Floor-mounted levers with weight on one end are nothing new in the fitness world. However, the weight only moved along one vertical axis though and it wasn’t until more or less the 21st century when the piece of equipment known as the landmine unit came into being.
The main benefit of the landmine is the ability to securely fasten one end of a barbell to a fixed point on the floor, or to a rack, and for the bar to move freely vertically, horizontally, diagonally – it can even be rotated. It’s a great way to train the anterior deltoids, and also the lateral deltoids when combined with the shoulder press movement.
Probably the most common exercise performed with this equipment is the landmine shoulder press or some variation of it, including the half-kneeling landmine shoulder press. You can choose to move the weight with one or both hands, and in this article we will focus on the one-handed, unilateral variation.
Most good gyms will have a landmine station, but if you’re training at home it might be something for you to acquire. Check out the PLM03 Power Rack for the complete home gym rack setup.
Exercise Breakdown
Let’s assume you’ve taken the time to warm up properly. The landmine shoulder press is a full-body exercise and you want to make sure you’re ready to provide the stability required to perform the movement correctly. If you need some help with creating a shoulder warm-up here is a sample routine:
|
Exercise |
Repetitions |
Duration |
|
Arm Circles |
10 each direction |
1 minute |
|
Shoulder Shrugs |
15 reps |
1 minute |
|
Shoulder Stretch |
- |
30 seconds each side |
|
Internal/External Rotation |
15 each direction |
2 minutes |
|
Scapular Push-Ups |
10 reps |
1 minute |
|
Banded Pull-Aparts |
15 reps |
1 minute |
Along with lifters who include the landmine shoulder press as part of their regular program, this exercise is particularly popular with athletes involved in unilateral sports. Unilateral exercises are more functional and better adhere to the principle of specificity than bilateral exercise choices. (Fountaine, 2018)
Likewise, lifters who have shoulder mobility issues find the landmine shoulder press much easier to perform. This is because the bar travels at a diagonal angle, rather than more or less vertically in the case of the overhead barbell press.
Start Position
- Pick up the bar and position your feet about shoulder width apart. You can also stagger your stance if it helps with stability. As this is a unilateral movement, take your hand and hold the very end of the barbell. There should be about the distance of a closed fist between your hand and your shoulder.
- Take a deep breath, engage your core and pull your ribs down. You can lean very slightly into the bar, but not more than would cause you to use bodyweight to assist with each repetition. If you need to use your free arm for balance, feel free to extend it. Personally speaking, I always have my arm out to help me keep stable.
Execution
- Keeping your elbow in line with your wrist and shoulder joint, push the bar forward. The range of motion should be comfortable, and your elbow should lock out at the top.
- Exhale and hold at this position for a moment before the eccentric part.
- Don’t forget to keep the abdomen braced throughout the full duration of each rep. The research indicates that a training style with maximal voluntary co-contraction of abdominal muscles can be an effective maneuver for increasing strength and power during movements involving trunk and hip extensions, even without using external load. (Tayashiki, et al., 2016)
End Position
- Inhale and slowly return the bar to the start position. Do not let your elbow flare out as you carefully guide the weight back down.
- Your elbow should not go past your body as this can strain the shoulder joint and potentially cause an injury.
You should also allow your shoulder blade to move freely throughout the full range of motion for the landmine shoulder press. Whereas in other heavy weight exercises this could create instability in the joint, in this case the natural path of the shoulder blade is to move as the arm extends upward.
Common Mistakes
- Using momentum
You may be training with the landmine shoulder press if you’re trying to increase your performance in a certain sport, such as the shot put. In that case, you may want to involve your hips to help generate more power. However, for the rest of us, try to minimize the involvement of your hips and legs as you will end up reducing the effect on the deltoid and upper chest muscles.
- Flaring your elbows
This is a common one and is easy to avoid. Focus on keeping your wrist, elbow and shoulder joints in line along a vertical plane. You’ll find that flared elbows actually result in a weaker lift so you’ll naturally want to tuck your elbow more and avoid flaring. However, be sure not to tuck the elbow too much either.
- Bad wrist position
Dorsiflexion of the wrist joint is a common cause of wrist injury. You should aim for a neutral grip with your thumb at the end cap of the bar. If you can’t maintain a neutral wrist grip during the landmine shoulder press it’s a sign that the weight is too heavy.
Muscle Engagement
|
Category |
Muscles |
Description |
|
Primary Muscles |
Deltoids (Shoulders) |
Primary muscles responsible for shoulder abduction and overhead pressing movements. |
|
Triceps (Back of the arm) |
Involved in the extension of the elbow, aiding in pressing movements. |
|
|
Secondary Muscles |
Trapezius (Upper back) |
Supports the shoulders and arms, assisting in lifting and rotating movements. |
|
Pectorals (Chest) |
Assist in shoulder flexion and horizontal adduction. |
|
|
Stabilizer Muscles |
Rotator Cuff (Shoulder stabilizers) |
A group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder. |
|
Serratus Anterior (Side of the rib cage) |
Helps in the upward rotation of the scapula, crucial for shoulder movement. |
|
|
Core Muscles (Abdominals and obliques) |
Provide stability to the torso and maintain proper posture during the lift. |
One of the key differences between the standing landmine shoulder press and the half-kneeling landmine shoulder press is the more horizontal path of the bar. This results in more activation of the pectoralis muscles.
The pectoralis muscles connect from the front walls of the chest to the upper arm bones, and shoulder. The larger, more superficial muscle is the pectoralis major.
As well as this, the standing landmine shoulder press is an excellent way to target the anterior and lateral deltoids, the latter being more involved in this pressing motion because of the stability required due to the standing position. Further stability is achieved by glute and core muscle activation. This truly is an intensive, almost full-body, exercise.
Summary
The unilateral aspect of the standing landmine shoulder press means you can strengthen the weaker shoulder in a way that a barbell overhead press never can. Be sure to lead with your weaker shoulder for each set. That way you can start to even out the strength imbalance over time.
Most lifters will aim for hypertrophy with the standing landmine shoulder press and reps should therefore be in the range of 10-12 for sets of 3-4. The slower you can perform the eccentric part of the exercise, the better.
The standing landmine shoulder press not only helps to build strong, bulky shoulders but it also targets the pectoral muscles, helping you achieve a prominent and pumped chest.
You May Also Like
- How To Do The Landmine Half-kneeling Shoulder Press?
- How To Do The Overhead Press?
- How To Do The Face Pull?
References
Fountaine, C.J. (2018) Unilateral and bilateral exercise movements: Considerations for Program Design. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 22(3): 11-16 https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2018&issue=05000&article=00006&type=Fulltext
Tayashiki K., Maeo S., Usui S., Miyamoto N., Kanehisa H. (2016) Effect of abdominal bracing training on strength and power of trunk and lower limb muscles. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 116(9): 1703-13 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27377782/
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