Which foot should be forward?

Put the foot opposite your pressing arm forward and the foot on the pressing side back, about hip-width apart. This lines the hip up behind the press and makes it easier to resist the twist from the one-sided load. Some coaches put the pressing-side foot forward instead, and either works as long as your hips stay square to the bar.

Is the landmine press easier on the shoulders than an overhead press?

For most people, yes. The bar finishes up and forward in front of the head rather than directly overhead, so the shoulder never has to reach full overhead range, which is why it is a common choice for lifters who find a Barbell Overhead Press uncomfortable.

Can I do it without a landmine attachment?

Yes. Wedge one end of the barbell into a corner, wrapped in a towel to protect the wall and the bar, and make sure it cannot slide before you load the other end.

How is it different from the landmine single-arm push press?

This version is strict: the legs stay still and the shoulder and arm do all the pressing. The Landmine Single-Arm Push Press uses a quick dip and drive from the legs to move heavier weights.

How much weight am I actually lifting?

Less than the bar plus plates, because the anchor carries part of the bar's weight. Track your progress on the same setup rather than comparing the numbers with dumbbell or barbell presses.

Landmine Single-Arm Press

What Is the Landmine Single-Arm Press?

Landmine Single-Arm Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the upper chest, triceps, serratus anterior and the core muscles that keep the torso from twisting. It is a beginner-level movement in which you stand in a staggered stance and press the free end of a barbell, anchored at the floor in a landmine, up and forward with one hand.

Because the bar end travels along a fixed arc, the press finishes with the arm reaching up and forward in front of the head rather than straight overhead. That angle sits between a vertical overhead press and an incline press, which is why coaches often program it for lifters who find overhead pressing uncomfortable or who lack the shoulder mobility to lock out a bar overhead. It usually appears as an accessory press after a main lift, as a unilateral pressing option in athletic programs, or as the main press for someone working around an irritable shoulder.

The front of the deltoid does most of the work, with the triceps finishing the lockout and the upper chest helping more than it would in a vertical press because of the forward angle. At the top, letting the shoulder blade glide forward around the rib cage brings in the serratus anterior. Loading only one side also pulls the torso toward a twist, so the obliques and the rest of the trunk work to keep the hips and shoulders square. The two-handed Landmine Press lets you move more load with no rotational pull, the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press takes the legs out so the shoulder and trunk do everything, the Landmine Single-Arm Push Press adds a dip and drive from the legs to handle heavier weights, and the Banded Landmine Single-Arm Press adds band tension on top of the bar's load.

The standing single-arm version suits beginners learning to press, general fitness clients, and athletes who want one-arm pushing strength with a stable base. If you cannot stay square and press without leaning back, start with the half-kneeling version or the two-handed press, use a lighter plate, and build general pressing strength with push-ups and a Dumbbell Standing Shoulder Press at a weight you control.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Deltoid: Primary
Pectoralis Major: High
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): High
Serratus Anterior: Medium
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Medium
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): Medium
External Oblique: Low
Upper Trapezius: Low
Erector Spinae: Minimal
Rectus Abdominis: Minimal

Instructions

Anchor one end of a barbell in a landmine and load a plate on the free end.
Stand facing the anchor and pick up the end of the bar with one hand, holding it just in front of your shoulder with the elbow bent and below your hand.
Step the foot on your pressing side back into a staggered stance, feet about hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, and let your free arm hang at your side.
Brace your core, keep your ribs down and squeeze the glute of your back leg.
Press the bar up and forward along its arc until your arm is straight, leaning slightly into the bar.
At the top, let your shoulder blade reach forward around your rib cage without twisting your torso or arching your back.
Lower the bar under control back to the front of your shoulder.
Finish your reps, then switch hands and swap your foot position for the other side.

Common Mistakes

Leaning back to finish
Arching the lower back to get the bar up shifts stress from the shoulder to the spine and usually means the plate is too heavy.
Twisting toward the bar
Letting the torso rotate as you press throws away the anti-rotation work and pulls the shoulder out of a strong position.
Flaring the elbow
Starting with the elbow out wide to the side instead of tucked below the hand and close to your side stresses the front of the shoulder and weakens the press.
Standing at the wrong distance
Standing too close makes the press too vertical and too far makes it a forward push, so set up where the bar end rests just in front of your shoulder.
Using the legs
Dipping and driving with the knees turns the strict press into a push press and takes work away from the shoulder.
Cutting the top short
Stopping before the elbow is straight and the shoulder blade has reached forward skips the part of the range that trains the triceps and serratus anterior.

Injuries

Landmine Single-Arm Press is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The bar's arc stops the arm short of full overhead range, so most people tolerate it well, but the press can still irritate the front of the shoulder if the elbow flares wide at the bottom or the plate is too heavy to control, and it loads the lower back when the lifter leans back to finish the rep.

Start light, set your distance from the anchor so the bar meets your hand in front of your shoulder, and keep your ribs down and your glutes engaged so the press comes from the arm rather than an arched back. Keep the wrist stacked over the elbow instead of bent back, and lower the bar under control rather than letting it drop onto the shoulder.

If staying upright and square is hard, regress to the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press, the two-handed Landmine Press or a lighter plate. Once strict reps feel solid, progress by adding load, then try the Landmine Single-Arm Push Press or the Banded Landmine Single-Arm Press.

Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain at the front or top of the shoulder, pain or numbness running down the arm, or pain in the lower back, and get it checked if it persists.

Overview

Primary Focus: Shoulders
Equipment: Barbell and landmine
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which foot should be forward?: Put the foot opposite your pressing arm forward and the foot on the pressing side back, about hip-width apart. This lines the hip up behind the press and makes it easier to resist the twist from the one-sided load. Some coaches put the pressing-side foot forward instead, and either works as long as your hips stay square to the bar.
Q: Is the landmine press easier on the shoulders than an overhead press?: For most people, yes. The bar finishes up and forward in front of the head rather than directly overhead, so the shoulder never has to reach full overhead range, which is why it is a common choice for lifters who find a Barbell Overhead Press uncomfortable.
Q: Can I do it without a landmine attachment?: Yes. Wedge one end of the barbell into a corner, wrapped in a towel to protect the wall and the bar, and make sure it cannot slide before you load the other end.
Q: How is it different from the landmine single-arm push press?: This version is strict: the legs stay still and the shoulder and arm do all the pressing. The Landmine Single-Arm Push Press uses a quick dip and drive from the legs to move heavier weights.
Q: How much weight am I actually lifting?: Less than the bar plus plates, because the anchor carries part of the bar's weight. Track your progress on the same setup rather than comparing the numbers with dumbbell or barbell presses.