Landmine Lateral Raise Overview
The landmine lateral raise is a move for your shoulders. It works your side shoulders, the delts on the sides of your body. It also works your abs and obliques. You set one end of a barbell in a corner or landmine holder. You hold the free end at shoulder height. You lift it out to the side in an arc. The landmine lateral raise builds wide, round shoulders. The barbell path gives a smooth, steady load. This can feel easier on your joints than dumbbells. Using one arm lets you focus on each side. This is an intermediate move. It fits well on a shoulder or push day. Do it after your big pressing lifts.
What Is The Point of the Landmine Lateral Raise?
The landmine lateral raise builds shoulder width and strength while engaging your core. It's safer than traditional lateral raises and lets you use heavier weight.
How To Do The Landmine Lateral Raise
- Set one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment or wedge it securely into a corner. Load a light plate on the free end, since the arcing angle makes even a small weight feel challenging.
- Stand to the side of the bar and grab the loaded end with the hand farthest from the anchor, holding it at about shoulder height to start. Set your feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Take a breath and brace your core, keeping your chest up and shoulders back. The landmine path curves, so a solid stance keeps you stable as the weight travels through its arc.
- Set a slight bend in your elbow and keep it fixed. You will hold that soft angle the whole rep, since bending and straightening the arm changes which muscle works.
- Lower the bar across your body under control until your hand is near the opposite hip. This is your stretched starting position, where the side delt is loaded and ready.
- Raise the bar out and up in an arc, driving from the side of your shoulder, until your arm is about parallel to the floor. Lead with your elbow and keep the motion smooth.
- Squeeze your side delt at the top and hold for a beat. Keep your shoulder pulled down away from your ear rather than shrugging it up toward it.
- Lower the bar slowly back across your body under control, taking about two seconds. Finish all your reps on one side, usually 10 to 15, then switch hands and repeat.
Landmine Lateral Raise Form Tips
- Keep a slight bend in your elbow. Lock it for the whole set.
- Lift the bar out to the side in an arc. Do not press it forward.
- Raise until your arm is level with the floor. Do not go too high.
- Keep your body still. Do not swing or lean to help.
- Feel your side shoulder work on each rep. That is the target.
- Move slow both ways. Fast reps use momentum, not muscle.
- Keep your shoulder down, away from your ear. Do not shrug.
- Keep your core tight to stay steady.
- Breathe out as you lift. Breathe in as you lower.
- Keep your wrist straight and firm.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Landmine Lateral Raise
- Swinging your body to fling the bar up. Rocking your torso to launch the weight is momentum, not muscle, and it hides how weak the side delt really is. Plant your feet, brace your core, and keep your torso still so only your arm moves through the arc.
- Shrugging your shoulder up toward your ear. When the trap takes over, the side delt gets sidelined and your neck gets tense. Keep the shoulder packed down and drive the raise from the side of the shoulder, not from a shrug.
- Using too heavy a plate. The landmine's arcing leverage makes even light weight tough, so a big plate forces you to swing and cut the range. Start lighter than you expect and earn clean, controlled reps with a real pause at the top.
- Bending and straightening the elbow through the rep. Flexing the arm to help the weight up changes the movement and takes the side delt out of it. Lock a slight elbow bend and hold it so the shoulder stays the prime mover.
- Raising the bar well past parallel. Heaving the arm too high brings the traps in and takes tension off the side delt. Stop the arc at about shoulder level where the delt does the work.
- Rushing the lowering phase. Dropping the bar fast across your body wastes the eccentric and can jerk the shoulder. Take about two seconds down and resist the weight through the whole arc.
- Losing your core brace. A soft trunk lets your torso sway as the bar travels, which cheats the range and stresses the lower back. Brace before each rep and keep your torso locked in place.
- Cutting the range short at the bottom. Stopping partway down keeps the side delt from fully lengthening and shortens the useful range. Lower the bar across to near the opposite hip on every rep.
- Leaning away from the bar to help lift it. Tilting your torso to counterbalance the weight changes the line of pull and takes work off the target. Stand tall and neutral so the side delt gets the full load.
- Holding your breath through the set. Bearing down on a light isolation move just adds neck tension for no benefit. Exhale as you raise the bar and keep your breathing steady.
- Doing uneven work between sides. Favoring your stronger side over time builds a lopsided shoulder. Match the reps and effort on both arms and let the weaker side set the count.
Landmine Lateral Raise Workout Tips
- Take advantage of the landmine's unique arc. The curved path loads the side delt a little differently than a dumbbell, giving you a fresh angle and constant challenge through the range.
- Drive the lift from the side of your shoulder. Thinking about the side delt as the engine keeps the traps and momentum out of it, which is the key to feeling this in the target muscle.
- Start light and respect the leverage. The arcing angle makes even a small plate feel heavy, so choose a modest load and let clean form guide when you add weight.
- Stop the raise at about parallel. Lifting to shoulder height keeps the side delt loaded, while going higher just hands the work to the traps and drops the tension.
- Add a one second pause at the top. Holding at peak contraction kills momentum and teaches you to feel the side delt work through the top of the range.
- Use a slow two second lowering. Owning the eccentric across the arc keeps tension on the side delt and adds stimulus, so resist the bar back down instead of letting it drop.
- Program it as a shoulder accessory. Use it after your pressing to add focused side delt volume for wider, rounder shoulders.
- Working one side at a time exposes imbalances. Training each shoulder alone lets you bring up a lagging side delt that a two-arm move would let the strong side cover.
- Keep your shoulder packed down. Holding the shoulder blade down and away from your ear keeps the trap out of it and protects the joint under the arcing load.
- Live in the 10 to 15 rep range for 3 to 4 sets. The side delt is small and responds well to moderate reps and constant tension rather than heavy grinding.
- Brace your core to stay stable. A firm trunk keeps your torso from swaying as the bar arcs across your body, which keeps the side delt doing the honest work.
- Match reps and effort between sides. Let your weaker shoulder set the rep count so you slowly even out any left-to-right gap.
- Anchor the bar securely before you start. Whether in a landmine sleeve or a corner, make sure the bar cannot slip, since a loose end can shift under load and throw off your rep.
- Do not go to failure every set. Leaving a rep in the tank on a small muscle keeps your form clean and lets you rack up quality volume across the week.
- Progress with tiny weight jumps. Only add load once your current reps are smooth and controlled, since the leverage means small increases feel significant.
- Warm up the shoulder first. A couple of very light sets wake up the side delt and rotator cuff so your working sets feel strong and the joint stays happy.
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