Landmine Press: The Underrated Move Your Routine's Been Missing

What a time to be alive. We’ve got phones that are computers, apps that make Thai food appear at our front door, and dedicated landmine attachments. Back in my day, we’d just wedge a barbell in the corner and say, “To hell with the floor.”

If you struggle with shoulder mobility or feel pain during an overhead press — or you just want to look hella athletic, like a gym rat savant — learning how to do a landmine press ought to make the top of your to-do list. It targets your shoulders, chest, and triceps — and added benefit: the movement pattern allows your joints to move the way they actually want to. Instead of pressing straight up, you’re pressing up and a wittle bit out, which lets your shoulder blades rotate freely throughout the rep. In fact, you can go ahead and kick that “pack your shoulders back” cue to the curb for this one.

How to Do a Landmine Press

Before we dive into the step-by-step of mastering the standing landmine press, start off by getting your area setup. Insert one end of a barbell into a landmine rack attachment, or wedge the end into the corner where two walls and the floor meet (although, you may want to add some padding to protect those walls and floor from scratches). Load weight plates onto the free end of the barbell, or for those just learning the move, start out with just the weight of the bar.

1. Start out standing tall, feet shoulder width apart, with the free end of the barbell pointed toward your chest, held up by both hands. Engage your core, tuck your chin, lean slightly forward, and avoid any arching in your spine.
2. With your right hand, move the barbell off to your right side, allowing your elbow to flare out at a 45-degree angle.
3. Now, as you press overhead, allow the barbell to travel at a slight diagonal rather than directly up.
4. Lean into the bar as your elbow locks out, then return the bar with control back to start.
5. Complete your reps, then switch sides.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Just like the Lakers alum formerly known as Ron Artest, the landmine press goes by many names — landmine chest press, single-arm landmine press, landmine shoulder press, and more.  It’s also often presented with a variety of setups: unilateral, bilateral, kneeling, standing — you name it. But regardless of the variation, the basic mechanics stay the same.

This single-arm landmine press is a relatively simple overhead movement, but there are a few key form cues that can make the difference between building strength and stressing your joints. First, remember that the barbell doesn’t travel in a straight line like it would in a standard shoulder press — it moves on a diagonal path, going mostly up and slightly forward.

Next, as you bring the barbell back down to start, your elbow may be tempted to sneak behind your torso. FOR THE LOVE OF SHOULDER HEALTH, don’t let it. Stop the movement when your hand is a few inches away from your shoulder to keep you working in a safer range of motion. And finally, check your spine: if your back is arching to finish your reps, the weight may be too heavy, or you could be lacking shoulder mobility and compensating for that by mucking up your form. Tighten that core and aim for a neutral spine — no arch, no bend — to keep the focus of this movement on your shoulder.

Landmine Press Modifications and Progressions

Once you’ve got yourself setup with a landmine unit for your home gym, the world’s your oyster with a variety of landmine exercises and progressions. As you level up through different variations, the landmine press muscles worked will shift slightly — expect more isometric core and glute activation in the kneeling variations, increased speed and power thanks to leg drive in the push press and squat thrust, and greater oblique engagement when working with rotational movement.

Landmine press for beginners

• Half-kneeling landmine press: This landmine press alternative provides less strain on your back and a more stable base by placing you in a half kneeling position. When working with your right arm, place your right knee down on the ground with your other leg bent in front of you. Then, follow the same cues you would for a standard landmine press, moving the bar in a diagonal overhead as you lean forward slightly.
• Landmine kneeling press: Kneel tall, engage your core, and squeeze your glutes as you perform this unstable landmine press variation. Similar to the half-kneeling option, you won’t be able to use momentum to send the weight up and out with one arm, so be sure to make appropriate adjustments to your set up — aka, use less weight.

Intermediate landmine press progressions

• Banded landmine press: Toss on a looped resistance band to the end of the bar, then slip the foot on your working side into the other end of the band. A standard landmine press becomes easier the further you push the weight away, but adding a band increases the tension making this move more challenging through the end range of movement.
• Landmine push press: This push press substitute uses your legs to generate power as you dip and drive the bar up and out with one arm. In a split stance, think about moving through the press — pushing with your arm as you power up with your legs —as fast as you can. Then, lower back to start with control.

Advanced landmine press progressions

• Landmine squat thruster: This power move trains full-body force. The goal here is to move the bar as fast and explosively as possible. Start with the barbell at chest height, cradled in both hands. Stand with feet hip-width apart and rise up onto your toes. Maintaining your heel lift, lower into a squat, then explode upward — extending through your hips and driving the bar overhead in one motion.
• Landmine rotational clean and press: This move is all about power generated from the hips. Start out standing perpendicular to the end of the barbell with your inside leg close to the weight plate. With your hips hinged back, grab the barbell with the closest arm. Allow your hips to lift you, rotate towards the bar while pivoting onto your back toe, and switch hands. Now lean into the bar as you press the up and out.

Try It: How to Program Landmine Presses Into Workouts

The landmine press is an accessory lift that primarily targets your front delts, side delts, and chest, making it a smart addition to any shoulder day or upper body push workout.

If you’re training strength, go heavy and keep your reps low — 1 to 6 per set — while leaving a few reps in the tank. If hypertrophy — you know, making them muscles bigger and all — is the goal, lower the weight, crank up the volume to 6 to 12 reps per set, and work towards failure. And for muscular endurance, take your rep range up to 12 and higher. Either way, aim for 3 to 4 solid sets with a keen eye on form.

When building confidence in this move, try this simple progression to help you dial in the form, build strength, and increase stability in this unilateral shoulder exercise.

1. Bar only: Start out using just the bar to dial in the movement pattern of the landmine press. This can also be used as a warm up, helping to prime the body before you add weight.
2. Add plates: Once you’re ready to increase the challenge, add on weight plates to up the load. For landmine variations like half-kneeling and tall-kneeling, aim for a lighter load since you won’t be able to use momentum. For moves like the landmine push-press or squat thruster, the use of your legs will allow you to increase the amount of weight you load onto the bar.
3. Tempo and time under tension: Once you’ve nailed the pattern, slow it down. Try using a 3-1-2 tempo, where you take 3 seconds to lower in the eccentric portion of the lift, pause at the bottom for 1, then press up for 2. This extended time under tension builds shoulder control, reinforces the movement pattern, and promotes hypertrophy.
4. Rotations: This is an advanced progression, requiring a strong athletic core that’s capable of twisting and control. Start with the bar overhead and maintain your grip on the end with both hands clasped. Slowly lower the bar down towards one hip as you pivot and bend the outside leg inwards. Then, firing your obliques, drive the bar back up overhead.

Takeaway

We love a joint-friendly move, and the landmine press is just that. It’s like the chest press and shoulder press had a baby — omg congrats! — where each rep targets your delts, chest, and triceps while your core and glutes kick in to keep you stable. Whether you’ve got your heart set on sculpting boulder shoulders or are looking to build athletic power for sport, use the steps and progressions we’ve outlined to nail the form, build strength, and make this versatile lift a staple in your routine.

FAQs

What’s the difference between a landmine press and an overhead press?

The landmine press is an alternative to the overhead press, ideal for seasoned athletes and beginners who have joint pain or limited mobility in their shoulders. While the bar path for the overhead press moves in a vertical line over the head, the landmine press bar path moves diagonally, allowing the shoulder blades to rotate in a more natural manner.

Is the landmine press good for beginners?

100% yes. This move is easier on the joints than a standard overhead press, and once the basics are mastered and a foundation of strength is built, there’s a wide range of progressions to help take beginners to the next level.

What if I don’t have a landmine attachment?

Rack attachments like the landmine attachment are a relatively recent invention. While they make performing this move less cumbersome, you don’t necessarily need one to get the job done. Simply stick one end of a barbell into a corner and use something to keep the barbell from scuffing up your floor and walls — sweatshirt, towel, blanket, what have you.

Can I do a landmine press at home?

Yes! There are landmine attachments that are either standalone pieces or attach to squat racks, so you can vamp up your home gym to include landmine training. Without dedicated attachments, you can also stick the bar into a corner, however you’ll want to be careful not to ding up your floors — especially if you’re renting!

Is it better standing or kneeling?

Everyone is different — with varying goals, pain points, and interests in what they want to glean from a landmine press. The kneeling landmine is ideal for those learning the move, who want to isolate their shoulders, and also provides added core engagement for stability. On the other hand, the standing variation provides full-body engagement, can be loaded heavier, and is better suited for athletic power training. However, the standing landmine may place more stress on the spine than the kneeling landmine.

What’s the difference between a landmine chest press vs. landmine shoulder press?

The landmine press is both a chest press and a shoulder press. However, you can adjust the angle at which you’re pressing to help to target more or less of your chest or shoulders. To target your chest for a landmine chest press, inch yourself further from the bar for more of a forward press. For the landmine shoulder press, inch yourself closer so you’re pressing more vertically.

Rosie Borchert is NASM-CPT, former Nike Volleyball coach, and fitness writer whose work has appeared on BarBend and Tonal. If anyone would like to hire her to play beach volleyball, snowboard, binge watch TV, or go climbing, please get in touch.

This article was reviewed by Ashley Boyer, ACE-CPT, for accuracy.