Is the Landmine Squat better than a goblet squat?

Neither is better outright. The landmine version can be loaded heavier because the anchor carries part of the bar and your hands are not holding the whole weight, while the Dumbbell Goblet Squat and Kettlebell Goblet Squat need only a single weight and put more of the work on the quads at the same load.

Do I need a landmine attachment?

No. You can wedge one end of a barbell into a corner of the room, with a towel to protect the wall, or against a heavy plate on the floor. A landmine base keeps the end from sliding and lets the bar pivot smoothly, so it is the better option when you have one.

How much of the weight am I actually lifting?

Less than the bar and plates combined. With the bar pivoting on the floor, the end in your hands carries roughly half the bar's weight plus the plates on it, so an empty 20 kg (45 lb) bar feels like about 10 kg (22 lb).

How deep should I squat?

Aim for your thighs to reach parallel to the floor or lower, as long as your heels stay down and your lower back stays flat. If your back starts to round before you reach parallel, stop just above that point and work on depth with lighter loads.

How many sets and reps should I do?

Three or four sets of 8 to 12 reps works well for building leg strength and muscle. Beginners can use it as their main squat, while more experienced lifters often place it after a heavier barbell squat as an accessory.

Landmine Squat

What Is the Landmine Squat?

Landmine Squat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads and also engages the glutes, adductors and the muscles that hold your trunk upright. It is a beginner-level movement in which you stand facing a barbell anchored at one end in a landmine, hold the free end against your chest with both hands and squat down and back up.

The load sits in front of you, as in a goblet squat, so staying upright comes naturally. Because the far end of the bar is fixed, the free end travels along a set arc, and you can lean into the bar slightly as you sit down between your heels. That makes it a common teaching squat for new lifters and a useful leg-day accessory for anyone who wants squat volume without holding a barbell on the back or in a front rack. The floor end carries part of the bar's weight and the plates sit on the sleeve rather than in your hands, so it can usually be loaded heavier than a dumbbell or kettlebell goblet squat before your grip or arms give out.

The quads and glutes do most of the work, the adductors help drive you out of the bottom, and the lower back and abs keep your torso from folding over the bar. A study of 16 men and 16 women, each squat loaded at 30% of body mass, found the landmine squat produced less vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activity and less vertical force than the goblet squat, with more horizontal force. The authors suggest the landmine squat suits balancing hamstring and quadriceps work, while the Dumbbell Goblet Squat targets the quads more at the same load. Other landmine versions shift the work again: the Landmine Hack Squat faces away from the anchor with the bar on the shoulder, and the Landmine Sumo Squat uses a wide stance with the bar held low between the legs.

The Landmine Squat suits beginners learning to squat, lifters returning to leg training after time off and anyone whose mobility or upper body makes a Barbell Squat or Barbell Front Squat awkward. If you cannot yet squat to depth with control, build the pattern first with the Bodyweight Box Squat and the Bodyweight Squat.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
Gluteus Maximus: High
Rectus Femoris: High
Adductor Magnus: Medium
Erector Spinae: Medium
Biceps Femoris: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
Semitendinosus: Low
Soleus: Low

Instructions

Secure one end of a barbell in a landmine base and load any plates onto the free end.
Lift the free end and stand facing the anchor, far enough back that the bar end rests against your upper chest.
Cup the end of the bar with both hands, fingers wrapped around each other, and keep your elbows pointing down under the bar.
Set your feet about shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly out, and let your body lean slightly toward the bar.
Brace your abs and keep your chest up.
Bend your hips and knees together and sit down between your heels, keeping your knees in line with your toes and the bar pinned to your chest.
Lower until your thighs are at or below parallel to the floor, as far as your heels stay down and your back stays flat.
Drive through your whole foot to stand back up, straightening your hips and knees together.
Repeat for the planned reps, then squat down and lower the bar end to the floor under control.

Common Mistakes

Letting the bar drift off the chest
When the bar end moves away from your chest, your torso tips forward and the lower back takes over from the legs.
Knees caving in
Letting the knees fall inward, especially on the way up, stresses the knee joints, so keep them in line with your toes.
Heels lifting
Rocking onto the toes shifts the load into the front of the knees and makes you unstable, so keep your whole foot flat on the floor.
Cutting the depth short
Stopping well above parallel skips the bottom of the squat, where the quads and glutes do much of their work.
Rounding at the bottom
Squatting deeper than you can keep your back flat lets the pelvis tuck under and the lower back round, so stop just above the point where that happens.
Loading too heavy too soon
Piling on plates before the pattern is solid usually shows up as a dropping chest and a shallow squat.

Injuries

Landmine Squat is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The pivot guides the bar along one arc and the load sits in front of your chest, where you can simply set it down by squatting and lowering the bar end to the floor, so a failed rep rarely leaves you stuck under the weight.

The usual strain points are the knees, the lower back and the hips at the bottom of the squat. Letting the knees cave inward as you stand up stresses the inside of the knee, so keep them tracking in line with your toes. Letting the bar drift away from your chest or dropping the chest pulls your torso forward and loads the lower back, and squatting deeper than you can keep your back flat lets the pelvis tuck under at the bottom. Keep the bar pinned to your chest, brace before each rep and squat only as deep as you can hold that position. Stand far enough from the anchor that the bar end meets your upper chest without you reaching for it.

To make it easier, use the empty bar, squat to a box or bench, or go back to the Bodyweight Box Squat. Once you can do clean reps with a heavy load, progress to the Barbell Front Squat, or add a press with the Landmine Squat and Press.

Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in or around the kneecap, a pinch in the front of the hip at the bottom, or pain in the lower back. If the pain returns next session, have it checked by a qualified clinician before loading the movement again.

Overview

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

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Landmine Squat

The Landmine Squat is also known as:

Landmine Front Squat
Landmine Goblet Squat

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the Landmine Squat better than a goblet squat?: Neither is better outright. The landmine version can be loaded heavier because the anchor carries part of the bar and your hands are not holding the whole weight, while the Dumbbell Goblet Squat and Kettlebell Goblet Squat need only a single weight and put more of the work on the quads at the same load.
Q: Do I need a landmine attachment?: No. You can wedge one end of a barbell into a corner of the room, with a towel to protect the wall, or against a heavy plate on the floor. A landmine base keeps the end from sliding and lets the bar pivot smoothly, so it is the better option when you have one.
Q: How much of the weight am I actually lifting?: Less than the bar and plates combined. With the bar pivoting on the floor, the end in your hands carries roughly half the bar's weight plus the plates on it, so an empty 20 kg (45 lb) bar feels like about 10 kg (22 lb).
Q: How deep should I squat?: Aim for your thighs to reach parallel to the floor or lower, as long as your heels stay down and your lower back stays flat. If your back starts to round before you reach parallel, stop just above that point and work on depth with lighter loads.
Q: How many sets and reps should I do?: Three or four sets of 8 to 12 reps works well for building leg strength and muscle. Beginners can use it as their main squat, while more experienced lifters often place it after a heavier barbell squat as an accessory.