What Is A Landmine Exercise? Do They Work?

Have you ever heard of a landmine exercise before? Not many people have, surprisingly.

Yet, it remains one of the most underused and effective types of exercise out there.

It makes for a great way to target the entire body while also getting the heart rate up. This makes it perfect for both beginner and experienced exercisers alike.

Excited to try something new in the gym this week? Read on more to discover all this unique spin on working out brings to the table.

What is A Landmine Exercise?

So, what exactly is a landmine exercise? No- it has nothing to do with explosions unless you are thinking about the explosive gains you can make!

A landmine exercise is a weight-training move that involves stabilizing a barbell on one end, while the other end is free to move. This allows you to lift the barbell in a wide range of motion, which can help to build strength and power.

Landmine exercises can be performed with a variety of different barbells, including Olympic barbells or powerlifting barbells, and even E-Z bars. The key is just to ensure that the barbell is securely anchored before starting the exercise. For example, you can place the end of the barbell in a corner (weighted down with plates for balance), or invest in a dedicated landmine anchor stand.

Once your setup is complete, you can start performing a wide range of exercises, and with a little creativity, the possibilities are endless.

Why Landmine Exercises?

When contemplating any new exercise, it should be based on whether or not it will produce results. After all, why waste time with something that isn't going to help you achieve your fitness goals?

Here are a few reasons why landmine exercises can be such an asset to your workout routine:

One Bar, Endless Possibilities

Ok, not endless- but a lot. The number of exercises and muscle groups you can target with a landmine attachment and barbell is colossal.

For example, you can do overhead presses to work your shoulders, or rows to work your back. You can even use the landmine to perform squats and lunges, and not to forget cardiovascular conditioning exercises.

Suitable For All Fitness Levels

Are you a newbie to working out? No worries. Afraid that you're too advanced for them? Not a concern.

The body responds to changing stimuli quite efficiently. This means that the range offered by landmine movements is bound to be extremely foreign to the body.

of course, feel free to pile on as much or as little weight as you feel comfortable with. The point is that there is always a way to make the exercise more difficult or easier, depending on your fitness level.

Very Affordable

The actual setup for a landmine apparatus isn't expensive at all. The primary components are an Olympic barbell, and the floor anchor attachment. That will set you back about $100.

Of course, you can opt for a fancier model with a stand and all the bells and whistles. But if you're just starting out, the basic setup will suffice nicely.

The most expensive thing might be purchasing weight plates as you progress and need more resistance, but in the beginning, 100lbs in total might be more than enough to keep you going strong for months.

Home Or Gym Friendly

Where do you prefer to work out? Some people like the gym for the motivation and social setting, while some like the peace of home.

Gym fees are on the rise, however, so if you choose to work out at home to save some money, they can easily be set up in your garage.

In fact, you might be drawn to the allure of all the other shiny equipment in the gym and end up neglecting landmine training altogether, so many people that perform a landmine-centric session tend to do so at home.

Builds Strength and Muscle Mass

For many people, strength and muscle mass are important fitness goals. However, achieving these goals can be difficult, especially if you don't have access to a lot of equipment. Landmine exercises are a great way to build strength and muscle without needing a lot of fancy gear. All you need is a barbell and a landmine attachment.

Landmine exercises are effective because they allow you to load the weight in a linear fashion. This means that you can put more stress on the muscles, which is necessary for growth. In addition, landmine exercises are relatively easy to learn and perform, making them ideal for people who are new to lifting weights.

So don't worry too much- you will still achieve your strength and muscle goals with landmine movements. Using a supplement that provides creatine and the valuable energy unit, ATP, offers a huge boost in your strength and muscle accrual as well.

Unique Range Of Motion

When you're performing any kind of exercise, it's important to focus on the range of motion. This is especially true when you're trying to build muscle and strength.

The reason for this is that the more range of motion you have, the more muscles you can target. Landmine exercises offer a unique range of motion that other exercises simply can't match.

For example, when you're performing a chest press with a landmine, the weight is moving in an arc instead of a straight line. This allows you to target your chest muscles from multiple angles, which leads to more growth.

In addition, since the weight is moving in an arc, you're also able to get a deeper stretch in the muscles. This is important because it helps to prevent injuries and allows you to target more muscle fibers.

This new spin on resistance training incorporates more than just gravity to build muscle. The weight is actually pushing back against you as well, which leads to a more intense workout.

Reduces Risk Of Injury

It's no surprise that many people have muscle deficiencies, either when it comes to supporting muscle or the primary movers.

Injury, however, is likely to occur when your muscles are unable to handle the load they're being put under. This is where landmine exercises can help.

Since the weight is moving in an arc, it allows your muscles to work in a more natural range of motion. This helps to prevent injuries because your natural stabilizers are being engaged more.

In addition, since you're able to target more muscle fibers with landmine exercises, you're also building up strength and muscles that can help support your joints better. This leads to a reduced risk of injury in the long run.

Some people argue that landmine exercises may actually compromise strength and stability, however, this is just not true since they replicate natural movement patterns over lateral-type movements.

Landmine Exercise Selection

You can practically target any muscle group with landmine exercises. However, some exercises are better than others when it comes to building strength and muscle.

Here are a few of the best landmine exercises that you can do to build strength and muscle:

Landmine Squat

The landmine squat is great for amateur trainees to help improve their squat form and mechanics. In addition, it also teaches you how to generate power from the hips, which is essential for any athlete.

To do the landmine squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell in front of you, arms supporting the bar on your chest.

Next, place your hands on the barbell and squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. From here, drive through your heels and explosively stand up (the press on the ascent of the move is optional if performing separate shoulder exercises).

Perform 6-10 reps and 3-4 working sets

One Arm Landmine Press

The landmine press is a great exercise for building shoulder and tricep strength. In addition, it's also a great exercise for developing explosive power.

To do the landmine press, start by placing the barbell in a landmine station and load it with the weight you want to use.

Next, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hand on the barbell. Press the barbell overhead, making sure to keep your elbow close to your ear.

From here, lower the bar back down to your chest and repeat.

Perform 10-12 reps and 3 working sets.

You can also perform the two-handed landmine press if you want to, although the unilateral version is great for fixing imbalances.

Landmine Row

The landmine row is actually one of the first movements that popularized the concept of landmines in the beginning. As early as the 70s they were a mainstay in many old-school gyms.

The landmine row is a great exercise for developing back strength and size, adding thickness to your lats, and improving your posture.

To do the landmine row, start by placing the barbell in a landmine station and load it with the weight you want to use.

Next, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on the barbell. Bend over at the hips, row the bar up to your chest, and pause briefly at the top of the movement.

Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for reps.

Perform 10-12 repetitions and 3-4 working sets.

Chest Press

Not to be outdone, you can effectively train your chest as well by using the landmine attachment. You will, however, be better served to perform the exercise one side at a time.

To do the landmine chest press, start by placing the barbell in a landmine station and load it with the weight you want to use.

Next, place your hand on the barbell and position yourself so that your forearm is about chest level with the bar in front of you.

From here, press the barbell away from your body and pause at the top of the movement. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for reps. Perform 10-12 repetitions and 3 working sets.

By adjusting the position of your hands higher or lower on the bar, you can also emphasize which area of the chest you stimulate (the upper or lower pecs).

Perform 10-12 reps and 3-4 working sets for best results.

Landmine Curl

Of course, we have someone in store for the biceps too! The landmine curl offers a fixed path of travel that might tend to resemble a cheat curl to some, but it’s actually a great exercise for developing biceps strength and size.

Assuming a shoulder-width stance, start the exercise by holding the end of the barbell with your palm facing up. Next, curl the barbell up towards your chest as you would in a standard dumbbell curl. Pause at the top of the curl and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

Repeat for reps.

Perform 12-15 repetitions and 3 working sets.

How To Get The Most Out Of Landmine Training

You might have noticed that many landmine exercises are compound movements, which means that they can be particularly stressful on the body. So, to ensure that you get the most out of your sessions, it is imperative for you to try and ensure what happens outside the gym is conducive to progress.

Variables, such as:

Sleep

Regardless of the type of training you’re doing in the gym, getting enough sleep is always going to be of paramount importance if you want to see results.

During sleep, our bodies are able to rest and recover from the stresses of the day and the training we put it through. This means that we wake up feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to tackle whatever the day throws our way.

So, if you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re going to find it very difficult to make any real progress in the gym – no matter how good your training program is.

We recommend you use a non-habit forming all-natural sleep aide such as DREAMZZZ if you're having sleeping difficulties.

Aim to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

Nutrition

What can we say? Achieving fitness success depends 70% on what you do outside the gym. This includes getting enough protein from a combination of solid food and supplements to top up if necessary.

Beef, chicken, fish, and bone broth are excellent sources to cover many of your needs, or if you are unable to do so, Collagen protein, such as Radiance, and a good quality whey supplement can help quite a bit.

Final Words

Landmine training can offer a low-barrier, affordable means of getting in shape and improving your fitness. It absolutely works for beginners and advanced athletes alike, thanks to the unique stimulus they offer.

If you are apprehensive about creating a landmine-only workout, feel free to add a few of the movements into your regular plan to get a feel of it.