What does the landmine add to a sit-up?

Two things. The weight is held out in front of you, which puts it on a longer lever than a plate on your chest, and because the bar pivots on the floor, the direction of the resistance changes through the rep rather than staying vertical.

How much weight should be on the bar?

Start with none. A bare bar held away from your body is already a real load in this position, and the arc means the hardest point of the rep is not where you expect it.

Are you supposed to press the bar as you sit up?

The steps describe pressing it forward, but the press should not become the rep. Keep the elbows at a fixed angle so your torso is what moves the bar, otherwise your shoulders quietly take over.

Why does the resistance feel uneven?

Because one end of the bar is fixed. The load pulls along the length of the bar toward the anchor, so its direction relative to you changes as you move. Straight-line resistance from a plate on your chest does not behave that way.

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Barbell · intermediate · waist

Barbell landmine sit ups

Also called Landmine sit up, Weighted landmine sit-up, Landmine sit-up with a press.

The short answer

You sit on the floor facing an anchored barbell, hold the free end out at chest level, lower your torso back and come up again. It is a sit-up with two things added: the weight is out in front of you rather than on your chest, and because one end of the bar is pinned to the floor, the direction it pulls in changes as you move rather than staying straight down.

How to do it

Step oneAnchor a barbell in a landmine sleeve and sit on the floor with knees bent and feet flat.
Step twoHold the end of the bar with both hands and extend your arms forward at chest level.
Step threeLower your torso toward the ground in a slow and controlled manner.
Step fourReturn to the upright position by engaging your abs, pressing the bar forward.

What usually goes wrong

Each starts with what you would notice.

You loaded a plate on and cannot complete a single rep.

WhyThe bar is held away from your body, which puts the same weight on a much longer lever than holding it against your chest would. Everything about this feels heavier than the number suggests.

FixStart with the empty bar. It will be enough. If it is not, add the smallest plate you own rather than the one you would use for a weighted sit-up.

Your arms straighten as you come up and it turns into a press.

WhyThe catalog steps do ask you to press the bar forward, and it is easy to let that become the whole rep, with your shoulders pushing the bar away while your torso follows.

FixHold the bar at a fixed distance from your chest and let your torso be what raises it. If the elbows are opening and closing, your shoulders are doing work your abs were supposed to.

You get dragged back down at the bottom rather than lowering.

WhyThe pull on the bar is not straight down. It runs along the bar toward the anchor, so near the bottom it is pulling you backward and away as well as down.

FixSlow the descent and expect the resistance to feel different at each part of the range. That change is the arc doing its thing, not you losing control, but it does need to be lowered into rather than dropped through.

What it is for

Landmine sit ups are a core exercise that uses the resistance of a landmine barbell to increase difficulty during the sit-up movement. They target the abdominals with secondary engagement of the hip flexors and shoulders throughout the controlled lowering and rising phases.

Questions people ask

What does the landmine add to a sit-up?: Two things. The weight is held out in front of you, which puts it on a longer lever than a plate on your chest, and because the bar pivots on the floor, the direction of the resistance changes through the rep rather than staying vertical.
How much weight should be on the bar?: Start with none. A bare bar held away from your body is already a real load in this position, and the arc means the hardest point of the rep is not where you expect it.
Are you supposed to press the bar as you sit up?: The steps describe pressing it forward, but the press should not become the rep. Keep the elbows at a fixed angle so your torso is what moves the bar, otherwise your shoulders quietly take over.
Why does the resistance feel uneven?: Because one end of the bar is fixed. The load pulls along the length of the bar toward the anchor, so its direction relative to you changes as you move. Straight-line resistance from a plate on your chest does not behave that way.