What Is a Landmine Squat?
The landmine squat is a lower-body exercise that’s typically performed holding an angled barbell that’s anchored in a landmine device on a floor level. To do this exercise, you can put a barbell in the corner of a room and wrap the far end in a towel to protect the walls.
The landmine squat is a squat variation in which the primary muscles worked are the quads, glutes, upper back, and core. It’s gentler on your joints, making it a safer squat alternative.
These squats are targeting those who want to improve their squatting form, build some muscles, and get better at Olympic weightlifting exercises. To do traditional landmine exercises, you can load an Olympic barbell with weight plates on one end, and attach the other end to a landmine attachment. If you don’t have an Olympic bar, you can use any barbell you have.
Muscles Worked by the Landmine Squat
Squatting with weights on your shoulders, as in a traditional back squat, can be difficult for tall people to execute correctly because it can be difficult to keep their balance. Landmine squats, in which you rest the barbell on the ground in front of you and hold it at one end, are a good alternative for tall people since it is easier to keep your balance. Working out with dumbbells is a terrific way to build and maintain strength in your lower body. Not only are they a safer and lower-impact alternative to traditional squats, but they are also plus.
When you perform landmine squats, you target different muscles in your core and lower body. The landmine squat is an effective exercise for targeting the quadriceps and glutes. When performing the landmine squat, other muscles in the body are also used, including the hamstrings, adductors, spinal erectors, abdominals, and calves. These are known as secondary muscles.
How to Landmine Squat
The Setup
The first step to setting up a landmine is to make sure it is done properly. If you don’t have a secure and well-guarded corner, then you should make sure you pick up a solid landmine attachment. A landmine attachment will help to ensure that your corner is more secure, and it will also help to protect you from any potential attacks.
The Clean
Stand with the barbell on the floor in front of you. Squat down so that when you lift the barbell up in a power-clean motion, you’re moving through your hips.
The Grip
You won’t need to wrap your hand around the bar once you clean it. Keep your wrists relatively straight.
The Squat
From here, you squat like always. Keep your toes either forward or slightly pointed out. Keep your entire foot on the ground, and lean your hips back.
Benefits of Landmine Squats
The design of landmines gives them a few advantages over other types of squats.
Front Loaded = Upright Posture
The weight in a goblet squat is more evenly distributed than in a barbell squat, which makes it easier to stay upright. Landmine squats are similar to other squats except that the bar is placed in front of you rather than behind you. This allows for better distribution of weight and improved form.
Simple Technique
Advanced technique or mobility is not required to do landmine squats. In order to perform a front squat, you need to be able to comfortably hold the barbell in the front-rack position. This requires mobility in your wrists. In a back squat, you need a lot of shoulder mobility to keep your spine from becoming injured. The landmine squat can progress from a goblet squat by adding more load while still being easy to understand.
Front Loaded = Core Activation
You will know what your abs feel like while doing a landmine squat if you have done a front squat before. Because the weight is in front of your center of gravity, your abdominals have to engage to keep you from falling forward. If you have a program that consists of exercises that target the core, then isolated ab training becomes much less important. This is because every exercise in the program is working the core muscles.
Different Strength Curve
landmine exercises have a different weight distribution, which means the weight feels heavier or lighter at different points in the movement. The weight of the bar feels heavier at the bottom of a landmine squat and easier at the top because the angle of the bar changes. This has its drawbacks. allows for a greater range of motion and recruits stabilizer muscles that help improve technique If you are working on training for a squat, using this method can be better than using a free weight. It provides a greater range of motion and uses muscles that help improve technique.
Arc = Easier to Sink Back
The landmine also makes the bar move in an arc. The closer the bar is to you when you sink down, the easier it is to keep sinking down smoothly, compared to a goblet squat. The landmine squat is a great exercise for those looking to challenge the bottom of a squat position because it combines the strength curve aspect with the bottom of a squat position.
Landmine Squat Variations
1. Classic Landmine Squat
This is the variation main variation. The lunge is a good exercise to do if you have already learned how to do a goblet squat and you are not yet ready to do a front squat, trap bar DL, or heavy single-leg training. You can also use it as a replacement in your program for a couple of phases to add some variety.
2. Landmine Split Squat
The landmine squat is a single-leg squat done with one end of a barbell placed on the ground and the other end held at your shoulder. The landmine squat is a unilateral leg exercise that comes with many benefits, including those associated with single-leg training.
A landmine can be used to do a Bulgarian split squat.
3. Landmine Sumo Squat
A classic sumo deadlift has the weight slightly in front of you because the barbell can’t go through your body. If you want to squat, it’s better to have the weight in front of you so you don’t strain your lower back. The landmine sumo squat solves this.
4. Side-Loaded Landmine Split Squat
A Bulgarian split squat with the weight held on the inside of the working leg helps improve posture. If you have difficulty with low back pain or find it hard to activate your glutes, this is especially important. One kettlebell is often not enough to challenge you with this variation, just as it can be with the goblet squat. The landmine solves this.
5. Side Landmine Reverse Lunge
Sometimes we move sideways In life, we don’t just move up, down, and forward; sometimes we move sideways. We move in all directions. While athletes are playing their sport, they have to keep crossing over, shuffling, pivoting, and doing more. Yet, very little of our training reflects that.
I started with hockey players because they have to move quickly in the frontal plane, but I eventually tried it with everyone. The new angles created by this workout will target your leg muscles, improving your athleticism and attacking any movement weaknesses.
6. Landmine Lateral Lunge
This side-to-side movement is the main focus of the landmine lateral lunge.
Dumbbell or kettlebell lateral lunges become more challenging to load as the weight increases. If you are an advanced lifter, you will need more than one heavy dumbbell. This is one of the most challenging activities for even the strongest athletes I know.
7. Landmine Cossack Squat
A Cossack squat is a move that is similar to a lateral lunge but is done with a different purpose in mind. The primary objective is to increase your flexibility on the side you are squatting. The aim is to lower yourself as much as possible while still keeping the correct position (for example, with your heel down and your back straight). The main difference between flexibility and mobility is that flexibility refers to the range of motion while mobility refers to the control of that range of motion. The landmineAdditionally, you not only need to be mobile in that position but also really strong.
Uses: this one is not for beginners. If mobility is a problem for you, try doing cossack squats with a kettlebell to start with. Once you have gotten used to it (after at least 4 weeks), you can try the landmine version.
8. 1-Arm Landmine Squat and Press
John explains that “Dynamic Training” is a workout regimen that combines two major movements into one. This type of training not only allows you to achieve more in less time but also increases your body’s sensitivity to insulin. If your body is more sensitive to insulin, it will use energy more efficiently and it will be easier to burn fat. Hormones for the win.
This is an excellent exercise if you are short on time and still want to break a sweat. There is also an element to this that will test your stability. When squatting, the weight should stay in one hand to ensure that the core muscles are used to resist any shifting to one side.
Landmine Squat Alternatives
There are many exercises that can help you increase lower body strength and boost your athletic performance, including landmine squats. Here are some of the most popular ones.
Barbell Squat
Both men and women enjoy this exercise, but men especially benefit from it as it strengthens their core and legs. This in turn helps their bodies release more testosterone, leading to increased muscle growth and strength. The barbell squat is the best leg exercise for toning your glutes and thighs.
Muscle Groups Targeted
Primary muscles: quadriceps and glutes.
Secondary muscles: Hamstrings, adductors, spinal erectors, abdominals.
How to Execute the Barbell Squat
Put your foot on the weight rack and make sure the barbell is resting on the back of your shoulders. Remove the barbell from the rack and hold it at shoulder level.
While keeping your back straight and your head up, slowly lower your body by bending your knees. Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
From this position, thrust your trunk and arms up explosively Use only the power in your thighs to raise yourself up. From this position, use your trunk and arms to explosively thrust upwards. Stand up straight, keeping your legs almost completely straight.
You can squat as many times as you want to reach your fitness goals and improve your squatting technique.
Tips for Proper Form
- For perfect squats, keep your torso upright, back straight head up, and feet flat on the ground.
- Depending on your fitness level, start with light weights and add more plates gradually. This will help your lower back and legs to adapt and prevent any injuries.
- Focus on having a correct squat form;
- If you want to lift heavy, to prevent unwanted injuries, use a squat rack, a power rack or have a spotter ready to help you out.
Dumbbell Lunges
This is a great way to build and strengthen your thigh muscles and glutes. Dumbbell lunges in combination with squats are an effective way to build strong butt muscles. To properly perform this exercise, you need good balance. If you’re not good at balancing, you can start by doing lunges without any weights. That way you can learn how to do the exercise properly.
Don’t let your forward leg’s knee extend past your toes as you step and bend your leg. If this is done repeatedly, it may cause knee joint injuries.
Muscle Groups Targeted
Primary: quadriceps.
Secondary: glutes, hamstrings, adductors.
How to Execute Dumbbell Lunges
Stand up straight, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
Keeping your back straight, take a big step forward, and bend your knees so they’re almost touching the ground.
Stand up and return to the beginning position, then do the same movement with your other foot.
Alternate legs when doing the lunge exercise.
Tips for Proper Form
- Bend as far and low as you can while maintaining proper form.
- Keep your torso upright while your head is facing forward.
- If you don’t have good balance, it’s best to avoid performing this exercise or use your own body weight instead of dumbbells.
Common Landmine Squat Mistakes
Knees Caving In
If you cave your knees in when squatting, it is likely because you have weak quads or external rotators of the hip. When your knees cave in, they put extra pressure on your knee joints, which can lead to ligament and connective tissue injury.
Make sure your feet are hip-width apart and turned out slightly when you squat. Concentrate on driving your knees outwards and keeping them in line with your second toe.
Coming Up Onto Your Toes
This is a common scenario among beginners who are just learning how to squat but may have added too much weight to their barbell. As they get up, they use their front feet more, letting their heels come off the ground.
More stress on the knee joint can lead to injury. The pressure should be over the midfoot when squatting to maintain proper form. You can keep your balance and stay rooted to the floor by using your toes and heels.
Not Squatting
Squatting is a movement that humans often do on a daily basis. Squatting is one of the most basic movements we make during the day.
Despite the fact that squats are a great exercise for improving leg strength and size, many people don’t do them regularly because they find them difficult or because they don’t have the patience to keep doing them. Not everyone can do a deep squat with a barbell, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do some type of squat in your workout routine.
Squats are versatile and come in many different variations. This is a list of different types of squats: goblet squat, front squat, back squat, landmine squat, hack squat, kettlebell squat, and split squat.
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