The Half-kneeling Landmine OHP

 

A little over 1 month ago I shared my belief that landmine lifts are underrated.

The final (& arguably most important) reason I gave for loving landmine lifts is;

“[because] they open the door to simple modifications for lifts we want to (read: should) incorporate that may cause discomfort due to lack of mobility, previous injuries, etc..”

Maybe you already guessed it by the title of this post but we’re diving into the #1 lift that I have found fits this category of lifting modifications if you lack mobility or deal with discomfort; the landmine overhead press (OHP).

One of the most common ailments I come across with clients is shoulder pain/discomfort. No matter the cause, this tends to limit the individual’s range of motion (ROM), which makes traditional OHP lifts irritating, uncomfortable or even seem impossible.

Instead of being able to abduct the shoulder so their bicep ends up next to their ear, they may stop a few inches in front of their ear or end up compensating with excessive arching of their lower back in order to get it into the proper position.

When this happens, we need to get a little creative in order to keep vertical push lifts around… which is when I typically introduce landmine OHPs.

As I mentioned above, lack of ROM or mobility in the shoulder joint is a primary reason we would switch from a traditional OHP to a landmine OHP variation.

In the video shown, you can see how the angle of the press differs from a traditional OHP. For the landmine OHP, whether it’s done half-kneeling, split stance, standing, etc. will always follow a slightly angled bar path. Here the shoulder is pushing up & also slightly in front of the body instead of pushing straight up in a line to the ceiling.

This allows us to work within the available ROM, load the working muscles & keep the shoulder happy.

 

SPECIAL NOTE: If a joint lacks ROM, we should find a way to work the surrounding muscles while also working on improving the ROM, too!

 

Set-up & Form:

  • Get into a half-kneeling position with one knee on the floor & the opposite knee bent at a 90° angle with that foot placed firmly on the ground

  • Hold the barrel end of the bar with the hand on the side of the “down” knee

  • Inhale & brace your core, slightly tuck your hips under if you tend to have an anterior pelvic tilt

  • Start with the barrel in your hand & placed right above your shoulder

  • Press your hand up, allowing the movement to follow the natural path the bar wants to take, moving up & forward slightly

  • At the top position you should have your arm fully extended above & in front of your head

  • Control the bar as you bring your hand back down to the starting position

The ½ kneeling SA landmine OHP is a great lift for those with limited shoulder ROM. It also reduces the potential for the lower-body to “take over” the OHP & allows the lifter to progress with strength &/or hypertrophy focused lifting!

 

Do you have a favorite landmine lift?

Have questions about the 1/2 kneeling OHP I went over today?

Share it in the comments!

 
 
 

Hey, I’m Kirsi!

Certified Personal Trainer & online fitness coach
I help women explore their strength & challenge themselves with simple programming & comprehensive coaching.

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