Barbell · intermediate · waist
Barbell kneeling landmine oblique twist
Also called Landmine twist, Kneeling landmine rotation, Landmine oblique twist, Half-kneeling landmine rotation, Landmine rotation.
You kneel in front of an anchored barbell, hold the free end with both hands at chest height, and swing it in an arc from one side to the other by turning your trunk. Your obliques are the muscles that turn you, and they are the point. Kneeling takes your legs out of it, so whatever rotation happens has to come from above your hips.
How to do it
- Step oneKneel in front of a landmine apparatus holding the barbell end with both hands at chest height.
- Step twoBrace your core and rotate your torso to one side, lowering the bar toward the ground.
- Step threeReturn to the center and rotate to the opposite side in a controlled arc.
- Step fourContinue alternating sides.
- Step fiveKeep your hips square and only rotate through the thoracic spine and shoulders.
What usually goes wrong
Each starts with what you would notice.
Your backside swings around and you cover a lot of ground without feeling much.
WhyYou are turning at the hips rather than the trunk. Kneeling is supposed to stop that, and it will not if you let your seat rotate with you.
FixKeep both hips pointing forward and imagine your pelvis is set in concrete. Your range will shrink noticeably. That smaller range is the one your obliques were actually working through.
You end up leaning sideways rather than turning.
WhySide bending and rotating are different actions and the arc of the bar will let you do either. Bending is easier, so under fatigue that is what happens.
FixKeep your shoulders level and think about turning your chest to face a new direction rather than dropping one shoulder toward the floor.
Your arms do most of the moving.
WhyThe elbows are bending and straightening, so the bar is traveling because your arms pushed it across you rather than because your trunk turned.
FixKeep the arms at a fixed angle and let them be a bracket between the bar and your chest. If the bar only moves when your ribcage moves, the exercise is working.
The bar swings and the bottom of each arc feels out of control.
WhySpeed. A bar on an arc gathers momentum, and the moment it has momentum you are catching it rather than moving it.
FixSlow the whole thing down until you can stop the bar anywhere in the arc. Very little weight is needed here anyway, because the anchored end means the floor is carrying part of the load.
What it is for
The kneeling landmine oblique twist is a rotational core exercise that uses the arc of the landmine bar to challenge the obliques through a full range of motion. Performing the exercise kneeling eliminates lower body compensation and increases core activation.
Questions people ask
- What muscles does the landmine twist work?
- The obliques turn your trunk and are what the movement is for. The abs work alongside them, and your shoulders and lats hold the bar out in front of you at a fixed distance.
- Where should the rotation come from?
- From your upper back and ribcage rather than your lower back. The lower spine has far less rotation available than the upper spine, because of the way its joints are shaped, so trying to find range there is asking a region that has very little to give.
- Does kneeling make it harder?
- It makes it stricter. With your legs out of the picture, you cannot turn at the hips or push through your feet, so whatever movement happens comes from your trunk. Your range gets smaller, which is the point rather than a problem.
- How much weight should be on the bar?
- Far less than you expect. One end sits in the anchor, so the floor carries part of the load and only some of it reaches your hands, and rotating under load is not something to be brave about. Start with the bar alone.
- Should I pause at the bottom of the arc?
- Controlling it is what matters more than pausing. If you can stop the bar anywhere in its travel, the speed is right. If the bottom feels like a catch, it is too fast.