Having versatility in your workout routine is important for not only continued gains but also as a way to beat boredom. And one of the most underrated tools is the landmine. It's perfect for beginners learning foundational movements or for those more advanced adding variety to their regimen.
And when it comes to performing lower-body exercises, the landmine allows you to shift more of your weight backward, meaning your legs and glutes work harder. Follow this 20-minute landmine leg to build strength and endurance through your entire lower body.
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Tip
If you don't have a landmine, you can use a barbell. Set it up in a corner with one end in between two walls. You can also place one end of the barbell in the hole of a weight plate. Just make sure that the barbell can maneuver 360 degrees.
Move 1: Landmine Back Squat
- Raise the bar and get underneath it, placing the bar on either your right or left shoulder.
- Your feet will be angled out in front of you slightly. Your body weight will be shifted slightly backward. You should feel your core engage to support this shift.
- As you begin to descend, push your hips back and shift your weight into your heels.
- Once your legs reach a 90-degree angle, drive through your heels, squeeze your glutes and explode back to your starting position.
Tip
This squat variation teaches proper mechanics such as keeping your chest up, engaging your core and pushing your weight back into your heels.
If you can't support the weight on your shoulder, modify the exercise by turning around and holding the barbell in front of you to perform the traditional squat.
Move 2: Landmine Reverse Lunge to Knee Drive
- Start with the landmine in either your right hand. Keep your shoulder blades and upper back engaged. Do not allow your arms to rest on your body.
- Step back with your right foot and bend both knees into a reverse lunge.
- Drive through the left foot. As you drive upward, bring your right knee toward your chest, simultaneously pressing the bar overhead.
- End the exercise with your left leg straight, your right knee toward your chest and the bar pressed over your head.
Tip
This knee-dominant lunge variation will challenge your posterior chain (backside) as well as your balance.
If you don't have the strength or balance to press the barbell overhead in one fluid motion, break the exercise down. Do the reverse lunge, come back to center, reset, then perform the knee drive, while pressing the bar overhead.
Move 3: Landmine Single-Leg Deadlift
- Start with the landmine on your left.
- Begin to hinge into the hip of the left leg and grip the barbell by its end with your left hand.
- As you hinge back, extend your right leg back behind you. Press through the right heel as if your are trying to kick a wall.
- Once your torso is parallel to the floor (or however far your balance and mobility allows), press your hips forward and return to a single-leg standing position.
Tip
Keep your chin toward your chest and your neck aligned with your back, creating a neutral spine. And your standing leg should have a slight bend at the knee.
If you need to modify this exercise, place both feet on the ground in a staggered stance (one foot slightly in front and to the side of the other). Push your hips back until your feel a pull in your hamstrings. Explode and extend the hips forward.
Move 4: Landmine Skater
- Start with your hips squared forward and the bar held at the middle of your chest.
- Extend your right foot out laterally. Shift your weight to the left.
- Pushing off of your left foot, quickly shift your weight to the right. Your left foot will now be extended.
- The bar is also shifting hands as your move your feet. It should be on the same side as the leg you're pushing off of.
- Complete the shifts as quickly as you can for the time remaining.
Tip
While shifting your weight side to side, keep the hips squared forward and the bar at the center of your chest.
Move 5: Landmine Curtsy Lunge
- Start with the landmine on your left, feet hip-width apart.
- Bring the weight up to the left shoulder.
- As you press into the weight, bring your left leg back and diagonal behind you. Bend both knees as if you were curtsying.
- Press into the right leg and bring the left leg back to starting (standing) position.
Tip
If you can't perform this exercise laterally yet, place yourself in front of the barbell. Hold the barbell at your chest and perform the curtsy squat from there.
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