COACH ROZY’S WEDNESDAY’S EXERCISE OF THE WEAK: SINGLE – ARM LANDMINE SQUAT TO PRESS

The Exercise

The Single-Arm Landmine Squat-to-Press is an upper-body strengthening movement that adds benefits of performing an exercise while standing up.

The pressing motion strengthens your chest and shoulders similar to a dumbbell or barbell incline press, since you press the bar at an upward angle. However, each rep starts from a quarter-squat position, so your glutes and quads are also engaged.

In addition to building upper- and lower-body strength, the exercise also improves:

Core Strength. Holding the bar with one of your hands naturally causes your trunk to rotate. To counteract the rotation, your core muscles must engage, strengthening critical core stabilizers.

Muscle Symmetry. Performing the exercise with one arm at a time eliminates muscle imbalances on the left and right sides of your body.

Shoulder Stability. The bar has a tendency to sway from side to side when your arm is extended. Your small shoulder stabilizers must fire to keep it under control, strengthening these muscles and increasing your joint durability.

How To

Ready to try it? Some gyms have a “landmine” installed. Keep an eye out for something that resembles a baseball home plate with a metal tube attached to the top. You just take a lifting bar and secure one end of a barbell inside the tube. No landmine? Wrap a towel around the end of a barbell (the towel presents damage to equipment and structures. Wedge it into a corner in a room, or against a weight rack or another spot where the bar won’t move.

1 Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the free end of the bar with one hand positioned at your shoulder.

2 Bend your hips and knees to lower into a quarter Squat.

3 Drive out of the Squat and push the barbell up and in front of your chest.

4 Lower the barbell to your shoulder in control and immediately repeat.

5 Perform a set with your opposite arm.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Mistake: Lowering into a quarter Squat and performing the Press after you stand up, breaking the single fluid movement into two, distinct movements.

Fix: Simultaneously drive out of the quarter Squat and press the bar up.

Mistake: Flaring your elbow out to your side in the start position, which places stress on your shoulder.

Fix: Make sure your elbow is always at a 45-degree angle in relation to your side.

Mistake: Rotating your trunk to the side as you press the bar, which means your core isn’t engaged.

Fix: Tighten your abs throughout the movement. If this doesn’t correct the problem, you may need to reduce the weight.

Applying It to Your Workout

The Single-Arm Landmine Squat-to-Press is a compound exercise, but it shouldn’t be considered a primary lift, like a Deadlift, Squat or Bench Press. So it’s best to perform it in the middle of your workouts.

If you’re performing Incline Presses as a secondary movement, try replacing it with this exercise to get your entire body involved.

Strength: Sets/Reps: 3-4×6-8

Power: Sets/Reps: 4-5×3-5