The landmine press is a unique exercise that can build strength, core stability, scapular control, and general body awareness necessary for strength, power, and fitness sports. Additionally, it can be used as a correctional and/or prehabilitation exercise to increase injury resilience and improve joint function and control of the shoulder, thoracic spine, and more.
Therefore, in this article we will offer a few alternative movements that you can integrate into training programs to bring about similar benefits as the landmine press.
Landmine Press Exercise Demo
The landmine press can be done with a wide variety of pressing patterning, foot placement, and additional bands/resistance. In an earlier article we discussed four of the most common landmine pressing variations, all of which offer coaches and athletes similar benefits. In the below video demonstration the double knee landmine press is demonstrated.
Benefits of Landmine Pressing and Alternatives
The landmine press offers coaches and athletes a unique way to diversify pressing strength, increase core strength, and build greater shoulder stabilization. While the below alternatives do offer many of the above benefits, they are not clear swaps to the landmine press due to the inability to address leverage while pressing (due to the angles of pressing in the landmine press).
Landmine Pressing Alternatives
Below are three landmine pressing alternatives that coaches and athletes can use within training programs to bring about the above benefits.
Kneeling Single Arm Press
This kneeling single arm press is done with the same body placement as the landmine single kneeling press, with the only exception that the dumbbell is pressed vertically whereas the landmine is pressed on an upward angle, which shifts the loading to the shoulder and posterior shoulder/stabilizers. Both movements challenge core stability and pelvic control, which can be highly beneficial for running, sprinting, and other sporting movements (anti-rotational training). In the below video the kneeling single dumbbell press is demonstrated.
Z Press
The Z Press is an advanced movement that challenge many of the same muscle groups and movement patterns seen in the landmine press. The posterior shoulder, scapular stabilizers, and core (abdominals, obliques) are highly stressed through this movement, and the lifter must find rigidity in the torso to resist spinal flexion/extension/rotation. In the below video the double kettlebell z press is demonstrated, using asymmetrical loads to further the already challenging movement and benefits.
Cable Angular Press
This is an exercise that mimics the landmine press very closely. By placing the lifter in front of the cable stack in any of the foot placement/ (standing, standing staggered stance, double kneeling, single kneeling, etc) you can vary the base of support and demands on the core strength and body awareness just like the landmine press. Additionally, the cables allow coaches and athletes to press on angle similar to the barbell landmine press (from high to low at roughly a 30-45 degree angle), which can maximize the amount of shoulder and posterior shoulder involvement in the press.
How to Program Landmine Press Alternatives
Programming the above alternatives can be done in similar structure as the landmine press. For emphasis on body control, scapular stabilization, and core strength, lighter loads with slower, controlled tempos and moderate to higher reps ranges can be beneficial. For hypertrophy and strength, moderate rep ranges and sets can be performed using moderate loading at controlled tempos to increase time under tension.
Upgrade Your Fitness, Movement, and Strength!
The below articles can be helpful exercise variations and swaps to build strength, power, as movement in non-traditional patterning to maximize fitness and performance!
Featured Image: J2FIT on YouTube
