Imagine having impeccable stamina, perfect body mechanics, and being able to do overhead pressing without any pain and with exquisite shape. Still, not everyone is an athlete out there in the real world.
If you’re trapped in the 9 to 5 grind, you may face problems with inflexibility, so keeping the shoulders in the right position while you press can be a bit tough. Incorrect performance can increase the tension on your rotator cuffs and even cause an injury.
So maybe it’s time to try the landmine press. Landmines provide a variety of exercises, which can boost your conditioning and build your strength, especially if you’re still an amateur in weight lifting. The reason for that is that landmines are a bridge between weightless versions of complex exercises such as the squat and shoulder press, and the fully-loaded barbell versions of the same complex exercises.
It’s also one of the better-kept secrets for building a genuinely impressive chest. A well developed chest is a must-have for a symmetrical, balanced upper body — we’ve all noticed that a weak chest is just as detrimental to the overall look as a weak back. Almost no one admires a guy sporting pumped arms and chiseled abs with a relatively flat chest sitting in the middle.
Pectoral muscles can be stubborn and hard to grow, but they’re the upper body’s centerpiece — even covered up with clothes, a developed chest sends a strong message of strength. If your usual rotation of barbell and dumbbell presses has stalled your progress, the landmine press is exactly the kind of new stimulus that can kick things back into gear.
What Is a Landmine Press?
Landmine exercises include pressing, lifting, and squatting one end of an angled barbell, and are a great enhancement to any workout routine. This type of exercise allows you to decrease the stress while still being able to increase your muscular size, by approaching the bar from a different angle.
Depending on the gym, you may find specially adjusted landmines — devices you can insert one side of the barbell into so you can do landmine exercises. However, you can always work out with one end of the barbell pushed into a corner if the gym has no landmine device.
The landmine press is a unique muscle-building exercise. It covers nearly all of your upper body and is a great way to work your shoulders, chest, and triceps. Landmine presses are also considered relatively easier to do than vertical presses, thanks to the neutral grip and the curved path of the barbell.
There are dozens of ways to do this exercise, since there’s no particular standard set for it. Your trainer may ask you to do the landmine press differently than described here, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It really depends on the way you approach the press — kneeling or standing, holding the bar with one hand or two.
Landmine Press Muscles Worked
The landmine press targets primarily your chest, front deltoids, and triceps. Depending on the angle between yourself and the barbell — how much you’re leaned in toward it — the landmine press will work more of your chest or more of your shoulders. Lean in more and stay slightly more upright, and you’re doing what’s often called the landmine chest press: the emphasis shifts onto your upper and inner chest.
Press it more vertically, and your front delts take over more of the work instead. That’s worth keeping in mind as you read through the variations below, since a few of them are built entirely around that same angle principle.
How to Do the Landmine Press
Below you’ll find an explanation of how to do two standard forms of standing landmine presses, as well as some variations of the landmine press.
Two-Handed Press
If you’re doing the two-handed landmine press, first make sure the barbell is pushed into a corner or wedged into a landmine device. With one end of the barbell secured, hold the weighted end with both hands right in front of your chest, hands together to create a solid base.
Your feet should be positioned shoulder-width apart. Keep your chest tight, elbows tucked in together, and shoulders back throughout. Press the weight up with both hands until your arms are fully extended, then start to lower the barbell slowly.
Remember: the more upright and leaned-in your position, the more this becomes a landmine chest press — a chest-dominant movement rather than a shoulder-dominant one.
Single-Handed Press
If you want to do a landmine press with one arm, it’s best to be in a split stance position, with the opposite leg to the arm you’re lifting with stepping forward.
Grab and press the weight up with a single arm, but keep it in line with your shoulder instead of moving toward the middle of your body. The landmine press with one arm works the shoulders more than the two-handed press, which puts more focus on the chest.
Landmine Press Variations
Kneeling Landmine Press
Your height plays a big role in how the bar moves during the press. That’s because the length of the barbell doesn’t scale with your height the way the rest of your body does — so if you’re taller, the motion turns into more of a flat or incline press than a true vertical press.
If you want a genuinely vertical lift, you’ll need to kneel.
Landmine Shoulder-to-Shoulder Press
In this exercise, hold the barbell with both hands by one shoulder, feet level and shoulder-width apart, push the weight up, then lower it down to the opposite shoulder.
This movement works your core as well as your chest and shoulders — the core works harder since it’s stabilizing your upper body throughout the exercise.
Rotational Single-Arm Press
Start the landmine press in a single-arm position, in a split stance with one leg forward. Your weight should be over your back leg at the start of the exercise. Press up, turn your body, and lift your back heel so your weight transfers forward toward your front foot.
As you lower the weight, start turning back down. This version activates your legs more and builds strength across your entire body.
Landmine Squat to Press
This variation combines two key moves. Take the end of the bar in both hands and squat until your thighs reach parallel with the floor. At that point, stand up and press the bar overhead in one continuous movement.
The forward edge on the press reduces shoulder pressure, and you don’t need to worry about having a bar on your back.
