WHY DO THE landmine PRESS?
Landmine Presses fix that with a smarter bar path, better range of motion, and real shoulder stability.
All you need is just a barbell and a landmine base, or even a basic landmine setup in your squat rack or basement gym.
With these basic tools, you can unlock endless landmine training options that build functional strength, not just fake gym strength.
Half-Kneeling Landmine Presses, Landmine Rows, and Landmine Squats are a category of movements that hammer core muscles, shoulder muscles, and chest muscles while fixing the muscle imbalances killing your progress.
Today, I’ll show you the starting position, movement path, and pro tips you need to master the Landmine Press and finally build real overhead strength without wrecking your shoulder joints.
LANDMINE PRESS: MUSCLES WORKED
Landmine Presses aren’t just about shoving a barbell overhead. They’re about building real, functional strength across your entire upper body while keeping your shoulders safe.
Here’s the breakdown of what’s doing the heavy lifting (literally) during this popular landmine exercise:
ANTERIOR DELTOID
The anterior deltoid can be found on the front of your shoulder. It’s responsible for raising your arm up in front of you (think Front Raises and Lateral Raises).
During traditional Landmine Presses, the anterior deltoid does most of the pressing work.
But because the barbell moves at a diagonal angle instead of straight up, you’re not jamming your shoulder joint into a risky position like with regular Dumbbell Shoulder Presses.
This gives you better shoulder stabilization and reduces the wear and tear on your rotator cuffs.
UPPER CHEST (CLAVICULAR HEAD)
This is the top part of your chest near the collarbone. This muscle helps you push forward and slightly upward like you would during a Low Incline Bench Press
The Landmine Single-Arm Press lights up your upper chest by combining horizontal movement with vertical pressing.
Moving the bar to chest level and beyond, especially from a half-kneeling position or standing with your feet hip-width apart, hits your chest muscles without needing a full bench setup.
TRICEPS
You can find the triceps muscle on the back side of your upper arm. Its function is to straighten your arm at the elbow.
During the Landmine Press, as you drive the bar up, your triceps kick in to finish the movement.
Solid triceps strength is key for locking out the stages of elbow extension without letting your shoulder joint lose stability.
CORE MUSCLES (ABS, OBLIQUES, DEEP STABILIZERS)
Your core muscles help to keep your spine stable and resist twisting (anti-rotational strength).
Landmine training demands serious core stability.
Especially when doing unilateral exercises like the One-Handed Kneeling Landmine Presses, your abs, obliques, and deep core muscles have to fight to keep your body from tipping over.
No bracing? No bar lift. Simple as that.
This anti-rotational strength is what gives Landmine Presses a massive edge over mediocre strength builders like basic bilateral exercise movements.
SERRATUS ANTERIOR
Underneath your shoulder blade, wrapping around your ribs, you’ll find the serratus anterior. This muscle controls how your scapula (shoulder blade) moves and stabilizes.
Without proper scapular stabilization, your entire shoulder structure gets unstable and heavy weights become dangerous fast.
Landmine Presses train this muscle hard by forcing a smooth bar path and keeping your shoulders-back position tight throughout the press.
Better serratus activation means better scapular stability and overhead performance.
BENEFITS OF THE LANDMINE PRESS
When it comes to popular landmine exercises, the Landmine Press isn’t just another accessory movement.
It’s one of the smartest ways to build pressing strength without wrecking your joints.
Here’s why it should be your new favorite landmine exercise:
SHOULDER-FRIENDLY STRENGTH
Traditional Overhead Barbell Shoulder Presses force your arms into a stacked, vertical overhead position, which sounds good until your shoulder joints start fighting back.
The Landmine Press fixes that by setting the bar at a diagonal angle.
With a proper landmine setup, whether you’re using an actual landmine attachment or just wedging a regular landmine against some floor mats, you press the bar to chest height and slightly forward, not straight up.
This safer bar path protects your rotator cuffs, improves shoulder range of motion, and reduces the wear and tear that crushes strength athletes over time.
SCAPULAR STABILITY & INJURY PREVENTION
The Landmine Press forces you to control the bar through the entire range, improving body control and teaching your deltoid muscles, serratus anterior, and core to work together.
Better scapular stability doesn’t just help with Landmine Presses. It carries over to heavier loads on big lifts like Bench Press and Dumbbell Shoulder Presses.
If you’re serious about overhead strength and muscle mass gains, it starts here.
REAL PRESSING STRENGTH, NOT JOINT STRAIN
Exercises done with the landmine help you fix movement asymmetries and shoulder movement imbalances before they turn into injuries.
Because it’s a unilateral strength movement (one side at a time), you’re forcing each arm and shoulder to develop independently, without letting your dominant side cheat.
Landmine Press alternatives like the Banded Landmine Press or half-kneeling position versions also let you gradually build up to heavier loads without sacrificing form or risking a blowout.
CORE ACTIVATION
Since the barbell landmine creates natural rotational movement forces, your abdominal muscles and obliques have to fire hard to resist twisting and tipping.
This makes the landmine press not just a great shoulder strength builder, but a total-body lift that locks in body effects like anti-rotational strength, improved body angle under load, and overall core stability, giving you an all-round, effective shoulder workout with endless workout possibilities for growth.
HOW TO DO THE LANDMINE PRESS
You don’t need a million fancy machines to build serious upper body strength. Sometimes, one effective piece of equipment, the landmine, opens up endless options for safer, more effective strength exercises.
The Single-Arm Landmine Press is one of the best movements with the landmine for fixing muscular imbalances, sharpening core strength, and finally pressing for strength without wrecking your joints.
Here’s how to do it right and make every rep count. I’ll also cover several landmine alternatives that you can start using today.
SINGLE-ARM LANDMINE PRESS
HOW TO DO THE SINGLE ARM LANDMINE PRESS:
- Wedge the end of a barbell into a common landmine attachment, a weight plate, or the corner of a wall.
- Load the bar with an effective weight. You want a weight that challenges your form, not one that forces you to cheat.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the bar with one hand at chest level. The bar position should feel strong and tight, not wobbly.
- Keep a slight forward lean from your hips (but no hunching) so your body angle matches the bar’s diagonal line.
- Your non-working arm can move out slightly to help with balance and core engagement.
- Brace your core hard and press the bar up and slightly forward, following the natural movement patterning of the landmine.
- Imagine punching through the bar while keeping your elbow under control.
- At the top, your arm should be fully extended but not locked out aggressively. Keep the shoulder joint stable.
- Slowly bring the bar back down to the original position, around shoulder height or just below chest level. Don’t just let it drop. Controlled lowering builds even more strength and teaches a proper bar path.
WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: The Single-Arm Landmine Press builds primary muscle strength while hammering your core strength and sharpening your movement patterning. It trains you to control the bar’s explosive movements while preventing rotation, and that’s key for fixing differences between landmine shoulder mechanics and Traditional Overhead Presses.
DOUBLE-HANDED LANDMINE PRESS
HOW TO DO THE DOUBLE-HANDED LANDMINE PRESS:
- Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart or just outside of shoulder-width apart.
- Grab the end of the barbell with both hands clasped together, fingers overlapping, just below chest level (bar to chest height).
- Your bar position should be tight to your body, with your elbows tucked slightly in, not flared wide.
- Your body angle should lean slightly into the bar following the bar’s diagonal line, not fighting against it.
- Brace your core like you’re about to take a punch. Drive the bar upward and slightly forward, staying locked into the original position line.
- At the top, your arms should be almost fully extended but your elbows are still soft.
- Slowly return the bar down toward chest level. Resist the urge to just drop the bar weight.
WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: The Double-Handed Landmine Press allows you to press heavier loads with better control, all while protecting your shoulders by following a safer, more natural bar path. It also builds serious upper body and core strength without joint stress.
ALTERNATING LANDMINE PRESS
HOW TO DO THE ALTERNATING LANDMINE PRESS:
- Start light. You’re not grinding here; you’re moving with speed and precision. This is about explosive movements and control, not max bar weight.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, core tight.
- Grip the bar with one hand at shoulder height, elbow tucked in, just like a standard Single-Arm Landmine Press. Make sure your free hand is ready because it’s about to get in on the action.
- Drive the bar upward and slightly forward explosively. As the bar reaches the top (right before the elbow locks out), let go with a controlled toss, not a wild launch.
- Quickly catch the bar with the opposite hand, absorbing the load by bending your knees slightly and resetting at chest level.
- Press again immediately with the new hand. Keep the tempo smooth and rhythmic. No pausing, no hesitation because this is a continuous movement.
WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: The Alternating Landmine Press builds explosive power, shoulder strength, and anti-rotational core control all while improving coordination and reaction time. It’s a killer drill for strength athletes.
LUNGE TO SINGLE-ARM LANDMINE PRESS
HOW TO DO THE LUNGE TO SINGLE ARM LANDMINE PRESS:
- Stand at the end of the barbell with your feet hip or shoulder-width apart.
- Hinge at the hips and grab the end of the bar with one hand. Keep your core tight and back flat. This is your launchpad.
- In one powerful motion, pull the bar off the floor using your legs and hips (not just your arm). As the bar rises, rotate your body into a lunge position with one leg stepped back while the other plants firmly forward.
- Simultaneously catch the bar at chest level with your elbow tucked tight.
- From the lunge position, press the bar upward and slightly forward in a smooth, controlled arc.
WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: This is a complete strength exercise that trains explosive power, rotational strength, body control, and shoulder stability all at once. It mimics real-world athletic movements where strength doesn’t just move up and down, it moves across planes.
BACK SQUAT TO SINGLE-ARM LANDMINE PRESS
HOW TO DO THE BACK SQUAT TO SINGLE ARM LANDMINE PRESS:
- Stand with your back to the landmine attachment. Bring the bar up so it rests on one shoulder and hold it with both hands. Stay tight and braced. This is your launch position.
- With your feet shoulder-width apart, drop into a controlled squat. Keep the bar anchored to your shoulder and don’t let it wobble.
- With your chest up, core tight, and back flat, drive hard through your heels to come back up explosively.
- As you rise, twist your body and land in a lunge position while simultaneously holding on to the barbell.
- As you land in the lunge, immediately press the bar upward and slightly forward.
- Pause briefly at the top to stabilize.
WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: The Back Squat to Single-Arm Landmine Press teaches you how to generate real power from the ground up, combining squat strength, rotational control, and overhead pressing stability in one move. It’s not just strength. It’s total-body athleticism you can use outside the gym.
UPPER CHEST LANDMINE PRESS
HOW TO DO THE UPPER CHEST LANDMINE PRESS:
- Stand almost completely sideways to the bar. The bar should be on the side opposite your working arm (if you’re pressing with your right hand, your left side faces the landmine).
- Grab the bar with your working hand, palm facing up and slightly in toward your body.
- Stagger your stance slightly for balance with feet shoulder-width apart or a little wider.
- Drive the bar up and across your body, like a low-to-high incline dumbbell fly.
- Focus on squeezing your upper chest (specifically the clavicular fibers) to power the movement.
- At the top, your hand should end up near eye or forehead level, slightly crossing the midline of your body.
- Slowly lower the bar back to the original starting position near your hip, keeping tension through your chest the entire way.
WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: This move directly targets the two motions your upper pec is built to dominate: flexing the shoulder up and moving the arm across the body. It’s one of the smartest, most effective ways to build real upper chest size and strength without smashing your shoulders.
landmine rainbows
HOW TO DO LANDMINE RAINBOWS:
- Stand facing the landmine straight on, feet set wider than shoulder width to form a solid base. Keep a slight bend in your knees and brace your core hard.
- Grab the bar at hip level with one hand, palm facing out.
- Lift the bar in a smooth arc from one hip, across your body, and up in front of you. Imagine you’re drawing the first half of a rainbow.
- As the bar reaches chest height and crosses centerline, pass it to the other hand.
- Lower the bar down toward the opposite hip, finishing the arc smoothly.
- Pause briefly at the bottom, then reverse the motion, passing the bar back to the original hand.
- Keep the movement fluid but controlled. Maintain tension through your core the entire time.
WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: Landmine Rainbows train your entire core to resist motion, not just create it. That means stronger abs, better spinal stability, and true athletic carryover. It also builds grip strength, shoulder control, and coordination.
LANDMINE PRESS COMMON MISTAKES
The Landmine Press is one of the smartest presses for strength out there. But only if you get it right.
Here are the most common mistakes that kill your landmine gains and how to fix them before they wreck your progress.
TURNING IT INTO A FRONT RAISE
Instead of pressing up and slightly forward, people swing the bar straight forward like a Front Raise with a couple of dumbbells.
That kills shoulder activation and loads the wrong muscles.
It shortens the effective load on the primary muscles you’re trying to train and invites ugly compensations up and down the chain.
Follow the natural arc of the bar. Imagine punching the bar slightly up and out, not straight away from your body.
Keep your wrist stacked over your elbow through the whole movement.
This small adjustment puts all the tension where you want it and gets you much closer to optimal progression for real strength development.
LETTING CORE STABILITY COLLAPSE
You start strong, but halfway through the set your abs go soft. Your hips shift, your ribs flare out, and suddenly you’re leaning like a tree in a hurricane.
A lack of stability kills your ability to control the bar path and turns what should be a strength exercise into a weird, unsafe balancing act.
Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs before the first rep even starts. Think about trying to pull your ribs toward your pelvis as you press.
If you’re doing Landmine Presses with added tension (like a looped resistance band), dial the band tension back until you can stabilize first.
Responsibility for stabilization is on you, not the bar.
LOADING IT TOO HEAVY, TOO SOON
People load up a heavy weight plate, or worse, multiple plates, and think heavier is automatically better.
With Landmine Presses, too much bar weight blows up your form instantly. You lose the smooth movement path, your elbow flares, and your core can’t control rotation.
Start with an effective load that allows perfect reps through the entire range. You should be able to pause cleanly at the top without wobbling or compensating.
Save those rise and grind movements for after you’ve built up solid movement patterning.
This is about quality first. Heavy weight without control is a limitation on strength development, not a shortcut.
POOR HAND-OFFS IN ALTERNATING LANDMINE PRESS VARIATIONS
When doing Alternating Landmine Presses, the bar gets thrown, caught awkwardly, or dipped too low between hands.
This breaks core tension and adds a massive risk of shoulder tweak or wrist strain mid-set.
Make the switch with your body stable and the bar under control. Think about catch and reset, not launch and hope.
Start slow with lighter weight until the hand-off is automatic.
In movements with landmine attachments, smooth transitions mean smarter muscle activation and less chance of wrecking yourself.
SKIPPING FOUNDATIONAL MOVEMENTS
Jumping straight into Banded Landmine Presses, One-Handed Kneeling Landmine Presses, or crazy assistance movements without mastering the basics first.
You can’t skip building the strength foundation. Advanced variations amplify small flaws and turn them into major injuries.
Master the Double-Handed Landmine Press first. Progress to Single-Arm Presses. Then add variables like the looped resistance band for extra tension or rotation.
Earn the right to advance. Optimal progression always beats showing off.
The Landmine Press isn’t just another variation to check off your list. It’s a real test of strength, control, and stability.
If you treat it like a throwaway assistance movement, you’ll miss out on some of the biggest gains you could be making.
Train it right, and it’ll pay you back everywhere you need it: on the field, under the bar, and in the mirror.
Check out our complete line of ATHLEAN-RX Supplements and find the best training program for you based on your fitness level and goals.
- The Landmine Press is a shoulder-friendly pressing exercise that builds upper body strength, core stability, and scapular control by driving a barbell upward and slightly forward along a natural, joint-safe arc.
- Here’s how to perform the Landmine Press:
- Jam the end of the bar into a landmine attachment, a heavy weight plate, or the corner of a wall.
- Pick a weight that makes you work but doesn’t wreck your form from the first rep.
- Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, bar in one hand, tight to your chest.
- Your body should lean slightly into the bar, not standing straight up, not slouching over. Think of a strong line from your hips to the bar, following its natural diagonal path.
- Keep your core tight as you drive the bar up and slightly forward, not just up.
- At the top, fully extend your arm but keep it clean without hyperextending or shoulder flying forward.
- Stay tight, stay strong, and don’t let the bar crash down. Lower it slow and controlled to chest height or just below, reinforcing perfect bar path every rep.
- Once you master the form and execution of the traditional Landmine Press, consider landmine alternatives like Alternating Landmine Presses, Lunge to Single-Arm Landmine Presses, and Landmine Rainbows.
LANDMINE PRESS FAQ
The Landmine Press is good for what most lifters need and what most lifts fail to deliver: safe, effective shoulder strength with full-body control.
you’ve got jacked-up shoulders, poor overhead mobility, or imbalances between your left and right side, the Landmine Press fixes all three.
It puts you in a mechanically safer position, lets you train unilaterally to correct strength leaks, and forces your core and scapular stabilizers to do their job.
And unlike the strict Overhead Press, you’re pressing along a diagonal plane, which is how your body moves naturally.
Bottom line: if you’re tired of grinding through painful overhead work, this is your solution.
The Landmine Press hits a lot more than just your shoulders and that’s the point.
Yes, the anterior delts and upper chest do most of the pressing, but the triceps finish the lockout, the serratus anterior and rotator cuff muscles stabilize the shoulder, and your core (especially the obliques) work overtime to keep your body from tipping, twisting, or cheating.
If you’re doing it right, this isn’t just an upper-body lift. It’s a total-body challenge that lights up every weak point you didn’t know you had.
If your goal is balanced, athletic muscle, not just size, but performance, the Landmine Press should be in your lineup.
REFERENCES
Jeff Cavaliere M.S.P.T, CSCS
Jeff Cavaliere is a Physical Therapist, Strength Coach and creator of the ATHLEAN-X Training Programs and ATHLEAN-Rx Supplements. He has a Masters in Physical Therapy (MSPT) and has worked as Head Physical Therapist for the New York Mets, as well as training many elite professional athletes in Major League Baseball, NFL, MMA and professional wrestling. His programs produce “next level” achievements in muscle size, strength and performance for professional athletes and anyone looking to build a muscular athletic physique.
