2 Landmine Olympic Lifts That Increase Explosive Power
Though it is great to add innovative equipment to your training toolbox, I find myself most attracted to using the items that stand the test of time. Namely, the barbell—and lately, the barbell in landmine exercises.
I’ve come to love the landmine setup over the last few years—not only for my athletes and clients, but in my own training as well. Its versatility unlocks a fleet of new exercises and ways to achieve an optimal training effect.
Today, I am highlighting two landmine exercises that you may not have seen or tried before. We’ll look at how to to perform them and why you should.
Landmine Hang Snatch
[youtube video=”92m6qjedJf0″ /]The Snatch is one of the best-looking lifts you can do if you pull it off with smooth, flawless form. In this Landmine Snatch variation, you achieve many of the same patterns and benefits, but you add a unilateral emphasis with only one arm going overhead with load.
Landmine Single-Arm Snatch
- Set up with the barbell in your right hand, with the sleeve of the barbell crossing over your right thigh, ending in the mid-line of the body.
- Hinge down to get the barbell just below your knee. This is the true starting position.
- Push your feet through the ground while simultaneously pulling the barbell up toward your hips.
- When the barbell gets to about knee height, extend at the ankles, knees and hips as you shrug your loaded shoulder toward your ear.
- Make hip contact with the barbell to propel it overhead.
- Drop into a squat position to catch the barbell with your elbow fully extended and in an ending position similar to a traditional snatch.
- Reset, repeat and switch arms.
Is this better than the original Snatch? No. Will it be better at achieving similar results for certain populations? Possibly. You can make up for any of the factors that you may miss out on with strategic accessory programming.
I’ve seen people with pre-existing back or shoulder issues knock these out with no pain or complications after years of neglecting other Olympic options. For those people, this may be a great alternative to achieve explosive triple extension with no pain, build tremendous full-body power and experience the fun factor of nailing a [kind of] Olympic lift.
Landmine Split Jerk
[youtube video=”dyB0FeXAcS4″ /]Another faux Olympic lift here. We’ve taken the Clean out of the Clean and Jerk and broken it down to a simpler version with comparable benefits. The Jerk is another one of those overhead lifts that may not be for everyone, at first. I see this landmine version as a bridge leading to true overhead work. It’s nothing more than an explosive Landmine Press with a little Lunge landing mixed in.
Again, does this replace traditional methods? No. It’s just another option for you to implement more high-quality movements in your training while decreasing some potential injury risk.
Landmine Split Jerk
- Set up with the barbell in one hand in what I refer to as the neutral front rack. Instead of elevated elbows with upward facing palms, your hand is neutral and your elbow is directly under your wrist and bent.
- Bend at the knee slightly to produce force through the ground, then extend ankles, knees and hips as you begin your bar movement.
- Using the momentum created by your lower body, press the barbell up and slightly forward while you simultaneously split one leg in front of the other.
- Land with your feet about one stride apart, with both knees slightly bent. Your front knee will be more bent than the rear leg. Your elbow should be fully extended, with your shoulder near your ear and your back flat.
- Step your back foot forward, reset and repeat. Switch arms after your set.
These two are awesome variations that you can work into your programming where appropriate. You can implement them to improve power, speed, strength and sneak in some unilateral training if that is something you tend to neglect.
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2 Landmine Olympic Lifts That Increase Explosive Power
Though it is great to add innovative equipment to your training toolbox, I find myself most attracted to using the items that stand the test of time. Namely, the barbell—and lately, the barbell in landmine exercises.
I’ve come to love the landmine setup over the last few years—not only for my athletes and clients, but in my own training as well. Its versatility unlocks a fleet of new exercises and ways to achieve an optimal training effect.
Today, I am highlighting two landmine exercises that you may not have seen or tried before. We’ll look at how to to perform them and why you should.
Landmine Hang Snatch
[youtube video=”92m6qjedJf0″ /]The Snatch is one of the best-looking lifts you can do if you pull it off with smooth, flawless form. In this Landmine Snatch variation, you achieve many of the same patterns and benefits, but you add a unilateral emphasis with only one arm going overhead with load.
Landmine Single-Arm Snatch
- Set up with the barbell in your right hand, with the sleeve of the barbell crossing over your right thigh, ending in the mid-line of the body.
- Hinge down to get the barbell just below your knee. This is the true starting position.
- Push your feet through the ground while simultaneously pulling the barbell up toward your hips.
- When the barbell gets to about knee height, extend at the ankles, knees and hips as you shrug your loaded shoulder toward your ear.
- Make hip contact with the barbell to propel it overhead.
- Drop into a squat position to catch the barbell with your elbow fully extended and in an ending position similar to a traditional snatch.
- Reset, repeat and switch arms.
Is this better than the original Snatch? No. Will it be better at achieving similar results for certain populations? Possibly. You can make up for any of the factors that you may miss out on with strategic accessory programming.
I’ve seen people with pre-existing back or shoulder issues knock these out with no pain or complications after years of neglecting other Olympic options. For those people, this may be a great alternative to achieve explosive triple extension with no pain, build tremendous full-body power and experience the fun factor of nailing a [kind of] Olympic lift.
Landmine Split Jerk
[youtube video=”dyB0FeXAcS4″ /]Another faux Olympic lift here. We’ve taken the Clean out of the Clean and Jerk and broken it down to a simpler version with comparable benefits. The Jerk is another one of those overhead lifts that may not be for everyone, at first. I see this landmine version as a bridge leading to true overhead work. It’s nothing more than an explosive Landmine Press with a little Lunge landing mixed in.
Again, does this replace traditional methods? No. It’s just another option for you to implement more high-quality movements in your training while decreasing some potential injury risk.
Landmine Split Jerk
- Set up with the barbell in one hand in what I refer to as the neutral front rack. Instead of elevated elbows with upward facing palms, your hand is neutral and your elbow is directly under your wrist and bent.
- Bend at the knee slightly to produce force through the ground, then extend ankles, knees and hips as you begin your bar movement.
- Using the momentum created by your lower body, press the barbell up and slightly forward while you simultaneously split one leg in front of the other.
- Land with your feet about one stride apart, with both knees slightly bent. Your front knee will be more bent than the rear leg. Your elbow should be fully extended, with your shoulder near your ear and your back flat.
- Step your back foot forward, reset and repeat. Switch arms after your set.
These two are awesome variations that you can work into your programming where appropriate. You can implement them to improve power, speed, strength and sneak in some unilateral training if that is something you tend to neglect.
READ MORE: