Landmine Press: Muscle Worked, Benefits, Form

If you want to add some freshness and variety to your workouts and give yourself a new challenge, give this landmine press a try. The landmine exercises are extremely beneficial and can be a key component in your training arsenal.

The Landmine press is extremely versatile and effective for building functional strength through all planes of motion, as well as packing on some serious muscle mass.

Want to build muscle on your chest and shoulder? Obviously, you do. The landmine press is brilliant for shedding fat and building muscle mass in the upper body.

In this post, we cover everything you need to know about:

• What is landmine press exercises
• Muscle work during landmine press
• Benefits of using a landmine
• How to do it safely and effectively.

What Is A Landmine Press?

Landmine press is an exercise that involves using a weighted barbell or other similar equipment that is anchored to the floor at one end (such as a landmine attachment) to perform a pressing movement.

The exercise primarily targets the shoulders, chest, and triceps muscles, and also engages the core, back, and legs to provide stability throughout the movement.

The pressing motion is performed by grabbing the end of the barbell and lifting it up and away from the anchored end of the equipment, while maintaining proper form and control throughout the range of motion.

The landmine press can be performed with different variations to challenge different muscle groups.

That way you can isolate muscles for hypertrophy and perform big compound movements for androgen hormonal boosts, strength gains, and fat loss.

Muscles Worked During Landmine Press

Obviously, you want to know what the landmine chest press muscles worked are, that determines what day this exercise will fit into your routine. Plus, if we’re all being honest, no one would do this exercise if it didn’t work any muscles, so here they are!

The Landmine Press is a compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups in the upper body, including the

• Shoulders
• Chest
• Triceps

It also engages the core, back, and legs to provide stability and balance throughout the movement

Landmine Press Benefits

1. Hypertrophy

When setting up the landmine press, there’s potential to stack weight plates high.

If you’re up to the challenge, this exercise has a high loading potential, and with increased resistance comes increased hypertrophy.

2. Shoulder-Friendly

The landmine press is a killer for building your upper body, and also a shoulder friendly exercise.

It is a little easier on the joints without comprising the benefits for strength and muscle size.

3. Strengthen the Core

During the movement, the core has to work hard to keep the body stable and balanced. For that reason, the landmine chest press benefits the core, mainly the strength of the obliques.

4. Upper-Body Strength

Wait! There are more to the landmine benefits for building chest muscle than aesthetics. This exercise is also great for building strength, mainly in the chest, but also in the muscles that work alongside – the triceps and the deltoids.

5. Corrects Imbalances in Strength and Movement

A unilateral exercise, the landmine press, allows lifters to identify areas of weakness and strength easily.

Additionally, the exercise can improve mobility by highlighting any restrictions during the range of motion.

6. Builds Motor Control

The landmine press requires a controlled movement during both the press and the eccentric (lowering) portion of the lift.

This helps to strengthen the mind-muscle connection and enhance the activation of muscles like the scapular and triceps.

7. Reduce the Injury

In general, the stronger you are, the less likely it is that you’ll get injured easily. You’ll feel happier and healthier, and more motivated to keep up the hard work.

8. Variations

We love variety in a workout, so any exercise that has a ton of variations is right up our street.

Landmine Press Variations

We highly recommend you try the landmine press variations for an intense workout that will work your upper body harder and recruit your core and lower body muscles more.

Here are five variations of the Landmine Press that coaches and athletes can incorporate into their workouts to enhance muscle mass and functional fitness.

1. Landmine Chest Press

The Landmine chest Press is not a popular exercise yet provides many benefits in regard to progressing your inner and upper chest but also in the muscles that work alongside – the triceps and the deltoids.

It can be performed in a kneeling position, which increases core involvement and can improve core stability and strength of the abdominal muscles.

How To Do Landmine Chest Press

1. Place a barbell in a landmine holder or set up a barbell in a corner. Then add weight plates to the free end of the barbell.
2. Assume a half kneeling position with the knee under your hip, toes tucked, and rib cage down.
3. Press the barbell up straight in front of you until your arms are extended, avoiding hyperextension at the elbows.
4. Hold the weight for a second and focus on contracting your chest muscles.
5. Slowly lower the weight back towards your chest and then repeat for the recommended reps

Tips

• To secure the barbell, you can interlock your hands around the bar.
• Lean your body forwards slightly and engage your core muscles to help with stabilization.
• Exhale on pushing movement, inhale when returning to the starting position.
• Contract the chest muscle at the top of the movement.

2. Landmine Shoulder Press

The Landmine Shoulder Press is a variation of the traditional shoulder press that involves using a barbell and a landmine attachment.

In this exercise, the barbell is positioned in the landmine attachment, which is anchored to the ground, and lifted overhead using one arm or both arms simultaneously.

The single arm landmine press also helps to fix any strength imbalances between the left and right sides of the bodies.

How To Do Landmine Shoulder Press

1. Stand holding the weighted end of the barbell with one hand.
2. Clean that bar up to shoulder height and tuck your elbow into your side.
3. Make sure the barbell is wedged securely in a landmine device or corner.
4. Your feet should be level and shoulder-width apart.
5. Keeping your core braced and knees soft, press the bar up and away from you, fully extending your arm at the top.
6. Press the weight up with one hand until your arm is extended, then bring it back down slowly.
7. With control, lower the bar back down to the starting position.

Tips

• Hold a neutral spine throughout the movement to prevent injury.
• Keep your elbows close to your body.
• Exhale on pushing movement, inhale when returning to the starting position.
• Lean your body forwards slightly and engage your core muscles to help with stabilization.

3. One Arm Floor Landmine Press

The One arm floor landmine press is a unilateral exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles.

The angled barbell still lets you press with the same range of motion as a regular floor press (i.e., until your triceps touches the floor) and it also allows for a neutral grip, which is easier on the shoulders.

Moreover, some folks will find that the thicker handle helps to relieve stress on the elbows, which is an added bonus.

The landmine allows for greater loading potential, and because the barbell is already elevated off the ground, it’s much easier and safer to get in and out of position. With a simple self-spot from the non-working arm, you should be all set.

How To Do One Arm Floor Landmine Press

1. Lie flat on the floor, bend your knees and keep your feet on the floor for better balance.
2. Take the grip of one side of landmine by one arm above your chest.
3. Lift the one side of the landmine off the chest and hold it at arm’s length above you.
4. Now lower the landmine under controlled motion.
5. Now raise it until your arms are nearly locked out.

Tips

• Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
• Do not bounce the weights off the chest.
• Avoid too much arching of the back.
• Control the weight during the lowering phase of the exercise to avoid sudden drops or jerks.

4. Side To Side Landmine Press

The side to side landmine press aka Kneeling alternate landmine press is a fantastic exercise for your chest, but it is also going to work your front delts and triceps too.

It’s somewhat similar to an incline press in that regard, as you are pressing up at an angle.

To make this exercise even more effective for your chest, be sure to really squeeze your hands together like you are trying to crush the bar. This will significantly increase activation for your pec major.

How To Do Kneeling Alternate Landmine Press

1. Take a kneeling position in front of the landmine and hold the barbell collar with your palms on each side.
2. Make sure the bottom of your palm is slightly on the underside of the barbell’s collar.
3. Squeeze your hands together, then press the barbell upwards, focusing on contracting your pecs to power the movement.
4. Go to full lockout, then slowly bring the barbell back down while maintaining the squeeze on the collar.
5. When your elbows are at your side, Keep alternating the sides and focus on your pecs at all times during the exercise.

Tips

1. Maintain a neutral posture throughout the movement to prevent injury.
2. Exhale on pushing movement, inhale when returning to the starting position.
3. Keep your core tight and engage your glutes.

5. Landmine Squat to Press (aka Thruster)

The landmine squat to press is a multijoint exercise that targets pretty much every single muscle in your body.

The main movers of this exercise are your quads, glutes, core, triceps, shoulders, chest, serratus anterior, and even lats, but all your other muscles will be involved as well to help stabilize.

All in all, if you want a landmine exercise that’s going to burn a lot of calories, build total-body strength, and get those good muscle-building hormones flowing, this is the one.

How To Do Landmine Squat to Press

1. Hold the bar with both hands at about mid-chest level and with your elbows tucked to your sides for support and stability.
2. From a squat stance, lower your hips down as deep as you can go (don’t let your knees push out in front of your toes and keep weight on your heels.
3. When you reach the bottom of your squat, explode up. As you come up, simultaneously press the bar until your arms are fully extended.
4. Lower the bar back down to your chest slowly and controlled, then repeat. 

Tips

• Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
• Not rounding your back.

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

Landmine Press Sets, Reps, and Intensity

Below are sets, reps, and weight (intensity) recommendations for athletes to program the landmine press with.

The below guidelines are simply recommendations and can be altered to fit your specific goals.

To Gain Muscle

If you’re looking to pack mass into your delts, chest and arms, aim to perform more volume with a moderate amount of weight.

• Do 3–5 sets of 6 to 10 repetitions, OR -2-4 sets of 12–15 repetitions.
• Rest for 45–90 seconds between sets.

To Gain Strength

While you don’t want to load this exercise up with your one-rep max, many lifters will find this more comfortable than traditional overhead presses. As a result, you can and may want to use this as your primary pressing movement.

• Do 3–5 sets of 3–5 reps with heavy weights.
• You can rest between sets as needed.

To Improve Muscle Endurance

To increase muscle endurance for athletes who have a high dependency on shoulder, triceps, and upper body pressing in their sport (competitive athletes, climbers, boxers, etc.).

• Do 2–4 sets of 12–20 repetitions with a light to moderate load.
• Keep rest periods under 45–60 seconds.

Landmine Press Exercises Tips

Although landmine Press are relatively safe in terms of free weight equipment, you still need to take certain precautions.

Follow these tips when using a landmine:

1. Proper Set Up

Make sure your set-up is secure before each exercise, especially if you are using a corner wall set up. Sometimes the bar can move out of position when loading it.

Make sure the barbell is securely placed in the landmine attachment or corner of the room

2. Foot Placement

For standing landmine press exercises, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your weight evenly distributed between both feet.

For kneeling variations, ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the ground.

3. Grip

Avoid gripping too tightly, as this can put unnecessary stress on your wrists.

4. Start Light

Focus on good, proper form before using heavy loads. Once you are comfortable with the movement, add weight and since it’s plate loadable, you can do so in smaller increments.

5. Remember How Landmine Works

Understand that it’s harder to do a movement with the loaded end (the working side) of the barbell closer to the ground due to the unique arc-shaped bar path.

This means lying, kneeling, and half-kneeling exercises will feel heavier and harder than standing exercises.

6. Controlled Movement

Move the barbell in a controlled manner throughout the exercise. Avoid sudden drops or jerks, especially on the lowering phase of the movement.

7. Range of Motion

Use a full range of motion, bringing the barbell all the way down to your chest or shoulder before pressing it up overhead.

Best Alternatives of Landmine Press

While the landmine press is a great exercise, there may be situations where you are not equipped with the necessary equipment.

In such cases, there are some alternative exercises that you can perform to target similar muscle groups.

Here are some of the best alternatives to the landmine press:

1. Dumbbell or Barbell Shoulder Press

This is a great exercise that can help you to develop strength and size in your shoulders. You can perform it either standing or seated.

2. Kettlebell Press

The kettlebell press is another good exercise that can target your upper body. It can also help to improve your core stability.

3. Push Press

The push press is a compound movement that targets your shoulders, triceps, and legs. It is a great exercise to build strength and power.

4. Pike Push-ups

Pike push-ups are a bodyweight exercise that targets your shoulders, triceps, and chest. It is a great alternative if you don’t have access to any equipment.

FAQs

landmine Press vs Overhead Press

Landmine Press:

• Uses a landmine attachment to perform the movement at an angle
• It can be less stressful on the shoulder joints
• It may be more suitable for people with limited mobility.
• Engages the core and obliques more than traditional overhead press
• Can also work the legs, especially if performed in a split stance
• It can be done unilaterally to address strength imbalances

Overhead Press:

• It is typically performed with a barbell or dumbbells in a vertical motion
• It can be done with a variety of equipment, including kettlebells and resistance bands
• It is a classic exercise with a strong emphasis on building upper body strength and size.
• Barbell press may be harder for people with shoulder problems or mobility problems.
• It can be done with a wider grip to emphasize the chest and front deltoids

What does the Landmine Press Work?

Landmine Presses develop upper body strength in a unique way with slightly different angles and ranges of motion.

They work the shoulders, arms, core, back and glutes.

Are Landmine Presses Effective?

Yes. They are a great exercise for burning fat, building muscle and protecting your shoulders against injury.

Does Landmine Press Work Upper Chest ?

Yes. The exercise does work the upper chest as well as the arms, shoulders, back, core and glutes.

The curving bar path and neutral grip does the exercise a little easier on your shoulders than the Strict Press.

Are landmine presses good for athletes?

Yes, these are great for overhead athletes, throwers, and any athlete who needs to generate force with their upper body. The landmine press builds shoulder strength and size, but also scapular control.

Takeaways

We hope this post has inspired you to put that landmine at your gym to use. You don’t have to try all of this landmine press right away, but pick one or two that make sense for each of your workouts over the next few weeks and throw them into the routine.