ONE PIECE OF KIT, 10 WAYS LANDMINE
Simple to use but highly effective, a landmine is a useful tool that helps add some variety to your barbell work. Plug in and give it a turn
Acontender for the gym’s most woefully underused bit of kit, the landmine attachment is a versatile fitness tool that is often ignored by those who don’t know its benefits. It’s basically a fixed base for your barbell, which anchors one end to the ground while the other can move freely, allowing for rotational movements as well as variations of your go-to lifts.
Rotational training is neglected by a lot of gym-goers, but it’s vital for strengthening your core through side-to-side twisting movements – the kind you perform when you’re swinging a tennis racket, throwing a punch or rowing a boat.
‘It’s also good for regressing exercises and altering movement patterns,’ says Men’s Health fitness editor Andrew Tracey, which can be helpful for those recovering from injury or struggling with certain body movements. ‘Plus, the semi-fixed range of motion makes it an ideal tool to introduce beginners to pulling, squatting and lunging under load,’ adds Tracey.
If your gym doesn’t have a landmine, you can improvise by wrapping a towel around one end of a barbell and placing it in a corner. Try working some of these 10 movements into your next workout – and watch your gains blow up.
01 HALF-KNEELING PRESS
Try this if you’re struggling with overhead presses. Lift
