Landmine Kneeling Squeeze Press
What Is the Landmine Kneeling Squeeze Press?
Landmine Kneeling Squeeze Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the chest and also engages the front of the shoulders, the triceps and the serratus anterior. It is a beginner-level movement performed in a tall-kneeling position, with both hands clasped around the end of a barbell anchored in a landmine and pressed up and forward along the bar's arc.
The squeeze is what sets it apart from a standard two-hand Landmine Press. Pressing the palms hard into each other for the whole set keeps the chest working to pull the arms toward the midline while the shoulders and triceps drive the bar away. Because the bar starts at the upper chest and finishes in front of and above the head, the path sits between an incline press and an overhead press, so the upper chest and the front deltoids share much of the work. It is a different movement from the Dumbbell Squeeze Press, which is done lying on a bench with two dumbbells pressed together.
Kneeling on both knees takes the legs out of the lift. There is no leg drive to help the bar up, so the glutes and abs have to hold the hips straight and the ribs down while the upper body does the pressing. That makes it a useful accessory after the main press of the day, usually for moderate to higher reps where the squeeze and the lockout can stay strict.
The angled path suits lifters who find a flat barbell bench press or a strict overhead press uncomfortable, because the arms finish forward of vertical and the shoulder blades are free to move with the bar instead of being pinned to a bench. It also suits beginners learning to press with a braced trunk. If it is too hard, build up with an Incline Push-Up or a Kneeling Push-Up first; once it is easy, the standing Landmine Press lets you handle more load.
The squeeze is the one place where focus genuinely matters here. If the hands relax, the chest drops out and the lift turns into a plain landmine press, so think about crushing the bar end between your palms on every rep rather than just moving it.
Muscles Worked
- Pectoralis Major
- Primary
- Deltoid
- High
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
Instructions
- Load a plate on the free end of a barbell anchored in a landmine and place a pad on the floor facing the bar end.
- Kneel on the pad with both knees down, about hip-width apart, and the tops of your feet on the floor.
- Lift the end of the bar to your upper chest and clasp it with both hands, fingers interlaced around the end and palms pressed firmly together.
- Kneel tall: hips straight so your thighs are vertical, glutes squeezed, ribs down and torso upright. Shuffle closer or farther so the bar end sits at your upper chest in this position.
- Keep your elbows below and slightly outside your hands, then squeeze your palms together as hard as you can.
- Brace your core and press the bar up and forward along its arc until your arms are straight and your hands are in front of and above your head.
- Let your shoulder blades reach forward with the bar at the top without shrugging toward your ears, and keep your torso from leaning back.
- Lower the bar under control back to your upper chest, keeping the squeeze the whole way, and repeat.
Common Mistakes
Leaning back to finish the press
Arching the lower back and tipping the torso back to get the bar up shifts strain onto the spine and usually means the load is too heavy.
Letting the squeeze go
Relaxing the hands partway through the rep turns the lift into a plain landmine press and takes much of the work off the chest.
Sitting back toward the heels
Letting the hips bend and drop back loses the tall-kneeling position and lets the hips help push the bar instead of the upper body.
Flaring the elbows straight out
Elbows pointing out to the sides at the bottom make it hard to keep the palms pressed together and can irritate the front of the shoulder.
Shrugging at the top
Hiking the shoulders up toward the ears to finish the rep cuts the reach short and crowds the neck instead of letting the shoulder blades move forward with the bar.
Kneeling at the wrong distance
Kneeling too close puts the bar end at the face, and kneeling too far away puts it at the belly, so neither lets the press start from the upper chest.
Injuries
Landmine Kneeling Squeeze Press is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The bar is anchored at one end, the load is modest and nothing passes over the face, so most problems come from posture and from the knees rather than from the press itself.
The lower back takes strain when the lifter leans back and arches to finish a rep, which usually means the load is too heavy. The front of the shoulder can get irritated if the elbows flare straight out at the bottom or the shoulders shrug up toward the ears at the top. Kneeling on a hard floor puts pressure on the kneecaps, and a heavy load held with interlaced fingers can strain the fingers and wrists. Use a pad under the knees, squeeze the glutes and keep the ribs down, and choose a weight you can press to straight arms without the torso moving.
To make it easier, use the bar with no plates, press through a shorter range, or start with an Incline Push-Up. To progress, add load gradually, move to the standing Landmine Press, or train each side on its own with the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain in the front or top of the shoulder, pain in the lower back, pain in the knees that a pad does not fix, or numbness or tingling down the arm. Pain that returns every session should be assessed by a qualified professional before you keep training the movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is the Landmine Kneeling Squeeze Press a chest or a shoulder exercise?
It is filed under chest, because the hand squeeze and the start at the upper chest keep the pecs working throughout, but the front of the shoulders does a large share of the pressing. For a more shoulder-focused landmine press, try the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press.
- Q: Why kneel instead of standing?
Kneeling takes away leg drive, so the upper body does all the pressing and the glutes and abs have to hold the torso upright without help from the legs. The standing Landmine Press lets you use more load and involve the whole body.
- Q: Can I do this without a landmine attachment?
Yes. Wedge one end of the barbell into the corner where two walls meet the floor, pad it with a towel to protect the wall, and check that it cannot slide before you load it.
- Q: Is it easier on the shoulders than a bench press or overhead press?
Many lifters find it more comfortable, because the arms finish in front of the head rather than straight overhead and the shoulder blades can move freely with the bar. It is not a treatment for an injured shoulder, so pain that keeps coming back should be checked by a professional.
- Q: How much of the weight on the bar am I actually pressing?
Less than the total, because the pivot at the other end carries part of the bar and plates. Compare loads only against the same landmine setup and plate position, not against a dumbbell or bench press weight.