Landmine Row: Don’t Skip This On Back Day
The landmine row is a great exercise to include in your back day or pull day routine. It builds the primary movers including lats, rhomboids, traps, teres major, posterior deltoid, long head of the triceps, brachioradialis, biceps, and brachialis….whew!!! That is a ton of muscles working in one exercise! If that’s not enough, other muscles are working isometrically to stabilize the body during the exercise - paraspinals, internal obliques, external obliques, hip extensors, and gripping muscles. To top it off, the rotator cuff is working as a dynamic stabilizer of the shoulder. This exercise is too good not to do!
A recent article in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, “Exercise Technique: The Landmine Row,” explores an in-depth analysis of the landmine row, including muscle activation, proper technique, and variations of this great posterior chain exercise.
Taken from Lincon et al, 2023
The single-arm landmine row is a great way to challenge unilateral stability and strength. If you have any prior existing shoulder pain, pull the bar upward until the upper arm is parallel to the spine as pictured in photo B above. Avoiding any extension of the shoulder will limit anterior tilting of the scapula and prevent any stress to the front of the shoulder (2)
Taken from Lincon et al, 2023
In this Meadows row variation, the body is oriented 90degrees perpendicular to the barbell with the opposite leg placed one large step ahead with the nonworking arm resting on the thigh. This is advantageous in targeting the upper back and posterior shoulder. The primary movement is horizontal abduction rather than extension and can more difficult to control for anyone with shoulder instability. (2)
Taken from Lincon et al, 2023
The three-point row mimics the Meadows row but with the contralateral arm and leg supported on a bench set perpendicular to the barbell. This reduces any necessary stability work as the contralateral limbs are supported on the bench. This is a useful option for anyone with low back pain or lumbar disc issues as this contralateral support may reduce anterior shear force, compressive forces, and lumbosacral torque. (3)
Taken from Lincon et al, 2023
The landmine T-bar row eliminates the need for unilateral stability. This is a great option for building strength and hypertrophy.
“T-bar row [is] an assistance exercise for improving deadlift performance, specifically the lockout or terminal upward movement phase” (4)
Landmine row TECHNIQUE
Scapular movement (shoulder blade movement) is an essential component of all exercises involving the shoulder complex. Landmine rows with an emphasis on horizontal Abduction such as the Meadows row and three-point row have a greater emphasis on scapular retraction. During all shoulder movements, the scapula should undergo proper movement common expressed as “driving the shoulder blade down and toward the opposite back pocket.” This promotes proper retraction as well as low trap activation.
Struggling with a shoulder injury? Want to boost your athletic performance in your sport? Book a session with our sports physical therapist or sports performance coach today!
References
Lincoln, Merrick A. PT, DPT, CSCS1; Sapstead, Gareth W. MSc, CSCS2; Moore, Kayla N.1; Weldon, Anthony PhD, CSCS3. Exercise Technique: The Landmine Row. Strength and Conditioning Journal 45(3):p 371-378, June 2023.
Watson L, Warby S, Balster S, Lenssen R, Pizzari T. The treatment of multidirectional instability of the shoulder with a rehabilitation program: Part 1. Shoulder Elbow 8: 271–278, 2016.
Kingma I, Faber GS, van Diee¨n JH. Supporting the upper body with the hand on the thigh reduces back loading during lifting. J Biomech 49: 881–889, 2016.
Austin D, Mann B. Powerlifting: The Complete Guide to Technique, Training, and Competition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2012119. pp. 90–91.
Disclaimer: This SciSport blog post is a summary of an article printed in an academic research journal. The purpose of this blog post is to provide readers with academic and educational content in an easy-to-understand format. We take no credit for the material and knowledge presented, and we encourage readers to take a look at the original source provided in the References section
