Landmine Press

What muscles does the landmine press work?

The landmine press follows a fixed diagonal bar path — up and slightly forward, rather than straight overhead — because the barbell pivots from a fixed point on the floor. That diagonal path naturally keeps the shoulder in a less extreme overhead position than a straight barbell or dumbbell press, which is why many lifters with cranky shoulders can press pain-free on a landmine when a true overhead press bothers them. Because it's typically done one arm at a time, the core and obliques work hard isometrically to resist the barbell's tendency to rotate your torso toward the working side.

How grip and angle change muscle activation

The landmine press hasn't been studied with the same depth of published EMG research as the standard bench or overhead press, so treat the points below as mechanism-based coaching guidance rather than measured activation percentages.

• Diagonal, landmine-guided bar path: Reduces the degree of shoulder flexion and external rotation demand compared with a straight overhead press, which is the generally cited reason it feels gentler on cranky shoulders.
• Single-arm (unilateral) pressing: Forces the obliques and deep core stabilizers to resist trunk rotation throughout the press, adding an anti-rotation training effect that a bilateral press doesn't provide.

Based on EMG research. [1]

How do you do the landmine press?

To do the Landmine Press: load one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment or wedge it securely into a corner; stand or half-kneel facing the bar, and pick up the free end with one hand, resting it at shoulder height with your elbow bent and under the bar; brace your core and set your feet (or kneeling base) to resist rotation — this is your start position; press the bar up and slightly forward along its natural diagonal path until your elbow locks out.

1. Load one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment or wedge it securely into a corner.
2. Stand or half-kneel facing the bar, and pick up the free end with one hand, resting it at shoulder height with your elbow bent and under the bar.
3. Brace your core and set your feet (or kneeling base) to resist rotation — this is your start position.
4. Press the bar up and slightly forward along its natural diagonal path until your elbow locks out.
5. Pause briefly at the top with the bar roughly in line with your ear.
6. Lower the bar back to shoulder height under control and repeat, then switch sides.

What are the key landmine press form cues?

Bar path

Let the bar travel up and slightly forward on its natural diagonal — don't force it into a straight vertical path, which fights the landmine's design.

Wrist position

Cup the bar low in your palm with a straight wrist rather than gripping with the palm facing up, which can strain the wrist under load.

Rib position

Keep your ribs stacked over your pelvis rather than flaring them and over-arching your lower back as you press.

Anti-rotation

Brace your core hard through the press — resisting the barbell's pull toward the working side is a key part of the exercise, not a side effect to ignore.

Breathing & tempo: Inhale and brace before you press, exhale as you drive the bar up along its diagonal path, and inhale again as you lower it back to shoulder height. A controlled 2-1-2 tempo (2s up, 1s pause, 2s down) keeps the shoulder and core working throughout.

How should you warm up for the landmine press?

Do 1-2 light sets of 10-12 reps per arm with just the bar or a light plate to groove the diagonal bar path and confirm your core stays braced against rotation, then move into your working weight.

What are the most common landmine press mistakes?

• Gripping the bar with the palm facing up — Cup the bar low in the palm with a neutral, straight wrist instead.
• Flaring the ribs and over-arching the lower back to press — Keep the ribs stacked over the pelvis and brace the core before each rep.
• Pressing the bar straight up instead of along its natural diagonal — Let the bar travel up and slightly forward on the landmine's natural arc rather than forcing a vertical path.
• Letting the torso rotate toward the working arm — Brace the core and set a stable base (feet or half-kneeling stance) to resist rotation throughout the set.
• Using too much weight and short-changing the range — Lighten the load until you can press to full elbow lockout with a controlled tempo and no rib flare.

Why does the landmine press hurt — and how do you fix it?

Most landmine press discomfort comes from wrist position or rib flare rather than the shoulder itself — match your symptom below, and see a professional if pain is sharp or persistent.

How many sets and reps should you do?

Choose your sets and reps by goal: heavier and fewer reps for strength, moderate for muscle size, lighter and higher for endurance.

RPE / RIR: Stay around RPE 7-8 (2-3 reps in reserve) on most sets, particularly if you're using the landmine press because a straight overhead press bothers your shoulder — grinding reps under heavy fatigue defeats the purpose of choosing a gentler pressing pattern.

Use the landmine press as your primary overhead-pressing pattern on days you want less direct shoulder stress, or as a secondary pressing accessory alongside a barbell or dumbbell press. The unilateral, anti-rotation demand also makes it a useful core-and-shoulder combination movement.

How often should you landmine press and where does it fit?

Train the Landmine Press 1-2 sessions per week, placing it early-to-mid session if it's your main press, or later as an accessory after a bilateral press.

• Frequency: 1-2 sessions per week
• Best split days: Push day (PPL), Shoulder day, Upper day, Full-body day
• Where to place it: Early-to-mid session if it's your main press, or later as an accessory after a bilateral press

Works well from a half-kneeling stance on lower-body or core-focused days, since the position adds a stability challenge without needing extra equipment.

How do you progress the landmine press?

Nail the diagonal bar path and anti-rotation core brace with a light load before adding weight. Progress by adding reps per arm first, then move up in the smallest available plate increment.

What's the right range of motion?

Press from the bar resting at shoulder height, elbow bent underneath it, up to full elbow lockout along the landmine's natural diagonal path — there's no benefit to forcing extra range beyond a comfortable lockout, since the fixed pivot point already determines the most shoulder-friendly arc.

What are the benefits of the landmine press?

• Trains overhead-style pressing strength with a gentler, more shoulder-friendly diagonal bar path
• Builds serious anti-rotation core strength as a byproduct of pressing one arm at a time
• Easy to regress (half-kneeling, seated) or progress (standing, push press) for any level
• Needs minimal equipment — a barbell and a corner or landmine attachment is enough

Who should do it: Lifters with shoulder sensitivity who find a straight overhead press uncomfortable; athletes wanting a pressing pattern that also trains anti-rotation core strength; and anyone looking to add pressing variety without more overhead-mobility demand.

Is the landmine press safe?

The landmine press is one of the more joint-friendly pressing options because its fixed diagonal path avoids the most extreme overhead shoulder positions — the main risks are wrist position (palm-up gripping) and rib flare from over-arching the lower back.

Shoulder impingement or limited overhead mobility

The landmine press's diagonal path is often better tolerated than a straight overhead press, but still stop short of any pinching sensation and build load gradually.

Lower-back sensitivity

Use a half-kneeling stance to reduce spinal loading and rib-flare risk compared with a standing press.

Spotting: No spotter needed — it's a self-limiting, single-arm exercise. Simply set the bar down if you can't complete a rep with a stable core and controlled path.

How do grip and stance change the landmine press?

• Neutral (hammer-style) grip on a T-handle attachment: A slightly more wrist-friendly option on landmine units with a rotating handle.
• Standard single-hand cupped grip: The most common setup — works on any barbell and landmine attachment without extra equipment.

Landmine Press variations

How does the landmine press compare?

Landmine Press vs. Overhead Press

The landmine press follows a fixed diagonal path that's gentler on the shoulders and adds an anti-rotation core challenge. The barbell overhead press allows heavier absolute loading and trains a more direct vertical pressing pattern, but demands more shoulder and thoracic mobility.

Landmine Press vs. Pike Push-Up

The landmine press is externally loaded and easy to progress in small increments with plates. The pike push-up is a bodyweight option that needs no equipment and scales by adjusting foot or hand elevation instead.

Landmine Press alternatives

Estimate your landmine press 1RM

Enter a weight and the reps you hit with it to estimate your one-rep max (Epley formula), then see your training percentages.

How many calories does the landmine press burn?

Calories depend on your bodyweight and how hard you train. Resistance training has a MET value of about 5. Enter your bodyweight and minutes to estimate the burn (calories = MET × kg × 3.5 ÷ 200 × minutes).

Landmine Press strength standards

The landmine press is a unilateral accessory press rather than a lift with large published strength norms, so these are approximate per-arm working-weight benchmarks (added plate weight on one end of the bar) for 8-10 controlled reps, based on common gym practice rather than a formal research standard.

By age: Shoulder mobility and core control matter more here than age. Most lifters can keep pressing productively on the landmine well into their 50s and 60s, since the diagonal path is comparatively joint-friendly.

What counts as a good rep?

A rep counts when you press the bar from shoulder height to a full elbow lockout along the landmine's natural diagonal path while keeping the torso stable and resisting rotation, then lower it back under control to the starting position.

References

1. Stokey PJ, et al. Anatomy and Deficiency of the Deltoid Muscle: A Review of Literature. Orthopedic Reviews (Pavia) / NIH-PMC, 2024
2. How to Do Landmine Press: Muscles Worked & Proper Form. StrengthLog
3. How to Do the Landmine Press — Benefits, Variations, Common Mistakes, and More. BarBend
4. How To Do The Landmine Press. ATHLEAN-X (Jeff Cavaliere, PT)
5. Lever Landmine One Arm Press (plate loaded) — exercise directory entry. ExRx.net
6. The ACE Workout Builder for Landmine Training. American Council on Exercise (ACE Fitness)