Should the Landmine 180 be done fast or slow?

Both work for different goals. A slow, steady arc builds control and strength through the whole range, while faster reps with a lighter bar train rotational power. Speed is only useful as long as you can still stop the bar under control at each hip.

How heavy should the Landmine 180 be?

Start with an empty bar, which many people find hard enough. Add small plates only when every rep reaches the hip with control and the lower back stays quiet, since the goal is controlled rotation rather than moving the most weight.

How is the Landmine 180 different from the Landmine Kneeling 180?

Standing lets the hips and feet turn with the bar, so the legs help start and stop each rep and the pattern looks like athletic rotation. The Landmine Kneeling 180 removes the legs and lowers the bar, so the trunk and shoulders work on their own. They train different qualities, so pick the one that fits the goal or use both.

Is the Landmine 180 safe for the lower back?

For most healthy lifters, yes, as long as the hips and trailing foot turn with the bar and the load stays controlled. The lower back allows only a little rotation, so problems usually start when the feet stay planted and the twist goes there. Anyone with current back pain should check with a clinician first.

Can I do the Landmine 180 without a landmine attachment?

Yes. Wedging the bar end into the corner of a room, padded with a towel so it does not slide or mark the walls, gives a similar fixed point. A landmine base is still the more secure option because it pivots smoothly and keeps the bar end in place.

Landmine 180

What Is the Landmine 180?

Landmine 180 is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core, especially the obliques, and also engages the shoulders, glutes and lower back. It is an intermediate-level movement because the hips, trunk and arms have to work together to move a load that swings from one side of the body to the other and has to be stopped at each end.

The bar end travels in an arc from one hip, up across the front of the body to about face height, and down to the other hip. Because the other end of the bar is fixed in the landmine, the path is guided rather than free, which makes heavy rotational work easier to control than with a medicine ball or dumbbell. The bar also feels heaviest low at the hips, where it sits flattest, so the hardest moment of each rep is slowing the bar down and sending it back the other way.

That combination of producing and braking rotation is why the Landmine 180 is popular in programs for golf, baseball, tennis, combat sports and other sports built on twisting. It usually sits after the main lifts as a core accessory, or early in a session as a power drill done with a lighter load and faster reps. Lifters outside sport use it to build a trunk that can handle turning under load, something planks and crunches do not train.

The standing version lets the hips and trailing foot turn with the bar, so the legs help start and stop each rep and the pattern looks like athletic rotation. The Landmine Kneeling 180 takes the legs out and lowers the bar, so the trunk and shoulders do the work on their own. The two train different things, and many programs use both.

The exercise suits lifters who can already hold a solid Side Plank and resist rotation in a Cable Pallof Press. Anyone new to loaded rotation can learn the pattern with a light Cable Wood Chop first. During the set, the effort should be felt along the sides of the waist rather than in the arms or lower back.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

External Oblique: Primary
Deltoid: High
Rectus Abdominis: High
Erector Spinae: Medium
Gluteus Maximus: Medium
Gluteus Medius: Low
Latissimus Dorsi: Low
Serratus Anterior: Low
Upper Trapezius: Low

Instructions

Set one end of a barbell in a landmine, add a light plate to the free end if needed, and stand facing the anchor so the end of the bar reaches your hands.
Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
Grip the end of the bar beside the plate with both hands, one hand over the other.
Start with the bar end beside one hip, arms long, and your hips and shoulders turned slightly toward that side.
Brace your abs, then turn your hips and trunk to lift the bar end up and across the front of your body.
As the bar passes the middle, bend your elbows so the bar end arrives at about forehead height in front of your face, with your ribs down.
Keep turning and lower the bar end toward the opposite hip, letting your hips rotate and your trailing foot pivot as the bar comes down.
Slow the bar as it reaches the hip, then reverse the arc back over the top to the first side.
Alternate sides at a steady pace and finish with the same number of reps on each side.

Common Mistakes

Feet stuck to the floor
Keeping both feet planted while the bar swings to one side forces the twist into the lower back and knees instead of letting the hips turn with the bar.
Arms doing the work
Hauling the bar across with the shoulders while the trunk stays passive turns the exercise into a shoulder drill and takes the load off the obliques.
Letting the bar crash at the bottom
Letting the bar drop into the hip instead of slowing it and reversing it under control skips the braking work the core should do and jolts the lower back.
Arching at the top
Leaning back with the ribs flared as the bar passes in front of the face shifts stress into the lower back and away from the abs.
Too much weight
Loading the bar so heavily that the arc gets shorter or the body gets pulled off balance means the plate is controlling you rather than the other way around.

Injuries

Landmine 180 is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The risk comes from rotating a load that builds momentum, so the lower back, shoulders and knees take strain when the bar is swung rather than steered.

The lower back is the most common strain point. The lumbar spine allows only a small amount of rotation, so when the feet stay planted and the hips stay square, the twist the bar demands ends up there. Let the hips and trailing foot turn with the bar, keep the ribs down and the trunk braced, and slow the bar before it reaches each hip instead of letting it pull you around. The shoulders work hardest at the top of the arc, where the bar passes in front of the face, so keep the elbows bent and the bar close rather than reaching it far overhead.

Start with an empty bar and add small plates only when every rep reaches the hip with control. If the full arc is too much, a light Cable Wood Chop or a Cable Pallof Press builds the same trunk control with less load. The Landmine Kneeling 180 is another option when standing balance is the problem or the goal is trunk work without help from the legs. To progress, add load in small steps or move a lighter bar faster once the slow version is solid.

Stop the set if you feel sharp or shooting pain in the lower back, pain that travels into a leg, or pinching in the front of the shoulder at the top of the arc. Anyone with current back pain or a known disc problem should get clearance from a clinician before training loaded rotation.

Overview

Primary Focus: Core
Equipment: Barbell and landmine
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Landmine 180

The Landmine 180 is also known as:

Landmine Rotation

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should the Landmine 180 be done fast or slow?: Both work for different goals. A slow, steady arc builds control and strength through the whole range, while faster reps with a lighter bar train rotational power. Speed is only useful as long as you can still stop the bar under control at each hip.
Q: How heavy should the Landmine 180 be?: Start with an empty bar, which many people find hard enough. Add small plates only when every rep reaches the hip with control and the lower back stays quiet, since the goal is controlled rotation rather than moving the most weight.
Q: How is the Landmine 180 different from the Landmine Kneeling 180?: Standing lets the hips and feet turn with the bar, so the legs help start and stop each rep and the pattern looks like athletic rotation. The Landmine Kneeling 180 removes the legs and lowers the bar, so the trunk and shoulders work on their own. They train different qualities, so pick the one that fits the goal or use both.
Q: Is the Landmine 180 safe for the lower back?: For most healthy lifters, yes, as long as the hips and trailing foot turn with the bar and the load stays controlled. The lower back allows only a little rotation, so problems usually start when the feet stay planted and the twist goes there. Anyone with current back pain should check with a clinician first.
Q: Can I do the Landmine 180 without a landmine attachment?: Yes. Wedging the bar end into the corner of a room, padded with a towel so it does not slide or mark the walls, gives a similar fixed point. A landmine base is still the more secure option because it pivots smoothly and keeps the bar end in place.