3 Beginner Barbell Landmine Exercises

You may be asking yourself what a barbell landmine exercise is and first things first, there are no explosives involved. Landmine exercises are performed by wedging one end of a barbell either into a corner of the room or into a special floor mounted bracket that allows for greater bar stability for the weight that is being lifted while allowing the individual challenges in every plane of motion. This could prevent injuries that some of the common mistakes caused by improper technique and core instability can create.

When utilizing the landmine technique clients can first begin by choosing the proper weighted barbell for the users level of ability.  Barbells come in 3 different sizes here at Mashpee Fitness:

• 84” Training Barbell: 16#
• 84” Olympic Barbell: 45#
• 60” Olympic Barball: 26#

Once you have selected the bar that is comfortable for you to use place one end of the bar into the corner or mounted bracket on the floor, get ready to try out my top 3 Beginner Barbell Landmine Exercises.

Top 3 Beginner Barbell Landmine Exercises

*For a quick total body workout try to perform 6-10 repetitions of each exercise for 3-5 sets at a controlled tempo.

1.  Landmine Squat

Keep weight through heels with feet hip width apart. Avoid letting the knees bend over the toes, to do so walk your feet back until a comfortable squat position is achieved. You should feel this in your thighs and not in the knees. 

2.  Landmine Split Stance Anti-Flexion

Split one foot forward and the other back, shift your weight to your front thigh and control the weight using your core over your front leg. Keep your abdominal muscles as tight as you can to keep spine straight and aligned. Try to prevent any side bending (anti-flexion) of your back as your hands travel away from the midline. 

3.  Landmine Half Kneeling 1-Arm Overhead Press

Go down into a half kneeling position and adjust the barbell to be on the side that has the knee down on the ground. Keeping your core tight use the muscles in the top of your shoulder and arm to press the weight in a straight line as you lean forward to achieve the full overhead press. 

Blog post by Craig Moody.