HOW TO DO LANDMINE PRESS
- Wedge the sleeve in a landmine or a corner with a towel. Load the other end. Stand in a staggered stance with the inside foot back, bar at the working shoulder.
- Brace like an anti-rotation plank. The free hand can rest on the hip or the rack. Ribs down — this lift loves to become a standing crunch.
- Press along the 45° arc until the arm is long in front of the face, not a vertical lockout by the ear. Do not shrug the finish into the neck.
- Lower to the shoulder under control. Reset the stance if the back foot drifted. Switch sides and match the reps.
COMMON MISTAKES
- Standing so far away it becomes a front raise. Too much distance and you are lifting the sleeve with a straight arm. Step in until the start is at the shoulder and the path is a press.
- Standing so close you stall at the chest. Crowding the landmine leaves no arc. Give the bar a little room so it can travel up and in.
- Letting the torso rotate with every rep. Half the point is not rotating. If the opposite shoulder yanks back, drop the load or drop to half-kneeling and own the trunk.
- Logging this as standing overhead press. Different path, different PR. Keep this slug, and note half-kneeling vs standing if you switch.
VARIATIONS
- Standing barbell overhead press — Vertical bar, more load, stricter PR.
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press — Independent arms on a bench when you do not have a landmine.
- Machine shoulder press — Fixed overhead path for volume.
- Landmine row — Same station, opposite direction. Do not log a row as a press.
PROGRESSIONS
- Half-kneeling landmine press with a light plate until the ribcage stays down.
- Standing staggered-stance presses, matching both arms.
- Add load when the finish is still a press, not a shrug or a crunch.
- Use it as the main press when a vertical lockout is off the table.
PROGRAMMING NOTES
Landmine press earns its keep on beat-up-shoulder days and as a single-arm main press. Three to four sets of 6–10 per arm. Log one lift, not two, and note if a side failed first. Rest between arms if the first side is still gasping — the LIFTAG timer still applies.
EQUIPMENT ALTERNATIVES
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press — No landmine, no corner — use a dumbbell and a bench.
- Machine shoulder press — Machine path when you want both arms working together.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Half-kneeling is the teaching stance and a core drill. Standing lets you load more. Put the stance in a set note if you use both; otherwise next week’s you will wonder why the weight jumped.
