Landmine Shoulder Press
The angled bar path sits between a vertical and horizontal press, which is easier on cranky shoulders that dislike pressing straight overhead. Done one arm at a time, it also challenges your core to resist rotation, making it a joint-friendly and functional shoulder builder. It is a great option for beginners, tall lifters, and anyone rehabbing overhead tolerance.
- Body part
- Shoulder
- Type
- Functional, Strength
- Browse by muscle
- Deltoid Anterior
- Browse by movement
- Vertical Press
- Target
- Deltoid Anterior
- Secondary
- Deltoid Middle, Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head, Pectoralis Major Clavicular
- Tertiary
- Trapezius Upper, Abdominal External Oblique
How to do it
- 1
Anchor one end of a barbell in a landmine sleeve or a corner and load the free end.
- 2
Stand facing the bar and cup the end of the sleeve in one hand at shoulder height.
- 3
Stagger your stance slightly, brace your abs, and keep your chest tall.
- 4
Press the bar up and forward along its natural arc until the arm is nearly straight.
- 5
Lower it under control back to the front of the shoulder and repeat, then switch sides.
Tips
- Resist letting your torso twist toward the working arm; keep your hips and shoulders square.
- Press along the bar's arc rather than trying to force it straight up.
- Use a half-kneeling stance if you want to remove the legs and hammer the shoulder harder.
Variations
Common mistakes
- Standing too far from the anchor, which pulls you into a forward lean as the bar rises and turns the press into a shove from the chest and hips.
- Wedging the bar into a bare corner with nothing holding it, so the end skids sideways mid-set; use a landmine sleeve, or brace the bar against a heavy plate with a folded towel.
- Holding the end of the bar in loose fingers instead of cupping the sleeve in your palm, which lets it roll out of your hand as the arc carries it forward.
- Leaning back and away from the bar to help it up, so your low back takes an arch that the shoulder was meant to work through.
- Loading the free end without a collar; the sleeve tilts as you press, and plates can walk off the end.
Frequently asked
- How many sets and reps of the landmine shoulder press should a beginner do?
- Three sets of 8 to 12 per arm, resting only while you switch sides. Start with the bare bar, because the anchor carries part of its weight and the end you hold is far lighter than the plate math suggests, which also means a single 5 kilo or 10 pound plate is a real jump. Once 12 reps per side feel smooth with your hips square, add the smallest plate you have rather than the next size up.
- What can I use instead of a landmine attachment for the landmine shoulder press?
- Wedge one end of a barbell into a corner against a loaded plate, with a folded towel to stop it sliding and to save the wall. With no barbell, a single dumbbell pressed from the shoulder up and slightly forward covers similar ground. A resistance band anchored low behind you and pressed up along the same diagonal also keeps the angled path that makes this press comfortable.
- What is the landmine shoulder press good for?
- It is the press to reach for when straight overhead is uncomfortable: the angled path asks less of the shoulder at the top, and working one arm at a time makes your obliques resist the twist. That suits beginners, taller lifters who find overhead cramped, and anyone rebuilding tolerance for overhead work. It is a poor pick when you specifically need vertical pressing strength for a sport or a barbell lift, because the arm never finishes above your head. Pain that still shows up on this angle is worth having looked at rather than trained around.
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