By: Elinor Emesz and Igor Klibanov
So you want more pressing strength, stronger shoulder muscles and pecs, and maybe some carryover to athletic activities. Or hey, maybe you just want to look cool in the gym. You might have seen YouTubers and Instagrammers doing landmine presses, not only improving their strength, but looking cool doing it. Maybe you want to as well, so you decide to figure out how to include it in your routine. That’s exactly what I’ll help you do in this article. Think of it this as
sort of a landmine press guide.
I’ll cover:
● What is a landmine press?
● Muscles worked
● How to do a standing landmine press
● Common mistakes to avoid
● Landmine press benefits
● Drawbacks
● Landmine press variations
● Alternatives
● Programming recommendations
Before we jump in, you’re probably wondering what makes me qualified to talk about landmine presses. So, I’d like to introduce myself. Hi.
I’m Igor.
I’m a 7-time author on fitness and nutrition, including the book Run Faster, Jump Higher, Go Farther. I am also the CEO and owner of Fitness Solutions Plus, and have been selected as one of the top 5 personal trainers in Toronto.
Now that you know a bit more about me, let’s jump right in.
What Is A Landmine Press?
In a landmine press, you put one end of a barbell either into the landmine machine or into the corner of a wall. Then, you hold the other end in one or two hands, and push it up, until you straighten your elbow, bring it back down, and repeat.
Muscles Worked
The landmine works several muscle groups in your upper body that can essentially be divided into two groups:
1. Major: upper pecs, anterior deltoids, and triceps
2. Minor: scapular stabilizers (especially serratus anterior) and abdominals
Note that depending on how you do the landmine press and the specific conditions of your body (such as bad shoulder mobility or pain), the emphasis and tension put on each of the muscles varies.
How To Do A Standing Landmine Press
There are a few ways to approach doing a landmine press, though here are the steps for how to do the most common and proper form:
1. Put one end of the barbell into the landmine machine, or if you don’t have one, carefully place it in the corner of a wall.
2. To start, stand up straight, lean forward slightly with your upper body, keep your feet about shoulder width apart, make sure your core is in a neutral position, and hold onto the barbell with both your hands, like so:
3. Hold the end of the barbell that’s not in the machine or wall, and push it upwards until your elbow is straight.
a. Push up at about a 30-45 degree angle.
b. Also make sure that while you push the barbell up, your back doesn’t hyperextend (curve backwards). Instead, as you press (push the bar upwards), lean into the bar, still making sure to keep your back straight, like this (but with both hands on the barbell):
4. Bring it back down to your chest. Instead, keep your arms a bit further out, like so:
5. Repeat
Common Mistakes To Avoid
The landmine press is quite simple, though there are a few mistakes you should avoid that lower its effectiveness, including:
● Hyperextending your back (curving it backwards)
● Not controlling elbow position. Elbows near the body work the triceps more. Elbows further away from the body work the pecs more.
● Dipping your elbow too far back/down when bringing your arm/the barbell back down ● Not leaning into the bar
Landmine Press Benefits
The landmine press is great for looking cool and having fun doing it, but (if you do it right) it’s also great for:
● Improving pressing strength
● Improving overall upper body strength (stronger pecs and anterior/front deltoids, and to a lesser extent, triceps)
● Using as a carryover to sports such as football, baseball, and wrestling
● Scapular control – decreases risk of shoulder injuries
● Getting better core stability (avoid lower back hyperextension)
Drawbacks
Though there are many benefits to the landmine press, there are a few drawbacks to consider, such as:
● It’s not the most effective shoulder or pec strengthener
○ Because it doesn’t take those muscles through a full range of motion. It only makes you stronger in the range of motion where you work it.
● It’s not the most effective exercise for muscle size (see the alternatives section for better alternatives)
For these reasons, I very rarely use the landmine press in my clients’ programs. That’s because of who my clients are – primarily women over 40, and retirees. I don’t train any baseball players, football players, or wrestlers. If I did, I’d use the landmine press more frequently.
Landmine Press Variations
The landmine press is a good exercise, but there are many variations I think you should know about that have certain advantages over the landmine press:
Kneeling landmine press
○ The main difference between the kneeling position landmine press and the normal landmine press is that the one where you’re in a kneeling position gets rid of the involvement of your legs, since you do the exercise on your knees, hence the name “kneeling”.
○ Doing this isolates and puts more tension on your chest and triceps and, like the other
variations, it also works your core muscles (they won’t get stronger, but they do contribute to the movement).
Landmine Shoulder to Shoulder Press
○ Essentially, the landmine shoulder to shoulder press is the same as the original, since you still hold one end of the barbell in your hands and push upwards/forwards, while keeping your feet shoulder width apart. However the main difference is you do it on both sides, moving it from one shoulder to the other.
○ Obviously, this is a great shoulder workout, but also, if you really want to emphasize and work on your core stability, the landmine shoulder to shoulder press is perfect for that, since you shift your weight from one side to the other, which calls for you to stabilize your body using your core muscles (especially the obliques and quadratus lumborum). Also keep in mind that this may not be appropriate for you if you have shoulder issues.
Single-Arm Landmine with Rotation Press
○ The single-arm landmine with rotation press makes you use your leg and hip drive to push the barbell forward/up. It’s very similar to single-arm landmine presses, however you start with your lower body slightly turned to the side, and rotate your body (using your hip) to the front, while using the force from your hip and pushing the end of the barbell upwards. I know this probably sounds very confusing, so you can watch this video to get a better understanding.
○ The single arm landmine press is great for working on your rotational power and some muscle imbalances (since it’s a unilateral exercise).
Landmine Squat to Press
○ The last one we’re gonna look at is the landmine squat to press, which is a great exercise if you want to involve both your lower and upper body, also making it great for increasing
muscular strength. It’s quite similar to the original landmine press, however instead of starting in a standing position, you start in a squat, holding the barbell in front of your upper chest, and as usual, push it upwards, using your legs for momentum. Since it incorporates your lower body, not only is it great for working your triceps, anterior delts, and pecs, but also your thighs, hamstrings, and glutes. This leads to full body tension, meaning it will work your muscles even more.
Alternatives
There are many alternatives to the standing landmine press, though the one you choose to do really depends on what muscle groups you want to target, and what accommodations you need (such as if you have shoulder pain or a mobility issue in a certain part of your body, you’d find an alternative that puts less focus on that). Here are the 4 main alternatives (with varying targeted muscles):
Standard Overhead Press
a. Standard overhead presses are a great alternative, first of all, since they work similar muscles (deltoids and triceps). Secondly, they don’t require special equipment (like the landmine attachment machine). All you need is a barbell, and weights to put on it. The main difference is instead of pushing it forward, you’d be pushing the barbell overhead.
Here’s a video demo:
Front Raises
a. The main differences between front raises and the landmine press is the muscles targeted. Both exercises are quite simple, though the front raise primarily targets your anterior deltoids (front of your shoulders), while the landmine press targets anterior deltoids, triceps, and your pecs. Another difference is the way you do each exercise. When doing the landmine press, you start by holding the end of a barbell at your chest and push upwards/forwards, and when doing a front raises, you start by holding dumbbells at your sides (hips), and bring one arm up at a time, like so:
Incline Chest Press
a. This is a great alternative to the landmine press because it works the same muscle groups (upper pecs, anterior deltoids, and triceps), but through a greater range of motion.
b. Though both exercises put tension on your triceps, the incline chest press puts more, and also really engages your chest muscles (AKA your pecs), making it quite effective, and a great overall alternative to the landmine press, especially if you are looking for something a little bit more difficult.
Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions
a. It’s pretty obvious that this exercise specifically targets your triceps. But there’s no emphasis on either the anterior deltoids or pecs.
Programming Recommendations
For most exercises with weights, it’s hard to say exactly how many sets and reps you should do, since it depends on what you want to achieve. There’s a different number of sets and reps if the goal is endurance vs. strength vs. power vs. muscle size, etc.
Though I can’t say exactly what you should do, here are some recommendations for how many sets and reps to do for common goals:
● Strength building (when you care more about building strength and not muscle mass): 3-10 sets of 3-6 reps
● Muscle hypertrophy (AKA muscle building):
○ When it comes to building muscle mass, tracking the weekly sets is more important than daily sets. Beginners should do between 6 and 10 reps per week, while intermediates and advanced trainees should do 24+ sets per week.
○ Another thing is that with muscle building, reps aren’t as important as how close you get to muscular failure. Research shows that whether you do low (such as 6) or high reps (like 25) you can get equal muscle growth, because at the end of the day, the main variable is how close you are to muscle failure. I suggest staying within 1-4 reps of muscular failure to lower your risk of getting hurt.
○ If the goal is power, then you’d probably be doing 3-10 sets of 3-5 reps.
