You are a lucky lifter if your gym has a landmine. The landmine is a great piece of equipment for getting a good workout because it is so versatile. This tool, which can be found in a corner of the gym, is a simple-looking short tube mounted on a swivel joint. Even though it is not very popular, it is still one of the best ways to get stronger and improve your athletic ability.
But what makes the landmine squat so special? What are the potential benefits of doing this exercise, which muscles does it target, and how can you get the most out of it?
Here's what you need to know to be able to do the leg exercise known as the ‘king of leg exercises'. This exercise will help you gain full body strength and improve your form.
What Is a Landmine Squat?
The landmine squat is a lower-body exercise that’s typically performed with the help of an angled barbell that’s anchored in a landmine device. The device is placed on the floor, and the barbell is placed at an angle so that it can be squatted. It can also be done by putting a barbell in the corner of a room and wrapping the far end in a towel to protect the walls.
The landmine squat is a squat variation that works the quads, glutes, upper back, and core muscles. This exercise is much safer for your joints than squatting.
The landmine squat is an exercise that is meant to help you with your squat form, as well as building muscle and training for Olympic weightlifting exercises. You can load an Olympic barbell with weight plates on one end and attach the other end to a landmine attachment to perform traditional landmine exercises. If you don't have an Olympic bar, you can use any barbell you have.
Muscles Worked by the Landmine Squat
If you find it difficult to target your quads with standard squats, landmine squats are a great way to work them. This is especially true for taller people. Resist the urge to sit all day and instead try some of these exercises to strengthen your lower body. Not only are they safer and lower-impact than traditional squats, but they are also a great alternative.
When doing landmine squats, you use a lot of different muscles in your abs and lower body. The main muscles that are used during landmine squats are the quadriceps and glutes. The landmine squat also works the hamstrings, adductors, spinal erectors, abdominals, and calves, which are all considered secondary muscles.
How to Landmine Squat
The Setup
To properly set up a landmine, follow these steps: You should get a landmine attachment if you don't have a secure place to put it.
The Clean
Start with the barbell on the floor, and squat down. As you bring the barbell up in a power clean motion, move through your hips. To learn more about how to clean properly, read this article on the power clean.
In addition to being a great workout, landmine cleans with a pentagon bar attachment can also help you clean up an area that may be contaminated with landmines.
The Grip
Once you clean the bar up, you don't need to worry about wrapping your whole hand around it. Keep your wrists relatively straight.
The Squat
From here, you squat like always. Keep your toes either forward or slightly pointed out. Your whole foot should stay on the ground, and your hips should sink back.
Benefits of Landmine Squats
The nature of any landmine setup gives landmine squats a few benefits over other squat variations.
Front Loaded = Upright Posture
One of the reasons why a goblet squat is a much better option for beginners than a barbell squat is that the weight is more evenly distributed, making it easier to stay upright. Landmine squats allow for the same benefits as front-loaded squats.
Simple Technique
Like the goblet squat, landmine squats don't require advanced technique or mobility. In order to front squat effectively, you need to be able to maintain the front-rack position and have sufficient wrist mobility. If you want to do a back squat without hurting your spine, you need to have good shoulder mobility. The landmine squat is a more advanced version of the goblet squat and allows you to add more weight. The technique is still easy to learn.
Front Loaded = Core Activation
If you're familiar with front squats, then you can imagine how your abs would feel during a landmine squat. Your abdominals need to be engaged in order to keep you from falling forward because the weight is in front of your center of gravity. If you have a lot of exercises that target your abs, you don't need to do as many isolated ab exercises, because every exercise is already working your core.
Different Strength Curve
The weight you are lifting will feel heavier or lighter at different points during the exercise, depending on the type of landmine exercise you are doing. The weight feels heavier at the bottom of the squat and easier at the top because the angle of the bar changes. This has its drawbacks (which we discuss below). lets you really get deep into the movement and avoid using too much weight Although it might not be the traditional way of doing things, if you're looking to train the lower part of your Squat, this could be a better option for you than using free weights. This allows you to get really deep into the movement, and also means you don't have to use as much weight.
Arc = Easier to Sink Back
The landmine also makes the bar move in an arc. When you squat down, the barbell gets closer to you, which makes it easier to squat back up again. This makes the landmine squat ideal for people who want to work on their lower-body strength.
Drawbacks of the Landmine Squat
Different Strength Curve
The barbell on a landmine is more vertical at the top than at the bottom, and gravity only exists as a force straight down to the ground. Even though the weight on the bar is the same, the higher the bar is, the lighter it will feel.
Some exercises, like landmine rows, are harder at the top, but squats are the opposite. Squats are more difficult when you are at the bottom of the movement than when you are at the top. We are able to lift more in the top half of a squat than we could if we only lifted in the last half. The weight of a landmine squat gets heavier the further it is lowered.
The squat pattern is not ideal for challenging the weight of the full range of motion. Rather, it will target the bottom half. It's perfectly normal to feel some discomfort when you first start squatting, but if you're looking to improve your squatting technique, you'll need to add some additional exercises to your routine. For athletes, you’d often want the opposite. Using tools such as bands and chains can help make the workout more difficult as you progress.
Can’t Go Super Heavy
Advanced lifters may find that landmine squats do not provide the same level of leg strength challenge as heavy single-leg training or trap bar deadlifts. It’s NOT a max strength exercise.
Landmine Squat Variations
The landmine is useful because you can use it in many ways. They all carry the landmine's strength curve and angle, but each has different features.
A squat is a movement that is performed by bending the knees and lowering the hips towards the floor. The squat can be performed with or without weight, and can be performed with the feet in a variety of positions, such as shoulder-width apart, split, or lunge.
#1: Classic Landmine Squat
This is the variation main variation. The single leg Romanian deadlift is a good exercise to do if you have already mastered the goblet squat and are not yet ready to do a front squat, trap bar deadlift, or single leg training with a lot of weight. You can also add some variety to your program by substituting it for a phase or two.
#2: Landmine Split Squat
The landmine squat is a single-leg squat variation that can be used to improve your lower body strength and stability. You get all of the benefits of the landmine squat by training one leg at a time. This allows you to create a more stable environment and get more out of each rep.
When performing a Bulgarian split squat with a landmine, you can use one leg at a time to squat down low to the ground.
#3: Landmine Sumo Squat
One issue associated with the classic sumo deadlift is that the barbell must be positioned slightly in front of the body, as it cannot go through the body. If you want to get a squat pattern, which involves more knee bend, having the weight in front of you can place unnecessary strain on your lower back. The landmine sumo squat solves this.
#4: Side-Loaded Landmine Split Squat
A Bulgarian split squat with the weight held on the inside of the working leg helps improve posture. If you're struggling with low back pain or activating your glutes, it's especially important to do this. The drawback to this method is that a single kettlebell may not be heavy enough to provide a sufficient challenge, similar to the goblet squat issue. The landmine solves this.
I added a 60lb vest to this video to challenge myself more. I could have made the landmine heavier, but I like this mixture.
#5: Side Landmine Reverse Lunge
We also move inward and outward We move not just in physical space, but also in emotional and mental space. We move in all directions. Athletes during their sport constantly have to move their feet quickly and change directions. Yet, very little of our training reflects that.
I originally designed this exercise for hockey players, who have to move their feet in a side-to-side motion. However, I found that it can be beneficial for anyone to try. This new workout routine will work your leg muscles in different ways, improving your athleticism and targeting areas where you may be weak.
#6: Landmine Lateral Lunge
The landmine lateral lunge emphasizes side to side movement along the frontal plane.
Lateral lunges with either a dumbbell or kettlebell are difficult to increase the weight to a challenging level. A single dumbbell won't be enough for people who are lifting weights at an advanced level. This one is a real challenge, even for some of the strongest athletes I know.
#7 Landmine Cossack Squat
A Cossack squat is a movement that is similar to a lateral lunge, but is done with a different purpose in mind. The main goal is to improve your mobility on the side you squat to in order to make it easier to complete the squat movement. The goal of this exercise is to sink as deep as possible while maintaining proper alignment with your heel down and your back flat. The difference between flexibility and mobility, as they’re traditionally defined, is mobility means you can control that range of motion. Being mobile and strong are both qualities that are needed to be successful in the landmine position.
Uses: this one is not for beginners. If you're struggling with mobility, start by doing cossack squats with a kettlebell, and once you've gotten the hang of it (after at least 4 weeks), try the landmine version.
#8: 1-Arm Landmine Squat and Press
John calls this exercise “Dynamic Training” because it combines two major movements into one. This type of training not only allows you to pack more work and more muscles into less time, but also increases your IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor), making you more sensitive to insulin. When you make your body more sensitive to insulin, it becomes easier to burn fat because your body will be using energy more effectively. Hormones for the win.
This exercise is perfect if you want to break a sweat but don't have a lot of time. This exercises challenges your stability not only due to its bilateral component but also its unilateral component. When squatting, the weight will need to be held in one hand to prevent it from shifting to one side. This will require the use of core muscles to resist the weight.
I also think this one is cool and it makes you look cool, which is important to me.
The landmine hack squat is a special exercise that should be included on this list.
Final Thoughts on Landmine Squats
The many benefits of landmine squats show how powerful this movement can be. The addition of a landmine to a gymnasium allows for new exercises, such as the side landmine reverse lunge, while also making it easier and safer to do traditional squats with a weight load. I think in the future gyms will have better landmine setups, as they are not going anywhere.
You can get a great body with only landmine exercises. I created a new workout program in February 2022 to help people avoid landmines. 99 To celebrate the launch, it is on sale for only $19.99.
