Strengthen Your Posterior Chain With These 3 Landmine Exercises -

Do you want to strengthen your hamstrings and glutes but don’t know where to start? Have you been performing countless reps of isolation exercises and aren’t experiencing results? Or perhaps you are bored with your current routine and are looking for some new challenging and effective exercises to add to your arsenal.

While I am a huge fan of single leg hip thrusts, I haven’t done barbell hip thrusts in years, and I was pretty good at them! I have a hip thrust PR of 365 lbs, and a glute bridge PR of 500 lbs, so I was no slouch! As I’m sure many people can relate, setting up both of these exercises was a huge nuisance and was often more taxing than performing the actual exercise.

To be very clear, I’m definitely not hating on barbell deadlifts or hip thrusts. Both can be awesome exercises! But there are also other (and often more practical) solutions. Despite what you might have heard, you do NOT need to perform traditional barbell deadlifts or hip thrusts to strengthen and build your posterior chain muscles.

Here are 3 landmine exercises that will help you strengthen your posterior chain muscles.

#1) Landmine Deadlifts + Band Resistance

This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles.

Coaching Tips:

Set up a barbell so it is lengthwise. You may anchor the barbell against a stable surface like a wall, weight plate, or box, or on a no slip surface. You may also use a Landmine attachment.
Place a resistance band so it’s under the middle of your feet, and is over the top of the barbell. There should be tension in the band for 100% of the movement.
Position your body so the end of the barbell is an inch or so from your hips. If you execute the hip hinge and lockout to perfection, the barbell should not strike your body.
Adopt your preferred foot width and positioning, and have a slight bend in your knees.
Form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your feet, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your feet should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your feet to the floor.
Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
Initiate the movement with your hips and push them backwards. Imagine a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall. Do not perform the movement by squatting, rounding your back, dropping your chest towards the ground, or a combination of the above.
When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position. Lower does not mean better if your form deteriorates. Go to a range where you can maintain proper form.
Exhale after you have pressed away from the ground and are approaching the top position.
Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knees.
The barbell should not travel ahead of your body. For the duration of the exercise, keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.
For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
Do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.

#2) Landmine Single Leg Isometric Glute Bridge With Leg Lowering

This exercise involves holding the end of a barbell in a fixed position, performing a single leg isometric glute bridge, while simultaneously lowering the opposite leg towards the floor. Adding in the landmine element helps develop shoulder and scapular stability, lumbo- pelvic stability, and increases the difficulty of the single leg glute bridge.

Coaching Tips:

Set up a barbell so it is lengthwise and in front of you, and is in line with your armpit. You may anchor the
barbell against a stable surface like a wall, weight plate, or box, or on a no slip surface. You may also use a Landmine attachment.
Set yourself up as you would when you are performing regular glute bridges. Lie on your back on the floor. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
Place your shin in a relatively vertical position.
Before you go, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
Now press the barbell so your arm is in a vertical position and is above your armpit. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
Now extend your hips by pressing through the mid to back portion of your foot and squeezing your glutes, NOT by arching your lower back. This is extremely important. In the top position, your body should form a straight line from your knee to your shoulders. For the duration of the exercise, keep your body in this position.
Extend your other leg so it is in a vertical position. If you cannot fully extend your knee, or if you are unable to maintain proper form you can keep your knee bent at a 90 degree angle. Make sure it remains at a 90 degree angle for the duration of the exercise.
Now contract the muscles of your anterior core, and slowly lower your leg to a range that allows you to maintain proper form.
Once you hit your end range, return your leg back to the starting position.
For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your hips to drop. Aside from the moving leg, your body should remain in a fixed position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or your torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
For the duration of the exercise, keep your core braced (360 degree brace), and squeeze your glutes (on the planted side).
In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#3) Landmine Staggered Stance Deadlifts

This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles.

Coaching Tips:

Set up a barbell so it is lengthwise, and is just outside of your leg. You may anchor the barbell against a stable surface like a wall, weight plate, or box, or on a no slip surface. You may also use a Landmine attachment.
Hold onto the top of the barbell with the hand that is on the same side of your body as the forward leg. Keep your arms rigid, engage your lats, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.
Adopt a staggered stance.
On the front foot, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the floor for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
Be on the forefoot of your back foot.
Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degree breath around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
Initiate the movement with your hips and push them backwards. Imagine a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall. Do not perform the movement by squatting, rounding your back, dropping your chest towards the ground, or a combination of the above.
When you reach your full range, engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position. Lower does not mean better if your form deteriorates. Go to a range where you can maintain proper form.
Exhale after you have pressed away from the ground and are approaching the top position.
Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.
The weight should not travel ahead of your body. For the duration of the exercise, keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpit.
For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or your torso, spine or hips to rotate.
Do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.

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