by setting up in a staggered stance, with one foot slightly ahead of the other and your knees slightly bent.
Position yourself perpendicular to the landmine bar, gripping the bar with one hand near the sleeve where the weights are loaded.
Your torso should be hinged forward at about a 45-degree angle, and it’s important to keep your back flat throughout the exercise to protect your spine.
From this position, initiate the row by pulling the bar towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blade towards your spine as you lift.
Keep your elbow close to your body, and focus on driving the movement with your back muscles rather than relying on your arm strength.
At the top of the movement, pause briefly to feel the contraction in your lats and rear delts before lowering the bar back down in a controlled manner.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides to work the opposite arm.
The key to this exercise is maintaining a stable, flat back throughout the movement.
Avoid rounding your lower back, which can lead to injury, and make sure to keep your core engaged to support your posture.
Advanced Tips:
As you become more proficient with the Meadows Row, there are several ways to increase the intensity of the exercise.
One option is to adjust your stance slightly by widening your foot placement or shifting your weight more towards the front leg.
This can alter the angle of the pull and emphasize different areas of your back, helping you to target specific muscles more effectively.
Another way to progress is to incorporate a pause at the top of the movement.
By holding the contraction for one or two seconds at the peak of the row, you increase time under tension and force your muscles to work harder to stabilize the weight.
This can lead to greater muscle activation and improved strength gains over time.
Additional Tips for Performing Landmine Exercises
Landmine exercises are incredibly versatile and effective, but like any workout, performing them correctly and safely is key to maximizing their benefits.
Whether you're new to landmine training or looking to refine your technique, there are a few key considerations that can help you get the most out of your routine.
Choosing the Right Weight:
When selecting the appropriate weight for any landmine exercise, it's important to strike a balance between challenge and control.
You want to choose a weight that’s heavy enough to be effective but not so heavy that it compromises your form.
A good starting point is to use a moderate weight that allows you to perform 8-12 repetitions with proper technique.
As with any strength training, it’s important to practice progressive overload, which means gradually increasing the weight or number of repetitions over time to continue building strength.
Start with lighter loads while you’re learning the movement patterns, and once you feel confident with your form, slowly add more weight.
Keep in mind that some exercises, like the Landmine Meadows Row, might allow you to lift heavier compared to others, like the Landmine Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press, so adjust the weight accordingly based on the exercise.
Incorporating Landmine Exercises into Your Routine:
Landmine exercises can be used for both strength and conditioning, depending on how you structure them into your routine.
If your goal is to build strength, consider incorporating landmine movements as part of your strength training sessions.
You can use them as a primary exercise or as a supplementary movement.
For example, a Landmine Squat to Press can replace or complement traditional barbell squats or overhead presses in a workout.
If conditioning and endurance are your goals, landmine exercises can be performed in circuits or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts.
Because many landmine exercises involve compound movements, they engage multiple muscle groups at once, which makes them ideal for conditioning.
In terms of frequency, aim to incorporate landmine exercises 2-3 times per week, depending on your training split.
This frequency allows you to target multiple muscle groups without overloading specific areas of your body.
You can include them on both upper and lower body days, or dedicate a full-body session specifically to landmine movements.
Safety Considerations:
As with any exercise, safety is paramount when performing landmine movements.
Always start your session with a proper warm-up, including mobility work and dynamic stretches that target the muscles you’ll be using.
Focus on loosening up the shoulders, hips, and core, as these areas are heavily involved in most landmine exercises.
A good warm-up will help prevent injuries and ensure that your body is prepared for the movements ahead.
When performing landmine exercises, maintaining proper form is crucial to avoiding injury.
Keep your core engaged throughout each movement, as this will help stabilize your body and protect your lower back.
Always move in a controlled manner, especially during exercises like the Landmine Antirotation, where you need to resist rotational forces.
Avoid jerking or using momentum to lift the weight—this not only reduces the effectiveness of the exercise but can also strain your joints.
Finally, pay attention to the placement and setup of your landmine base.
Make sure the barbell is securely anchored, and be aware of your surroundings, particularly if you’re working out in a crowded gym.
Proper setup minimizes the risk of accidents and ensures that your focus remains on the movement itself.
Conclusion
Landmine exercises offer a versatile, joint-friendly way to build strength, improve stability, and enhance athletic performance.
By incorporating these movements into your routine with proper form and progression, you can target multiple muscle groups efficiently.
Stay mindful of safety and enjoy the full benefits of landmine training.
