The landmine attachment is a killer tool for full-body workouts and functional strength. Here are the best landmine exercises you can do, including benefits, muscles worked, and step-by-step instructions for doing them like a total boss.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the landmine attachment is easily one of the best attachments for a power rack!
With the landmine attachment, you’ve got dozens of new exercises you can incorporate into your routine, which means dozens of new ways to train your muscles more effectively.
If your goal is to keep things fresh and bring variety into your workouts while still making the most efficient use of your training time, the landmine can be a game-changer.
In this guide, I’ll share with you some of the reasons you should train using the landmine attachment, and which the best landmine exercises are.
Let’s jump right in.
Why Train with a Landmine Attachment?
The landmine attachment allows you to connect one end of your barbell to the base of your power rack or squat rack, and it offers some pretty amazing benefits:
Train for Stability
When training landmine exercises, you are lifting an object that is affixed to a pivot point 7 feet away from you.
There is a great deal of instability in the landmine, which forces your secondary stabilizer and core muscles to engage to maintain stability throughout the exercise.
As a result, you develop greater overall strength in a different way than you would using free weights alone.
Train For and Against Rotation
This is one very interesting—and very unique—benefit of training using the landmine attachment.
Your body requires a certain amount of strength to rotate, especially when rotating while lifting heavy weights. But strength is also needed to prevent rotation when burdened beneath a heavy weight (for example, when carrying something heavy in just one hand rather than an equally balanced load).
The landmine helps you to train both for and against rotation. It will develop the core and secondary stabilizer muscles that will keep you strong and upright when carrying a heavy, unbalanced burden, and will give you more power for when you want to rotate while supporting weight.
Develop Functional Strength
With the landmine attachment, you move the barbell through multiple planes of movement (up/down, side to side, etc.).
You can train in all the standard movements (pressing, pulling/curling, squatting, lunging, etc.) with the addition of a weight that can move right along with you. It’s one of the most versatile options for resistance training to develop functional strength that translates into more effective movement in every activity.
Train Your Grip
When training with the landmine attachment, you end up gripping the 2-inch-thick end of the barbell. That’s a “fat” grip that your hands aren’t typically accustomed to holding (usually, you grip the 1” or 1¼” barbell handle).
Because of this, the landmine ends up training your grip strength in a way other free weight exercises don’t.
Greater grip strength translates into better strength for every upper body exercise, from pull-ups to bench presses.
Better Shoulder Training
One of the truly amazing things about landmine training is that it can help you to train your shoulders using heavier weight but with lower injury risk.
When you do other shoulder exercises—for example, the overhead press or military press—there is a risk of straining the joint as your arms move through the directly up/down path of motion.
Shoulder impingement is a common side effect/injury caused by these movements that involve presses directly overhead because of the limitations on the shoulder joint.
But with the landmine attachment, the weight remains directly in front of you, which is A) easier on your shoulder joints, B) less likely to cause injuries, and C) increases the engagement of your scapular (shoulder) stabilizers and lats without decreasing deltoid activation.
As a result, you can train heavier and safer at the same time!
Pretty clear to see that landmine training can be absolutely game-changing, isn’t it? Time to take a deep-dive into the all-time best landmine exercises for you.
Best Landmine Exercises (with Step by Step Instructions)
1. Landmine Squat to Press
The landmine squat to press is a full-body exercise that will do wonders to develop everything from your legs (including glutes, quads, and hamstrings) to your shoulders and arms.
And yes, there’s plenty of core training mixed in for good measure!
This full-body movement combines both a squat (to target lower body) and press (for upper body “push” strength) into a single movement that creates excellent instability and forces your body to build the strength needed to maintain your balance.
It’s the perfect move to start off a training day focused on full-body exercises rather than any specific muscle targets.
To perform this exercise:
- Set up the landmine attachment with the barbell inserted and your desired weight loaded.
- Stand facing the machine, with the barbell gripped in both hands at roughly chest level.
- Inhale as you bend your knees and hinge backward at the hips to lower into a squat.
- Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Exhale explosively as you press back up to standing position. As you stand, extend your arms to press the weight over your head. Stop extending just before your elbows lock out.
- Hold at the top for a 1-count to increase shoulder activation, then lower the weight toward your chest. Once the weight is nearly at chest level, inhale and lower into the squat once more.
- Repeat as desired.
2. Landmine Press
The landmine press is your standard shoulder exercise, similar to military and overhead presses.
However, as you read above, it’s ideal for improving shoulder strength without putting your shoulder joints at risk. You’ll find it’s easier to SAFELY load more weight because you’ll have less trouble maintaining your balance and keeping your arms moving smoothly through the full range of motion.
But there’s one more cool benefit of this particular landmine exercise: because you do it on your knees, your glutes, lower back, and abs engage to keep your upper body stable. It develops functional core strength that will translate into greater agility and balance across every athletic activity.
To perform this exercise:
- Set up the landmine attachment with the barbell inserted and your desired weight loaded.
- Get on your knees facing the barbell, gripping the end in both hands at roughly chest height.
- Inhale as you focus on maintaining a steady, stiff core and lower body. Engage your glutes, abs, and lower back to keep stable.
- Exhale explosively as you press the weight high over your head. Extend your arms completely but stop just before your elbows lock out.
- Pause at the top for a 1-count, and focus on squeezing those shoulder, triceps, and forearm muscles.
- Inhale as you lower the weight once more to your chest.
- Repeat as desired.
3. Half-Kneeling Landmine Press
I LOVE the half-kneeling landmine press!
It’s a truly amazing exercise because it’s a unilateral (one-sided) movement that works one half of both your upper and lower body at a time, which forces your core to engage to maintain stability.
This is also one of the exercises that trains against rotation, and is amazing for bulletproofing your lower back against injuries.
Trainer’s Tip: Start with some of the heavier lifts—such as landmine presses, rows, and squat-to-presses—first, then use this exercise as a “finisher” near the end of your workout.
To perform this exercise:
- Set up the landmine attachment with the barbell inserted and your desired weight loaded.
- Kneel on the floor, with your right knee on the ground and left foot planted in front of you. Grip the barbell in your right hand and hold it at roughly the level of your shoulder.
- Inhale as you focus on maintaining a steady, stiff core and lower body. Engage your glutes, abs, and lower back to keep stable in the unbalanced position.
- Exhale explosively as you press the barbell up over your head. Remember to stop extending your arm before your elbow locks out. A slight bend in your arm will maintain muscle engagement through the shoulders, triceps, and forearms throughout the entire movement.
- Hold at the top for a 1-count, then lower slowly and under control to your starting position, inhaling as you lower.
- Repeat as desired on the right side, then switch positions (kneeling on your left knee, gripping with your left hand) to train your left side.
4. Landmine Lateral Raise
The landmine lateral raise is an amazing exercise for building powerful shoulders. It emphasizes your (often lesser-trained) middle deltoid muscles, working your shoulders through both abduction and flexion.
It’s also useful for training/rehabilitating your shoulders after an injury (like shoulder impingement or rotator cuff injury).
You’ll find that it’s one of the best exercises you can do to strengthen your shoulder joints against injuries and guarantee the muscles provide ample support for one of the most common, crucial movements.
To perform this exercise:
- Set up the landmine attachment with the barbell inserted and your desired weight loaded.
- Grip the barbell in your right hand and stand perpendicular to the barbell so it crosses in front of your body to hang down by your left hip.
- Take a slow, deep breath, then exhale as you bring your right arm up and across your body (lateral raise motion). Your hand should move diagonally from beside your left hip, up past your chest and shoulder, and end at roughly head height, fully extended out to your right side with your palm facing forward.
- Hold at the top for a 1-count, then slowly move it back in a diagonal lowering motion to return it to its starting place beside your left hip.
- Repeat as desired, then switch to your left hand to work the other side.
5. Landmine Rows
Rows are among the best upper back exercises around, and they work your shoulders, biceps, forearms, lower back, and even your glutes (slightly).
Performing them with a landmine attachment rather than a cable machine or rowing machine changes the way your muscles engage during the exercise—for the better!
With seated cable rows, the power has to come entirely from your back. With the rowing machine, you’ve often got a padded bench to brace your chest against to isolate your back muscles.
But with landmine rows, you’re essentially combining a lifting (up/down) and pulling (forward/backward) motion. This engages your back, shoulders, and biceps as effectively as any other type of row, but it also hammers your lower back, glutes, and even your quads.
It’s more of a full-body exercise than any other type of row.
To perform this exercise:
- Set up the landmine attachment with the barbell inserted and your desired weight loaded.
- Secure a rowing handle to the barbell, or grip the barbell in both hands. Stand straddling the barbell so it’s placed between your legs, with your back to the pivot point.
- Bend your knees slightly and lean slightly forward to compensate for the weight. Make sure your knees are soft and your spine is in neutral position.
- Exhale as you pull the weight up toward your chest. Focus on engaging your lats and delts throughout the pulling motion.
- Inhale as you lower the weight slowly and under control until your arms are fully extended. Pause at the bottom for a 1-count, then begin again.
- Repeat as desired.
6. Landmine Twist
The landmine twist is one of the best exercises to do to train your body both for and against rotation.
With this exercise, you are lifting the weight across the front of your body and over your head, twisting your body to facilitate the movement.
However, you also have to prevent your body from twisting farther as you reach the end of the movement, which forces your core muscles to brace to engage.
This is a popular exercise among powerlifter, boxers, and track-and-field throwers. For those with lower back injuries, it can be a great way to strengthen the spinal muscles so they’re more resilient when you twist—with the goal of preventing future injuries caused by incorrect rotation or insufficient muscle strength.
To perform this exercise:
- Set up the landmine attachment with the barbell inserted and your desired weight loaded.
- Stand facing the barbell, gripping the end in both hands. Begin with the weight supported at roughly chest level.
- Bring the weight up and over your head, then rotate to the right to lower it toward your right hip.
- Brace your core and use the power of your legs, back, and arms to stop the weight at the bottom of the movement, roughly 6-8 inches from your hips.
- Push the weight back up and swing it around over your head to lower it toward your left side.
- Repeat as desired, twisting to the right and left.
The Bottom Line
The exercises we’ve shared above are just a few of the many, truly amazing options you can incorporate into your workout thanks to the landmine attachment.
You can literally train your entire body—using landmine floor presses for your chest, landmine curls for your biceps, landmine single-legged deadlifts for your glutes and hamstrings, landmine squats for your quads, and the list goes on!
If you want to take your training to the next level, I strongly recommend you incorporate these landmine exercises into your workouts.
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