The single arm landmine press is a standing one-arm press performed with a barbell anchored in a landmine, driving the bar up and forward on an arc that trains the shoulders and triceps. The fixed pivot bends the bar path into a curve, so the shoulder stops short of full overhead flexion and the scapula rotates freely, which is why lifters with irritable shoulders tolerate it. Pressing one arm at a time also loads the obliques against rotation. Coaches program it as the first pressing accessory after a main bench or as a shoulder-friendly main press.
What Muscles Does the Single Arm Landmine Press Work?
- Primary: Anterior deltoid (front shoulder), upper pectoralis major (upper chest)
- Secondary: Triceps brachii, serratus anterior, upper trapezius
- Tertiary: Obliques, gluteus maximus, forearm flexors
How Do You Set Up for the Single Arm Landmine Press?
Wedge one end of the barbell into a landmine sleeve and load the free end. Stand facing the landmine with the feet shoulder-width apart, or stagger them with the foot opposite the pressing arm forward. Clean the bar to your shoulder and hold the collar end in one hand, palm turned in, elbow under the bar and the fist in front of the shoulder. Brace your core, squeeze your glutes, free hand on your hip.
How Do You Perform the Single Arm Landmine Press?
- Set the elbow under the bar with the wrist stacked and the shoulder pulled down from the ear.
- Press the bar up and forward along the arc the landmine dictates, driving through the heel of your palm.
- Lock the elbow at the top with the arm just short of vertical and the bar angled away from you; the ribs stay down.
- Reach through the bar for a count of one, letting the shoulder blade glide forward around the ribs.
- Lower the bar under control along the same arc, keeping the elbow in front of the body rather than flaring out.
- Return to the shoulder with the fist in front of the delt and pause before the next rep; switch arms after the set.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Punch the bar toward the ceiling corner: Push along the line of the bar, not straight up, or the landmine pivot fights you.
- Keep the ribs stacked over the hips: Exhale as the bar rises so the lower back does not arch to finish the press.
- Squeeze the glute on the pressing side to stop the hips swinging under the bar.
- Let the shoulder blade wrap forward at lockout instead of pinning it back.
- Screw the fist slightly inward at the top so the elbow points forward, not out.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Loading the bar until the press becomes a push press: dipping and bouncing the bar up takes the shoulder out of the lift, so pick a load you can press strictly every rep.
- Leaning back to finish the rep: an arched lower back turns it into an incline press and loads the lumbar spine in extension, so keep the ribs down.
- Rotating the torso toward the bar: twisting unloads the obliques and pushes the bar off its arc, so keep both hips square to the landmine.
- Flaring the elbow out: a wide elbow pins the front of the shoulder under the load, so keep it in front of the body under the bar.
- Standing too far from the landmine: distance flattens the arc into a chest push, so step in until the bar starts at shoulder height.
What Are the Best Single Arm Landmine Press Variations?
- Half Kneeling Filly Landmine Press: kneeling on one knee removes the leg drive and teaches a rigid torso, the easier entry point.
- Two-arm landmine press: both hands on the bar end, heavier loads and no anti-rotation demand.
- Landmine press with rotation: a small torso turn toward the bar at lockout adds oblique work.
- Split-stance landmine press: staggering the feet with the opposite foot forward stiffens the hips for heavier sets.
- Single-arm dumbbell press: the same one-arm pattern with a vertical bar path for a lifter who tolerates full overhead flexion.
How Do You Progress the Single Arm Landmine Press?
- Add 5 to 10 pounds once you press all sets with both arms at the top of the rep range with no back lean.
- Work from 6 up to 12 reps per arm before adding weight again.
- Add a set at a time up to 4 sets per arm, or a second pressing day per week.
- Pause two counts at the shoulder before each rep to remove any bounce, or lower for a three-count.
How Should You Program the Single Arm Landmine Press?
Place the single arm landmine press first or second in an upper-body session, after your heavy bench or pull-up and before isolation work for the delts. Train it 1 to 2 times per week for 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps per arm, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Pair it with a single-arm dumbbell row or a landmine row to balance the pressing volume with a pull.