People who say you can’t perform unilateral exercises with a barbell have probably never heard about the landmine press.
Hi guys, welcome to another push exercise guide. Today, we will discuss a push exercise that you can perform bilaterally, unilaterally, in a standing or kneeling position. Like pressing exercises usually do, the landmine press works the chest, triceps, and shoulders.
The landmine attachment is an attachment that is placed on the floor, where one end of a barbell can be inserted. The other end remains free for movement. Using this attachment, you can perform many push and pull exercises. The landmine press is one of the most popular landmine exercises.
What Is The Landmine Press
It is an upper-body compound vertical push exercise and can be performed both as a compound chest and compound shoulder exercise.
It is performed using a barbell where one end of the barbell is inserted into a landmine attachment, with the other end free to move.
The landmine press has grown increasingly popular. This exercise allows you to perform multiple muscle groups without putting much stress on your shoulder joints. It also allows you to improve pressing strength and build muscle.
It can be performed in a variety of ways using one or both arms. Although it is typically performed from a standing position, the kneeling or half-kneeling landmine press is not uncommon.
Landmine Press: Muscles Worked
As this is an upper-body push exercise, the targeted muscle groups are the usual suspects –
- Deltoids
- Chest
- Triceps
- Core
Similar to the shoulder press, the landmine press works the shoulder or the deltoid muscles. Like most compound shoulder exercises, it specifically targets the anterior or the front deltoids with some activation of the side delts as well.
When the bar is pressed from in front of the chest using both arms, the landmine press engages the chest muscles or the pecs, especially the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, more commonly known as the upper chest.
As there is elbow extension involved, it also engages the triceps in addition to the chest and shoulders.
Furthermore, the core muscles have to be engaged throughout the movement to keep the body stable. While performing the single-arm variation of this exercise, the obliques are engaged to make sure the body doesn’t rotate towards the working side.
The Workouts
As mentioned, the landmine press can be performed in several ways. Here, we will focus on the following ones –
- Landmine Chest Press
- Landmine Shoulder Press
The single-arm variation of the landmine press, where you need to bring the barbell down to the shoulder on one side, is a more deltoid-focused exercise as opposed to the double-arm variation, where you initiate the movement from in front of your chest. However, both variations will engage the upper chest and the delts to a certain extent.
Landmine Chest Press
For this exercise, we will assume a standing position and use both arms. You will need a landmine attachment for this, but if your gym doesn’t have it, you can place one end of the barbell in the corner of a wall.
The Guide:
- Insert one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment and load the other end with weight plates.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Reach down and grab the free end of the barbell with both hands and bring it up to your chest. Your palms should be facing each other. This is the starting position.
- Drop your shoulders and stick your chest out. Keep a neutral spine and brace your core to keep your body stable.
- Push the bar until your arms are almost fully extended. Make sure to keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top.
- Once you reach the top of the movement, lower the bar down to chest level.
This exercise is also known as the standing landmine press. You can perform this exercise in a kneeling position as well. You can make this exercise more challenging by using a resistance band for added resistance. For that, place both feet on one end of a looped resistance band and the other end on the free end of the barbell.
Landmine Shoulder Press
This is a single-arm variation, and we will perform this variation of the landmine press in a half-kneeling position. But like the previous exercise, you can also perform this exercise in a standing or full kneeling position as well.
The Guide:
- Insert one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment and load the other end with weight plates.
- Assume a half-kneeling position with the knee of your working side on the floor. Place your other foot on the ground.
- Reach down and grab the free end of the barbell and bring it up to your working shoulder. You can use both hands to lift the barbell, and once you bring it to shoulder level, grab it with one hand.
- Drop your shoulders and stick your chest out. Keep a neutral spine and engage your core to keep your body stable.
- Push the bar until your arms are almost fully extended. Make sure to keep a slight bend in your elbows at the top.
- Once you reach the top of the movement, lower the bar down to shoulder level.
FAQs
What is landmine press good for?
The landmine press is easier on your joints, which is particularly beneficial for people with joint injuries and pains. In addition, this exercise can be performed in a number of ways. It can be performed as a bilateral exercise to push heavier weights. It can also be performed unilaterally to correct muscular imbalances and asymmetries.
Is a landmine press better than an overhead press?
A person with no joint issues should perform both landmine press and overhead or military press and get the best of both worlds. However, the landmine press can be a good alternative to the overhead press for people with shoulder mobility and joint issues.
Does the landmine press hit the chest?
To target the chest with a landmine press, you need to perform the exercise with both arms and initiate the movement from in front of your chest. You have the option to do it in a standing or kneeling position. The angle of the press resembles the angle of the incline hex press, which is a great exercise for the clavicular head of the pectoralis major or the upper chest and the inner chest.
Which muscle does landmine press target?
The landmine press is good for targeting the upper body push muscles – chest, shoulders, and triceps. It also engages the core to keep your body stable. Due to the angle of the landmine press, it targets the upper chest more. For shoulders, it mostly engages the front delts with some activation of the side delts.
Conclusion: Landmine Press
When it comes to compound push exercises, the landmine press is what I consider to be underrated. It not only targets the chest and shoulders effectively and efficiently, it also provides an added element to the workout with its explosiveness. In addition, its straight bar path makes it friendlier to your joints.
For more amazing chest and shoulder exercises, check out the following posts –
For Shoulders –
9 Best Compound Shoulder Exercises
Shoulder Isolation Exercises – 9 Top Moves
8 Best Vertical Push Exercises
12 Best Cable Shoulder Workouts
Cable Vs Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Shoulder Press – Barbell Vs Dumbbell
Rear Delt Row – The Ultimate Rear Delt Builder
Reverse Cable Fly – A Comprehensive Guide
Kneeling Shoulder Press – A Complete Guide
Cable Lateral Raise – The Ultimate Middle Delt Builder
Plate Front Raise – The Complete Guide
One Arm Cable Front Raise – The Full Guide
For Chest –
10 Best Horizontal Push Exercises
Cable Chest Workout – 12 Top Picks
Dumbbell Vs Barbell Bench Press
Cable Fly – The Ultimate Guide
Hex Press – A Game Changer For Your Chest