Add Serious Size To Your Back and Shoulders With Landmine Training
The barbell is a fantastic tool for physical development. While other fitness fads have been and gone, barbell training has easily withstood the test of time, reliably building thousands upon thousands of muscular physiques.
But what if we told you there might actually be a better way to use a barbell? One so efficient and effective at building muscle, speed and power that it makes you question whether or not the regular approach to barbell training has been wrong all along.
Enter the landmine.
By taking your barbell, jamming one end into a corner (or using a specialist attachment) and loading up the opposite sleeve, you’re able to make your weights go twice as far. But the magic doesn’t stop there. Once you’ve unlocked the lever effect that results from pushing, pulling or squatting your barbell from just one end, you can create a smooth, semi-fixed range of motion that guides and supports you effortlessly through each rep. In turn, you'll also open up a whole new repertoire of muscle-building movements to work with, sparking fresh growth.
Don’t believe us? Try our landmine superset finisher on for size. It's a combination of two shoulder-building and back-burning moves, which are perfect for those working around injuries and ideal for anyone looking to build truly explosive power.
Load up one end of your bar with a weight you could press overhead — single handedly — around 15 times, then get to work. You’re going to be working in a ‘chipper’ fashion, with your rep goal for each set just outside of your max. This will mean you’ll have to take micro-breaks and chip away at each set before moving on. Begin with 25 reps of one-arm presses, then complete 25 reps with the opposite arm. Next move onto your rows and do the same. Once you've done that, come back to your presses for 20 reps on each side, then do the same again with rows. Finally, perform a set of 15 of each, then 10, then 5 – shifting back and forth between movements.
1. Kneeling Landmine Press x 25/20/15/10/5
Drop into a kneeling position on both knees (A). Brace your core and create tension through your entire body. Push the barbell away from your shoulder explosively, following the natural arc that the barbell will create (B). Pause at the top before slowly lowering the barbell back to your shoulder over a 3-second count. After hitting your prescribed reps, switch sides and repeat.
2. Meadows Row x 25/20/15/10/5
Stand sideways on at the end of your bar, hinge down with a flat back and grip the bar with one hand (A). Keeping your core tight and torso as steady as possible, draw your elbow back, behind your body, pulling the bar towards your hips. Pause here (B) then slowly lower the weight to the floor before repeating. Hit your rep target, turn 180 degrees, switch arms and repeat.
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