Landmine Single-Arm Push Press
What Is the Landmine Single-Arm Push Press?
Landmine Single-Arm Push Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and quadriceps and also engages the triceps, glutes, upper chest and core. It is an intermediate-level movement that pairs a short dip and drive of the legs with a one-arm press of a barbell anchored in a landmine, so the bar travels up and forward along a fixed arc instead of straight overhead.
The leg drive is what sets it apart from the Landmine Single-Arm Press. A quick quarter squat and an explosive extension of the hips and knees start the bar moving, and the shoulder and triceps finish the lockout, so you can handle more weight than you could press strictly and practice the timing that links the legs to the arms. A force-platform study on resistance-trained men found the two-arm barbell push press produced peak power similar to a loaded jump squat, and the landmine version trains the same dip-and-drive pattern one arm at a time.
Coaches use it as power work for athletes who need to transfer force from the ground into the upper body, and as a way to load the shoulder more heavily than a strict single-arm press allows. Because every rep should be fast, it usually sits early in a session while you are fresh, in sets short enough that the bar never slows to a grind.
The angled arc keeps the arm slightly in front of the body and lets the shoulder blade rotate upward freely, so many lifters who find straight overhead pressing uncomfortable tolerate it better. With the load in one hand, the obliques and deep trunk muscles also work to stop the torso from twisting or leaning toward the working side. Taking the dip away turns it back into the strict press, which puts all of the work on the shoulder and triceps.
It suits lifters who already press the landmine strictly with good control and want to add speed or load. Build up with the Landmine Single-Arm Press first, then learn the dip and drive with light loads before adding weight.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Pectoralis Major
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
Instructions
- Wedge one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment and load the free end.
- Stand facing the anchor with your feet about hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
- Hold the free end of the bar in your right hand just in front of your right shoulder at about chin height, palm facing in and elbow tucked under the bar.
- Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and stand tall.
- Dip by bending your knees and hips a few inches, keeping your torso upright and your heels down.
- Without pausing at the bottom, drive hard through your whole foot to straighten your legs and let that drive start the bar moving.
- As your legs straighten, press the bar up and forward along its arc until your right arm is fully extended, with your biceps near your ear and your body leaning slightly toward the bar.
- Lower the bar under control back to your right shoulder, bending your knees slightly to absorb it.
- Complete all reps on the right side, then switch to your left hand and repeat.
Common Mistakes
Pressing before the legs finish
Starting the press while the knees are still bent wastes the leg drive and turns the lift into a heavy strict press.
Dipping forward
Letting the chest tip forward or the heels lift in the dip shifts your weight onto the toes and pushes the bar off its path.
Arching the lower back
Leaning back and flaring the ribs to finish the press moves the stress from the shoulder onto the lower back.
Twisting toward the bar
Rotating the torso or shifting the hips toward the working side to get the bar up takes work away from the shoulder and from the obliques that should be resisting the twist.
Flaring the elbow
Starting with the elbow out to the side instead of under the bar puts the shoulder in a weaker position and lets the drive leak sideways.
Pausing at the bottom of the dip
Holding the bottom of the dip loses the quick rebound that makes the drive fast.
Injuries
Landmine Single-Arm Push Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The leg drive lets you handle more weight than a strict press, and the bar reaches lockout fast, so the shoulder, elbow and lower back take the most strain when timing or bracing breaks down.
The lower back is stressed when the ribs flare and the trunk arches to finish the press, or when the dip tips the chest forward and the bar pulls you onto your toes. The shoulder takes the strain when the elbow flares out to the side or the torso twists to get under the bar. Keep the dip short and straight down, brace before every rep, and choose a load your legs can start and your arm can lock out without leaning back.
If the timing is not there yet, go back to the strict Landmine Single-Arm Press or the Landmine Kneeling Single-Arm Shoulder Press, where kneeling takes the legs out and makes it harder to arch the lower back. Once the pattern is crisp, progress by adding load in small steps or by moving on to the Kettlebell Single-Arm Push Press or the two-arm Push Press, which take the load straight overhead.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pinching pain at the front or top of the shoulder, pain in the elbow at lockout, or lower back pain during the drive, and have it assessed if it persists.
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is it different from the Landmine Single-Arm Press?
The push press adds a quick dip and drive of the legs to start the bar, so you can use more weight and train power, while the strict Landmine Single-Arm Press keeps the legs still and puts all of the work on the shoulder and triceps. Use the strict version to build pressing strength and this one when speed and force from the ground matter.
- Q: Should my feet be square or staggered?
The version shown uses a square, hip-width stance, which makes it easiest to keep the dip and drive straight. Some coaches use a staggered stance with the opposite foot forward for extra stability on single-arm presses, and if you do, keep the dip just as short and vertical.
- Q: Is it easier on the shoulders than a regular push press?
For many lifters it is, because the bar travels up and forward on an arc instead of straight overhead, which asks for less overhead mobility and lets the shoulder blade move freely. It is not risk-free, so pain at lockout is still a reason to drop the load or go back to the strict press.
- Q: How heavy should I go?
Treat it as power work and pick a load you can drive up fast with clean timing on every rep. End the set when the bar slows down or your lower back starts to arch to finish the press.
- Q: What should I do with my free hand?
Rest it at your side or on your hip, or place it on your ribs to feel whether they flare as you press. It should never help push the bar or pull the torso into a twist.