3 of the Best Exercises to Perform with the Landmine
There’s no shortage of exercise equipment out there to fit your needs. And many traditional pieces of equipment can be manipulated in a variety of ways to build strength, power, and stability, especially the barbell.
Have you ever heard of the landmine?
The landmine is technically an attachment or sleeve that one end of the barbell slides into to create a pivot point. With one end fixed, in a movable manner, the other end can be held with one or both hands to perform a variety of exercises. I often use this set-up depending on the goals & needs of each particular client since it can be extremely helpful.
Even if you do not have the piece of equipment which the barbell slides into, placing the barbell in the corner or against an immovable object will still allow access to the myriad of landmine exercises out there. I highly recommend placing a towel around the end of the bar for protection or also cutting open a tennis ball which should easily slide around the bar end.
Here are some reasons why you might want to utilize the landmine set-up…
Teach proper movement patterns - Depending on the exercise, the landmine can assist as opposed to resist different movement patterns. For example… if I have someone who has difficulty squatting to proper depth, excessively leans forward, or loses their balance backwards, the landmine can help to correct this. Because one end is attached into the pivot point, it provides a degree of assistance to better position the body. You can adjust your foot and body position around the bar end to create the desired outcome for the movement, thus teaching the body what you would deem more optimal mechanics.
Build muscular strength - From a strength standpoint, you can simply load the bar with weight to make any movement harder. Greater resistance comes in the form of adding weight plates which will increase the difficulty to challenge your strength. I find that due to the position/angle of the bar, it’s a very good tool to develop pure strength and can be adjusted from easy to extremely challenging.
Create a more stable piece of equipment - One thing to realize with the barbell and dumbbells is that they require joint control to move from point A to point B. If you have poor stability or are new to strength training, the landmine could a helpful tool to bridge the gap by providing a slightly more stable environment. With one end of the barbell being secured into the pivot point, this stabilizes the bar so it can only move in a predictable, arc-like motions. Although a slightly more controlled way to lift, it still allows a large, multi-directional range of motion to move through to fit your needs.
Over the years, I’ve become more fond of certain landmine exercises that are easier for client’s to grasp or create a bigger increase in strength, power, and stability.
Let me share 3 of my favorite landmine exercises below…
1/2 Kneeling Single Arm Press
The Landmine Shoulder Press is a great exercise to develop shoulder strength & stability. I often utilize the tall kneeling and half kneeling positions to create a challenge to the core/hip stabilizers. With the barbell being fixed on one end, all pressing exercises tend to be 45-60deg in front of the body as opposed to directly overhead. This can be valuable to those who typically feel pain in their shoulders or need to develop strength below the overhead position.
Reverse Lunge
The Landmine Reverse Lunge is an all-around great exercise to develop lower body strength and stability. The fixed bar actually helps you adopt a slight forward lean which really improves engagement from the posterior chain. I like this for runners & athletes who have to push-off and drive through the lunge position since it tends to feel more athletic.
Single Leg Deadlift
The Landmine Single Leg Deadlift is such a good variation, especially for beginners or those who have poor single leg stability. Of course, this movement naturally requires a lot of hip/foot stability which many people struggle with. Standing perpendicular to the bar will create a small degree of control to prevent side-to-side sway so you can effectively move through the hip hinge pattern. With stability being slightly less challenging than performing with dumbbells, it’s usually an exercise you can begin to load up for quickly to develop strength.
There you have it! Those are 3 of my favorite landmine exercises… Comment below and let me know if any of them are currently in your strength training rotation!