There are many chest exercises, but very few can compare to the landmine chest press in terms of effectiveness.
For starters, it allows for fast hypertrophy because of its relatively high loading potential. This can help you gain chest muscle within a very short time.
Second, it puts very little strain on your shoulders unlike most other popular chest exercises such as the incline bench press.
There are many other benefits of this exercise that we’ll discuss as we progress but first let’s get into how to do it.
Setting up;
- Put a barbell in a landmine holder and then add weights to the other end of the barbell.
Execution:
- Bend down, hinging at your hips so that you clean up the barbell and hold it in front of your chest. You can interlock your hands around the bar to secure it better.
- Position your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping both hands on the bar, shove them inward. As you shove them, you should feel the pecs on your chest contract.
- Squeeze your core and glutes to help stabilize your lower back.
- Press the barbell up in front of you until you have extended your arms. Take care not to hyperextend your elbows.
- Hold this position for a second as you contract your chest muscles.
- Lower the weight down slowly towards the starting position.
- Do as many reps as you desire.
WHAT MUSCLES DOES THE LANDMINE CHEST PRESS WORK?
As earlier mentioned, this exercise primarily targets your chest muscles.
Other muscles worked are the deltoids, triceps and core.
BENEFITS OF THE LANDMINE CHEST PRESS
INCREASED HYPERTROPHY
When setting up for this exercise, you can always choose to stack your weight plates high.
If you are looking for a challenge, the landmine chest press can help you achieve that with the increased resistance that it gets from its high loading potential.
With a higher resistance comes the potential of increased hypertrophy.
EASY ON THE SHOULDERS
The landmine chest press helps work your upper body with a very minimal risk of causing or increasing shoulder pain unlike its traditional counterpart, the traditional bench press.
So, if you struggle with shoulder pain but you still wish to work your upper body, this exercise might be for you.
STRONGER CORE
This exercise helps work your core muscles when you tighten them during the press to stabilize your lower back and spine.
EASILY MODIFIABLE
There are plenty of variations you can perform if you want something a bit more challenging than the standard landmine chest press.
One of the most common is the kneeling variation, where instead of pressing the barbell while standing, you do it from a kneeling position.
You can also try it from a half-kneeling or squat position to get a bit more out of your core muscles.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE LANDMINE CHEST PRESS
INCLINE CHEST PRESS MACHINE
The incline chest press machine exercise uses a chest press machine that is set to an incline to mimic the upward motion of the landmine chest press.
It is especially ideal for beginners because it offers more stability compared to other chest exercises that use free weights.
Here’s how to do it:
- Load your desired weight onto the machine.
- Set the bench to a 45-degree incline and sit on it, your back flat against the pad.
- With your palms facing outward, grab the handles of the machine.
- Press your feet to the floor and stretch your arms out as you push the handles outward.
- Once your arms get to full extension, return to the starting position slowly and with control.
DECLINE PUSH UP
This alternative requires absolutely no equipment; only your bodyweight. This makes it ideal for people who are travelling and those who cannot access the gym.
Like the traditional push up, the decline push up works your deltoids, pectorals, core and triceps.
Steps:
- Start by getting the push up position.
- Elevate your legs by placing them on a ledge or any other elevated surface. Your entire body should be in a single line, arms pointing down.
- Lower yourself to the ground by bending the elbows until they form a 45-degree angle with the ground.
- Push your body back up to get back to the starting position.
HALF-KNEELING CABLE PRESS
This exercise requires a lot more stability control than most chest exercises.
It intensely and extensively works your core, glutes, hips, pecs, shoulders and triceps.
Follow these steps to do it properly:
- Set the cable at the lowest position.
- Facing away from the machine, kneel on the ground with one knee below your body and the other knee at 90 degrees.
- With the hand on your kneeling side, grab the cable and brace your core. The other arm should be by your side.
- Press the cable in front of your body until your arms are fully extended.
- Return the cable to the starting position.
LANDMINE CHEST PRESS MISTAKES TO AVOID
ARCHING YOUR LOWER BACK
If you let your lower back arch as you press, the angle of your body will likely change and you’ll shift the tension from your shoulder and chest muscles to your shoulder joints.
This will put the shoulder joints at risk of injury and strain your lower back.
GOING TOO HEAVY
It is true that the landmine chest press increases hypertrophy since it has a high loading potential, but you should take care not to use more weight than you can control.
This will no doubt ruin your form or even hurt your muscles especially if you are a beginner.
USING AN UNEVEN GRIP
When you use each hand to hold different parts of the free end of the bar, you risk using an uneven grip which puts you at risk of injury.
Interlock the fingers to make sure the grip you use is even from start to finish.
WRAPPING UP
At this point, there’s no doubt that you agree that the landmine chest press is one of the best exercises for building muscle in the chest area.
The fact that it does not strain your shoulder joints unlike most other free-weight chest exercises is an added advantage.
If you don’t want to do the landmine chest press, you can go for the alternatives mentioned in here to enjoy similar benefits.
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