Intermediate

Half-Kneeling Landmine Press

Pressing one end of a barbell on an arcing path is easier on cranky shoulders than a strict vertical press, and the half-kneeling base forces your trunk to resist twisting toward the working arm. It is a smart pick for lifters who want overhead-style stimulus without full shoulder mobility or a locked-out barbell. Program it as an accessory press or a core-and-shoulder combo after your main lift.

Equipment
Barbell, Landmine
Body part
Shoulder
Type
Functional, Strength
Browse by muscle
Deltoid Anterior
Browse by movement
Vertical Press
Muscles worked
Target
Deltoid Anterior
Secondary
Deltoid Middle, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head, Trapezius Upper
Tertiary
Abdominal External Oblique, Erector Spinae

How to do it

  1. 1

    Wedge one end of a barbell into a landmine or a corner and load the free end.

  2. 2

    Kneel on the same-side knee as the pressing arm, with the opposite foot planted forward.

  3. 3

    Rack the bar end at the front of your shoulder and brace your abs and glutes.

  4. 4

    Press the bar up and slightly across until your elbow locks out near your ear.

  5. 5

    Lower under control back to your shoulder without letting your torso rotate, then repeat before switching sides.

Tips

  • Squeeze the down-side glute to keep your hips square and stop your body from leaning into the press.
  • Let the bar travel on its natural arc rather than fighting it straight up.
  • Keep the ribs stacked over the pelvis so you press with the shoulder, not a lower-back arch.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The far end works loose from the landmine sleeve or the corner as the bar tilts through its arc, so check the wedge before each side; a bar that jumps free lands next to your down knee.
  • The front foot is planted almost in line with the down knee, leaving a base the width of a tightrope, and most of your effort goes into not tipping over rather than into the press.
  • Plates slide toward the loaded end once the bar angles upward, which is why this press needs a collar even at weights that look trivial.
  • As the set wears on, the down-side hip sinks back toward the heel and the whole torso shortens, so the bar starts finishing out in front of the shoulder instead of above it.
  • Both sides get the same reps but not the same setup, because the wedge and the stance are measured once and then reused; rebuild the position from scratch when you switch arms.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the half-kneeling landmine press should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Three sets of 8 to 10 per arm suits this one, since the arcing path is easy enough on the joint to take reps. Do all the reps on one side, then the other; the rest one arm gets while the other works is enough. Load is hard to judge here, because a bar wedged at one end puts only part of its weight in your hand, so start with the bare bar and add the smallest plate you own. Add reps before plates.
What can I use instead of a landmine attachment for this press?
A corner of the room with a folded towel wrapped around the bar end works the same way and protects the wall. With no barbell at all, a single-arm dumbbell press from the same half-kneeling stance covers the shoulder and trunk work, though the path is vertical rather than arcing. A band anchored low behind you gives the closest match to the angled push, and it gets harder as you approach lockout.
What is the half-kneeling landmine press good for?
The arc lets you press hard without needing a full overhead range, so it suits lifters whose shoulders object to a strict barbell press and anyone whose overhead position is still a work in progress. The kneeling base adds real anti-rotation work for the obliques. It is a poor pick if your goal is a bigger strict press, since it never asks you to stabilize a load directly over the joint, and the setup takes long enough that it fits badly into a short session.

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