Landmine Kneeling Thruster
What Is the Landmine Kneeling Thruster?
Landmine Kneeling Thruster is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and glutes and also engages the triceps, upper chest, quadriceps and core. It is an intermediate-level movement that links a kneeling hip thrust to a two-handed landmine press: from tall kneeling, the hips sit back toward the heels, then drive forward, and that hip drive carries the bar up and forward along the landmine's arc.
The point of the exercise is learning to turn hip extension into a press. It works like a push press done from the knees, except the legs contribute through a hip hinge rather than a squat, and the shins and ankles stay out of it. Because the landmine moves the bar on an arc that finishes in front of the head instead of straight overhead, many lifters who find strict overhead pressing uncomfortable can still train a powerful press this way.
The glutes do most of the work in the drive, snapping the hips from the sat-back position into full extension, while the quadriceps help bring the thighs back to vertical. The deltoids, triceps and upper chest then finish the press, and the serratus anterior and upper trapezius rotate the shoulder blades upward as the arms reach the top. The abdominals have a job too: they keep the ribs down so the hip drive finishes with a glute squeeze rather than an arch in the lower back. Compared with a strict Landmine Press, the hip drive lets you move more weight or move it faster, while the standing Landmine Squat and Press brings the knees and ankles into the drive.
It suits athletes and general lifters who want hip power and pressing in one movement, and anyone who wants a glute and shoulder exercise that puts no load through the feet. Before taking it on, get comfortable with a strict Landmine Press and the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press for the kneeling position, and with a Glute Bridge or Barbell Hip Thrust for full hip extension. The knees also need to tolerate kneeling on a pad for a full set.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Pectoralis Major
- Medium
- Rectus Abdominis
- Medium
- Rectus Femoris
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
Instructions
- Load one end of a barbell anchored in a landmine and place a thick pad on the floor in front of the loaded end.
- Kneel on the pad facing the bar, knees about hip-width apart and the tops of your feet on the floor.
- Lift the end of the bar and hold it in front of your upper chest, both hands clasped around the end and elbows pointing down.
- Rise into tall kneeling, with your knees, hips and shoulders stacked, then brace your abs and keep your ribs down.
- Keeping the bar at your chest, sit your hips back partway toward your heels, letting your torso tilt slightly forward with your back neutral.
- Drive your hips forward hard and squeeze your glutes to snap back into tall kneeling.
- As your hips reach full extension, carry that momentum into the press and push the bar up and forward along its arc until your elbows are straight and your hands are above and slightly in front of your head.
- Finish tall, with your hips fully extended and your ribs down, without leaning back.
- Lower the bar under control to your upper chest, then sit your hips back for the next rep.
Common Mistakes
Arching the lower back at the top
Finishing the drive by leaning back and flaring the ribs instead of squeezing the glutes shifts the load into the lower back.
Pressing before the hips finish
Starting the press while the hips are still back wastes the hip drive and leaves the arms to lift the bar on their own.
Cutting the hip drive short
Stopping before the hips reach full extension leaves the glutes short of a complete contraction and gives the press less momentum.
Letting the bar drift off the chest
Holding the bar away from the chest as the hips sit back pulls the torso forward and rounds the upper back.
Kneeling on a hard floor
Kneeling without a pad concentrates pressure on the kneecaps and can irritate the bursa in front of them.
Dropping the bar back to the chest
Letting the bar fall between reps jars the shoulders and wrists and breaks the setup for the next drive.
Injuries
Landmine Kneeling Thruster is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The landmine's arc keeps the shoulders out of a strict overhead position, but the explosive hip drive and the kneeling setup bring their own strain points: the lower back, the front of the shoulders and the kneecaps.
The lower back takes over when the drive finishes with the ribs flaring and the torso leaning back instead of the glutes squeezing the hips through. Brace before every rep, keep the ribs down and think of ending tall, with knees, hips and shoulders stacked. The shoulders are most stressed when the bar is dropped back to the chest or pressed with a shrug, so lower it under control and keep the shoulders away from the ears. Frequent kneeling on a hard surface irritates the bursa over the kneecap, so always kneel on a thick mat or pad, and keep the knees about hip-width apart.
To regress, drop the hip drive and press strictly with a Landmine Press or the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press. To progress, add load gradually or move to standing versions such as the Landmine Squat and Press or the Landmine Single-Arm Push Press.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the shoulder or lower back, pain or swelling at the front of the knee, or numbness or tingling down the arms.
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is the Landmine Kneeling Thruster different from a regular landmine press?
In a strict Landmine Press the arms lift the bar on their own. Here the hips sit back and then drive forward, and that drive starts the bar moving, so the glutes share the work and you can handle more weight or move it faster.
- Q: Does it work the legs like a standing thruster?
Only partly. With the shins on the floor there is no ankle drive and no squat, so the work comes mostly from the glutes extending the hips, with the quadriceps helping to bring the thighs upright. For a version that loads the legs through a squat, use the Landmine Squat and Press.
- Q: How far should I sit back toward my heels?
Sit back only as far as you can while the bar stays at your chest and your back stays neutral, which for most people is partway toward the heels. Going deeper is fine if your knees are comfortable and you can still drive out of it quickly.
- Q: Can I do it if overhead pressing bothers my shoulders?
Often, because the landmine's arc finishes with the arms in front of the head rather than straight overhead, which many lifters tolerate better than a strict overhead press. Pain during the press is still a reason to stop and have the shoulder assessed.
- Q: What if kneeling hurts my knees?
Use a thicker pad first, since pressure on the kneecaps is the usual cause. If kneeling still hurts, train the same hip-to-arm pattern standing with the Landmine Squat and Press or the Landmine Single-Arm Push Press.
- Q: Should I do the reps fast or slow?
Drive the hips and press the bar quickly, then lower it to the chest under control. Keep sets short enough, such as 5 to 8 reps, that every drive stays fast and the lower back never takes over.