If you were to think literally, the words landmine exercises seem strange. A landmine, taken at face value, means something to be feared because if someone stepped on one, you know what would happen next. But the word landmine means something else entirely in exercise land.
I’m not sure why it’s called landmine training, but what it is is angled barbell training. You put the end of a barbell in a rotating device (called a landmine), or you stick a barbell in a corner and boom, instant landmine exercise.
It’s an excellent method to introduce beginners to barbell training, and it’s’ fantastic for all levels of lifters. Angled barbell or landmine training allows you to get a great workout with minimal fuss.
A few advantages of landmine training include the following.
- The ability to go heavy with unilateral exercises.
- Holding the fat end of the barbell while lifting increases grip strength.
- The landmine lifting angle gives your spine a break from the compressive load of regular standing barbell exercises.
- The ability to hit the muscles from abnormal angles in standing, tall kneeling, and half-kneeling positions enhances overall muscle development and functional strength.
- It allows barbell beginners and lifters with hip or shoulder mobility deficits to gain confidence and strength while working through limitations.
Here, I’ll discuss my four favorite landmine exercises and how to incorporate them into your current programming.
4 Landmine Exercises For A Sexier You
There are many fantastic landmine exercises, but here are four of my favorites I use in my training. Hopefully, you will ”like” them too.
Landmine Rollout
The landmine rollout is excellent for your core, much like the ab rollout, but this one has an added benefit. The arc of the landmine rollout will strengthen your obliques because you have to resist the rotation and do both sides to complete one set. Double the fun, right?
Muscles trained: Rectus abdominals, serratus anterior, obliques, glutes, and lower back.
How to do it:
Kneel on the ground, gripping the end of the landmine with one weight plate on it with both hands.
Keeping both arms straight with your glutes squeezed, roll the barbell out to a range of motion you can control.
Pause in the extended position and back your body up until your hands are underneath your shoulders.
Reset and repeat for desired reps and do the other side.
Programming suggestions: Six to eight reps on each side as part of your warm-up or core routine.
Landmine Cossack Squat
The landmine Cossack squat is similar to a side lunge, but you start and keep a split position while squatting from side to side. Like the side lunge, the Cossack squat will strengthen your glutes and quads while mobilizing your adductors (inner thigh muscles). Combining the two keeps your knees happy and will help you get sexier legs.
Muscles trained: Adductors, glutes, quads, upper back, and obliques.
How to do it:
Hold the end on the landmine barbell with your shoulders down and chest up.
Then, get your feet wide as your hip mobility allows with your toes pointed forward.
Shift and squat to one side as far as your inner thigh mobility allows.
While squatting, rotate the non-working leg so your toes point to the ceiling.
Return to the starting reset, and repeat on the other side for even reps.
Programming suggestions: Two to four sets of six to 12 reps on both sides as part of your strength training routine.
Landmine Side To Side Press
The side-to-side landmine press is another tremendous pressing variation when you want to build and strengthen sexier triceps and chest. Holding it with two hands in a close grip allows you to go heavier than other landmine press options. The side-to-side action of this exercise trains anti-rotational (love handle) core strength, too.
Muscles trained: Chest, anterior shoulder, triceps, and obliques.
How to do it:
Hold the end of the barbell with both hands a few inches from the left shoulder with your shoulders down and chest up and feet in a wider-than-hip-width stance
Press the barbell to the body’s center and lower to the right shoulder.
Then press to the center and slowly lower down to the left shoulder.
Alternate sides for an even amount of reps on each side.
Programming suggestions: I like this for higher repetitions around 12-16 (six to eight on each side) for two to three sets.
Meadows Row
The Meadows Row is named after its ”inventor” IFBB bodybuilder and coach John Meadows. You get into a staggered stance side onto a barbell and perform a single-arm row. Holding the fat end of the barbell combined with the angle allows you to go heavier than with other unilateral variations while building grip and back strength.
Muscles trained: forearms, biceps, upper back, and lats.
How to do it:
Lean your upper body forward while in a staggered stance.
Grip the barbell with an overhand grip, resting your non-working forearm on the forward leg.
Drive your elbow behind the body while bringing your shoulder blades together.
Pull the barbell towards your back hip until the elbow is level with your torso.
Return slowly to the starting position, repeat for reps, and repeat on the other side.
Programming suggestions: Two to four sets of eight to 15 reps on each side works well.
Wrapping Up
Landmine training is a nice change of pace and a great way to use a barbell out of its traditional uses. These four exercises will add strength and muscle and further improve your sex appeal. All you need to do is stick the baby barbell in the corner, and the gains will happen.
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