Landmine Deadlift: Muscles Worked, Form, Benefits

Tired of the same old deadlifts? Feeling limited by persisting joint pain? The landmine deadlift might be just the solution you need.

I used to think the traditional deadlift was the king of strength exercises (and it definitely is).

BUT then I discovered the landmine deadlift.

This variation opened up a whole new world of strength-building without putting the same stress on my knees and lower back.

In this post, I want to explain why a landmine deadlift is worth trying. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is the landmine deadlift exercise?
• How to do it safely and effectively.
• Muscle worked

What is a Landmine Deadlift

The deadlift is a cornerstone exercise in most strength-training programs for good reason. It’s one of the three powerlifting competition lifts (along with the squat and bench press) and works many muscles.

Primarily, it targets the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and back muscles) but also strengthens your core and grip. It just makes me feel like a powerhouse.

The landmine deadlift is a fantastic variation that offers these core deadlift benefits while providing unique advantages. But here’s why I love it even more:

• The angled barbell path can be easier on the knees and lower back than the traditional deadlift.
• The uneven weight distribution makes your core work harder to stay balanced and keep the bar straight.

Read More: 20 Best Landmine Exercises For Building Muscle And Strength

Landmine Deadlift Muscles Worked

The Landmine deadlift is a multijoint exercise that works many muscles at once.

The primary muscles worked during landmine deadlift are the glutes, Hamstrings and Lats

The synergistic and stabilizer muscles are the groups of muscles that assist with successfully executing the movement.

• Gastrocnemius
• Soleus
• Obliques
• Rectus Abdominis 
• Spinal Erectors
• Quads
• Traps 
• Rhomboids
• Forearms

How To Do Landmine Deadlift

1. Stand in front of the barbell landmine with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Remember to keep your back as straight as possible and contract your back and hamstrings.
3. Now raise the bar from the ground using your hamstrings and glutes.
4. You should keep your legs slightly bent, back straight, and head looking up.
5. Your heels, not your toes or elbows, provide the initial movement.
6. Raise it to the point where your body is erect.
7. Do not hyperextend your body as the weight shifts to the lumbar spine.
8. Complete the lift, and do not go only halfway through.
9. Now lower the bar slowly at a steady, slow pace by bending at the hips first and then at the knees, and let the weight touch the ground for a moment before you begin the next rep.

Proper Foam and Tips

Landmine deadlifts and their variations are extremely safe when performed correctly. However, errors can occur if you do not have the correct landmine deadlift form.

• The spine should be in a neutral position.
• Begin with a lightweight if new to the landmine deadlift
• Inhale on the way up, exhale when lowering the barbell
• Do not flex the neck; keep your gaze neutral. 
• Warm up before doing a landmine deadlift.
• Ensure you go through the full range of motion and correct your form.
• Keep movements controlled by avoiding them.
• Ensure your set-up is secure before each exercise, especially if you use a corner wall setup.
• If a deadlift is performed incorrectly, it can cause more harm than good. Keep the back straight at all costs.
• The lower back muscles take a long time to recover so that heavy deadlifts will be enough once a week.

Landmine Deadlift Variations And Modification

If you are new to performing deadlifts, you may want to apply a few modifications to make the exercise easier. One way to solve this problem is to use a lighter weight.

If you want a more advanced variation to stimulate different muscle fibers, try the Landmine Romanian Deadlift, The one-leg Romanian Deadlift, the stiff-leg deadlift, and the Sumo landmine deadlift.

1. Landmine Romanian Deadlift

The landmine RDL offers all the same benefits as a traditional barbell RDL, but due to the bar path, it does a really great job of ensuring a high level of stretching tension on the eccentric phase.

It is awesome for building muscle and strength in your hamstrings and glutes.

How To Do Landmine Romanian Deadlift

1. Stand in front of the barbell landmine with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Shoot your hip back and bend slightly in your knees so that you can lean your torso downward to pick up the weight with both hands.
3. Your spine should be straight with a high hip hinge. Extend at your hips, driving them forward and raising your torso up to a standing position.
4. Really feel the contraction in your glutes and hamstrings as you do this.
5. Perform a hip hinge again to lower the weight.
6. Go as low as you can while maintaining a straight spine and without flexing your knees.
7. Drive your hips forward through hip extension to a standing position and repeat. 

Tips

• Keep your knees stiff, your back and arms straight, and your head up.
• Do not allow the bar to drift away from your body during the lift. Keep the barbell close to your body.
• Keep soft knees and ensure the movement occurs primarily at your hips.
• Lower the weight until your hamstrings reach full stretch without rounding your spine.

2. Single-leg Romanian Landmine Deadlift

The Romanian landmine deadlift is a movement that uses only one leg. Single-leg RLD builds core strength and body control.

Overall, it’s a great exercise for increasing hamstring and glute health, improving hip joint function, and enhancing bilateral strength and performance.

The single-leg landmine deadlift version is also excellent for working on hip stability. 

How To Do Single-leg Romanian Landmine Deadlifts

1. Hold the barbell collar with a neutral grip and position it so it is directly in line with the left side of your hip.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
3. Raise your left leg off the floor without changing the bend in your knee.
4. As you do this, keep your back naturally arched and hinge at your hips, lowering your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor.
5. Come back up by extending at the hips, tap the ball of your left foot to the floor, and repeat.
6. Switch sides after you complete reps. 

Tips

• Make sure your back stays neutral throughout the movement.
• Keep soft knees and ensure the movement occurs primarily at your hips.

3. Landmine stiff leg deadlift

The Romanian landmine deadlift (RDL) and stiff leg landmine deadlift (SLDL) have much in common.

The main difference between the Romanian landmine deadlift and stiff leg landmine deadlift is the amount of knee bend.

As the name suggests, the stiff leg landmine deadlift involves almost no knee bending and the only joint that moves during the exercise should be your hips.

How To Do Landmine stiff leg deadlift

1. Start with the barbell head just in front of the hips, with both hands wrapped around the head of the barbell securely.
2. You should allow your knees to bend very slightly, but not too much.
3. Push your hips back and hinge forward until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor.
4. Adjust your body so that your spine is neutral, your shin is vertical, and your hips are roughly the same height as your shoulders.
5. Move the weight to the floor or as close to the floor as your range of motion allows.
6. Return to the starting position.

Tips

• Do not allow the bar to drift away from your body during the lift.
• Make sure the movement occurs primarily at your hips by keeping soft knees.

Know More: Landmine Row: Muscle Worked, Form, Benefits

4. Sumo Landmine Deadlift

The sumo landmine deadlift is a compound movement in which the feet are set in a wide stance with toes pointed out, and the grip is placed inside the legs.

It targets the hamstrings, glutes, upper back, and traps but also emphasizes stretching and strengthening the adductor and hip muscles due to the wide stance.

How To Do Sumo Landmine Deadlift

1. Stand in front of the barbell landmine with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. The feet should be set very wide, near the collars. Bend at the hips to grip the bar. 
3. Now raise the landmine from the ground using your hamstrings and glutes.
4. You should keep your legs slightly bent, back straight, and head looking up.
5. Really feel the contraction in your glutes and hamstrings as you do this.
6. Perform a hip hinge again to lower the weight.
7. Go as low as you can while maintaining a straight spine and without flexing your knees too much.

Landmine Deadlift Exercises Benefits

The benefits of a landmine deadlift can be very impressive. If done correctly and consistently over time, it can help you gain a lot of strength. Some benefits are included:

• Landmine deadlifts are one of the most effective strength-training exercises for improving jump performance.
• Increase the strength of the muscles that stabilize your spine, such as the oblique, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae.
• The landmine deadlift is the best exercise for working more muscles than any other exercise, including the squat. The lift works for the major muscle groups.
• Deadlifting targets all the muscles responsible for your posture and enables you to keep your back straighter during regular daily activities.
• Landmine deadlifts with significant weight; you can increase the amount of testosterone and growth hormone your body produces.
• It has a high metabolic demand and also increases your cardiovascular ability.
• Due to the fixed position of one end of the barbell and the more stable and predictable bar path, landmine exercises can sometimes be an extremely valuable tool to reduce the chance of injury.

Best Alternate Of Landmine Deadlift

There are many Landmine deadlift alternatives that you can try if you do not have access to a landmine attachment or barbell. Some landmine deadlift alternatives include:

• Dumbbell Deadlift
• Barbell Deadlift
• Glute Bridge
• Back Hyperextension
• Good Morning Exercise
• Kettlebell Swing

Landmine Deadlift vs. Traditional Deadlift

1. The set-up

The Traditional Deadlift is performed with the barbell on the floor, while the Landmine Deadlift is performed by anchoring one end of the barbell to a landmine apparatus.

2. The range of motion

Compared to the traditional deadlift, the landmine deadlift has a shorter range of motion, as the lifter can only lift the bar to a certain height based on the angle of the barbell.

3. The grip and stance

• The Landmine Deadlift allows for different grip variations, including a pronated, supinated grip, or neutral grip.
• In contrast, the Traditional Deadlift is typically done with a pronated grip.
• The Traditional Deadlift requires a wider stance,
• Meanwhile, the landmine deadlift can be done with a narrower stance.

4. The level of difficulty

The Landmine Deadlift is generally considered an easier exercise than the traditional deadlift, as it requires less technical skill and less stress on the lower back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are landmine deadlifts effective?

Yes, landmine deadlifts are a good exercise. They are an effective way to build strength in the posterior chain, improve core stability and increase grip strength.

Landmine deadlifts are one of the most effective strength-training exercises to build leg size and strength.

Additionally, it strengthens the muscles that stabilize your spine, such as the oblique, the rectus abdominis, and the erector spinae.

Are landmine RDLS good?

Landmine Romanian and stiff-legged deadlifts offer a targeted way to blast your hamstrings. This makes them ideal if you want stronger legs or are looking for a back-friendly way to work your posterior chain.

They put significantly less stress on your lower back than the standard deadlift.

Takeaway

Whether you’re a seasoned lifter looking to mix things up or someone wanting a joint-friendly way to build strength, the landmine deadlift is worth a serious look

Remember, safety comes first – listen to your body, and don’t push yourself too hard too soon.

Let me know how your first landmine deadlift session goes

References

• Weaver, Ashley N. BS; Kerksick, Chad M. PhD. Implementing Landmine Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift into an Athlete’s Training Program. Strength and Conditioning Journal 39(1):p 85-90, February 2017.
• Bird, Stephen PhD, CSCS; Barrington-Higgs, Benjamin. Exploring the Deadlift. Strength and Conditioning Journal 32(2):p 46-51, April 2010.

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.