Members of AFAC gym are fortunate because they have access to all the best workout equipment, including a landmine. The landmine is one of the most versatile, effective weight training tools for increasing functional strength and athletic performance.

If you’ve never heard of or used a landmine, you’re not alone. In this blog, we’ll describe what a landmine is, its benefits, and a few of the best landmine exercises you can try at our Thornton gym.

What Is a Landmine at the Gym?

A landmine is a barbell that’s anchored to the floor by one end on a swivel joint. This allows the barbell to swing in all angles and directions. You can load the top end of the landmine’s bar with a weight and perform a variety of rotational and angular strength training exercises.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Landmine at the Gym?

For such a humble-looking device, why is the landmine one of the gym’s most special pieces of equipment? Because a landmine makes fundamental movements like pulling, pressing, lunging, squatting, and rotation safer and more accessible while minimizing the risk of injury. The barbell, kettlebell, and dumbbell versions of these exercises can feel awkward and tough to pull off with good form—especially for beginners—yet those are the first exercises that most lifters will try when starting a strength training program. The landmine makes each of these movements feel more natural, so lifters with injuries, mobility restrictions, and poor form can lift with minimal risk. To summarize, here are the main benefits of using a landmine at the gym:

• Many lifters find it easier to train with a landmine than to perform similar movements with barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells.
• It’s helpful for lifters with limited mobility, injuries, or misalignments.
• You can use the landmine to perfect your form during fundamental movements like rotating, squatting, and lunging.

How to Incorporate Landmine Exercises into Your Gym Routine

If you’d like to add landmine exercises to your current gym routine, plan on doing them 2-3 times per week for 20-30 minutes each session. For each landmine exercise, do 3-5 sets of 8-15 repetitions. As with all strength training, rest for at least one day after your landmine exercises before attempting them again.

When you first try the landmine, it’s best to not add any weight to the end so that you can focus on learning how to do each exercise with proper form. Once you perfect your form, you can increase the difficulty by slowly adding more weight plates to the landmine. Also remember that it doesn’t take much weight to physically tax yourself on the landmine. Don’t lift weights that are too heavy for you, or increase your weight load too quickly, and always take a break if you experience pain during landmine training.

Anytime you have questions or want someone to show you how to use the landmine at AFAC gym, please ask a member of our team. One of our personal trainers will be happy to assist you.

Now that we’ve reviewed some landmine basics, let’s dive into a few essential landmine exercises to add to your workout regimen!

Landmine Squats

Landmine squats help build strength and muscle in the legs. They also help beginners learn the proper squat form since the arc of the landmine bar naturally travels toward the lifter as it goes down, allowing the lifter to stay upright at the bottom of the squat. Landmine squats are also a great alternative for lifters who can’t perform regular squats due to injuries or mobility issues. And, landmine squats are easier on joints than traditional barbell squats. Most personal trainers agree that if lifters would learn squatting with a landmine before trying squats with a barbell, there would be far fewer injuries.

Here’s how to do landmine squats:

1. Begin by standing and holding the end of the landmine bar against your chest, with your fingers interlocked.
2. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
3. Squat down until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
4. Use your elbows to measure proper squat depth. When your elbows touch the tops of your thighs (or just inside your knees if you have a wider stance), then you’re deep enough.
5. Maintain an upright posture, drive through your heels, and fully extend your legs while contracting your glutes to return to a standing position. That’s one rep.

Landmine Thrusters

The landmine thruster is a full-body exercise that works your legs, glutes, shoulders, back, and core. Landmine thrusters are also easier to perform than barbell thrusters and are gentler on your shoulder joints.

Here’s how to do landmine thrusters:

1. Set up for landmine thrusters the same way as you would set up for landmine squats.
2. Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the bar against your chest with your fingers interlocked.
3. Squat down until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
4. As you stand back up to the starting position, explosively press the weight forward by fully extending your arms while you extend your legs.
5. Bend your arms and return the bar to the starting position. That’s one rep.

Single-Arm Rotational Landmine Press

True to its name, the single-arm rotational landmine press builds rotational strength that carries over to sports that require a lot of powerful twisting motions such as baseball, tennis, golf, and boxing. Also, the slightly forward path of the landmine bar makes press exercises more shoulder-friendly than vertical press lifts. Plus, the rotational press engages the core and glutes which makes this a full-body exercise.

Here’s how to do the single-arm rotational landmine press:

1. With your legs wider than shoulder-width apart, pick up the bar with your right hand, palm facing up, and lift it to your right shoulder.
2. Step your left leg toward the landmine so that the bar is angled in front of your body.
3. Descend into a quarter-squat as you shift your weight slightly to your right leg.
4. Drive and rotate from your right hip and simultaneously pivot from your right foot as you extend your right arm up to the top of the movement.
5. As you twist your body toward the landmine and lift the landmine bar, shift your weight to your left leg.
6. In the finishing position, your left leg will be forward, your right leg will be behind you, your right arm will be completely extended, and your body will be in a straight line from your extended right arm to your right leg.
7. Reverse the motion to return to the landmine bar back to shoulder height.

Landmine Anti-Rotation

The landmine anti-rotation helps build core stabilization and strength which can also help prevent lower-back pain. It’s called “anti-rotation” because the point of the exercise is to resist the weight’s rotational trajectory.

Here’s how to do the landmine anti-rotation:

1. Stand in front of the bar with your knees slightly bent and hold the end of the bar with both hands at chest level.
2. Keeping your core and hips still, use your arms to move the bar in a broad arc back and forth in front of your body, from one hip to another hip and back again.
3. Keep your arms as straight as you can as you move the bar from side to side, bending your elbows slightly as you descend toward each hip.

Meadows Row

The landmine meadows row, also known as the single-arm landmine row, works the upper back, abs, biceps, shoulders, lower back, and lats. The exercise is named after John Meadows, who popularized the movement.

Here’s how to do the meadows row:

1. Take a staggered stance with your body parallel to the landmine bar and, using the hand closest to the landmine, grasp the end of the bar with an overhand grip.
2. Drive your elbow behind your body as you pull the barbell toward your hip until your elbow is at (or slightly past) your back.
3. Slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on both sides.

Land Your Fitness Goals at AFAC Gym

Landmine exercises can elevate your fitness levels in many ways. While making you stronger and helping you gain muscle, they also improve your balance, coordination, stability, and athletic performance. For best results, use the landmine at AFAC gym consistently and let our team know if there’s anything we can do to support you as you focus on your fitness goals.

To discover more about the landmine at AFAC gym or any other details about our top-of-the-line fitness equipment, please visit our gym or give our staff a call. We’ll be happy to show you why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

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