Top 7 Landmine Core Exercises To Sculpt Your Abs

Whether you want to build six-pack abs or bolster your abdominal muscle, you can do various landmine core exercises to forge your abs. Having a solid core provides stability to your lower back, enhances athletic and lifting performance, and minimizes the risk of injuries.

You can build up your core in various ways with and without equipment, but if you’re looking for specific landmine exercises for core, then you can try out the following movements.

7 Landmine Core Exercises to Bolster Abdominal Strength

1. Landmine Single-Arm Turkish Sit Up

Exercise level: Intermediate

The straight-arm sit-up is an excellent exercise to hit your entire core muscles. It also works on arms and shoulders and strengthens the upper body.

If you’re bored with bodyweight crunches, include this exercise in your workout routine to challenge your core strength.

How to do a one-arm landmine sit-up:

• Set the landmine bar in the appropriate place and lie on the floor with your feet together.
• Grab the bar with your right hand and hold your arm straight.
• Brace your abdominal muscles and lift your torso off the floor until it is upright.
• Pause for a moment and then lie back on the floor.

Pro Tips:

• Perform each rep in a controlled manner contracting the muscles of your abs.
• Keep your arm straight throughout the movement.

Recommended reps: 10 x 3 on each side.

2. Landmine Oblique Twist

Exercise level: Intermediate

The landmine twist is one of the best landmine ab exercises that work throughout the core, including both the obliques and the transverse abdominis, the deepest core muscle.

This exercise also engages multiple other muscles simultaneously, such as the shoulder, arms, and lats, as well as helps improve balance and muscle coordination.

It is also known as landmine anti-rotation, landmine 180 degrees, and landmine torso twist.

A study has shown torso twist exercises put less stress on the lower back compared to other core exercises, such as planks, curl-up, and bird dog.¹Calatayud J, Escriche-Escuder A, Cruz-Montecinos C, et al. Tolerability and Muscle Activity of Core Muscle Exercises in Chronic Low-back Pain. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(19):3509. Published 2019 Sep 20. doi:10.3390/ijerph16193509 – International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health So, if you’re looking for a landmine core workout that is easy on your back, the torso twist is a great option for you.

How to perform a landmine twist:

1. Put the desired weight into the bar and grab it firmly with your hands.
2. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, take a step back and hold the bar at your head level with your arms straight.
3. Slightly lean forward and keep your back straight and core tight, that’s the start.
4. Twist the bar to your left side until it reaches your hips level.
5. Pause for a moment and bring the barbell to the starting point.
6. Twist the bar to the other side to complete the first rep.

Pro Tips:

• Focus on contracting your core muscles during the entire movement.
• Only rotate your torso. Keep your hips and legs in a neutral position.
• Inhale on the way up and exhale when you finish lowering the barbell.

Recommended reps: 8-10 x 3

3. Landmine Rollout

Exercise level: Intermediate

The ab rollout is a great way to build strength and endurance in your core while also improving posture and mobility. It works on your external oblique, lower abs, and deepest ab muscle, transverse abdominis, and helps you build a defined core.

How to do it:

1. Put a weight plate into the landmine bar and set it in a suitable position.
2. Sit on your knees on the mat, lean forward and grab the bar with an overhand grip.
3. Roll the barbell out in front of you until your torso is stretched and your core is fully engaged.
4. Pause for a moment and roll back to the start.

Pro Tips: Keep your back as flat as possible when you roll out and bring your hips forward.

Recommended reps: 6-8 x 3

4. Landmine Russian Twist

Exercise level: Intermediate

The Russian twist is another excellent core exercise you can do with a landmine device. It involves twisting the torso side to side while keeping the spine and head in place.

It targets your transverse abdominis (deep core), rectus abdominis (six-pack muscles), and obliques (love handles) and fires up your midsection.

The Russian twist is performed in an unstable position, so it also helps improve balance and muscle coordination.

However, this exercise also puts stress on your lower back. So it’s best to avoid it if you have lower back pain.

How to do Russian twist a landmine bar:

1. Sit on the floor in a suitable position and grab the barbell with a neutral grip.
2. Bend your elbows and hold the bar above your hips.
3. Slightly lean your torso back, bend your knees, and lift your feet off the floor. This is your starting position.
4. Keeping your core and lower body tight, twist your torso to the right and then to the left.
5. Keep doing it for the desired time.

Pro Tips:

• Keep your spine and head in a neutral position throughout the movement.
• Twist your arms from side to side while keeping your lower back in place.
• Try not to lean back too far as it can be taxing on your lower back and reduce your core activity. Lower your torso until your body forms a 45-degree angle with the floor.

Recommended reps: 15 seconds x 3

5. Landmine Hollow Body Hold

Exercise level: Intermediate

The hollow body hold is an isometric abs workout that requires you to hold in an unstable position. It keeps your abdominal muscles under constant tension throughout the workout and increases your muscle endurance.

The hollow body does not only build up your midsection but also engages quads, hip flexors, inner thighs, and erector spinae.

The inverted position of this movement is also helpful for improving balance and muscle coordination.

How to do it:

1. Lie on the floor with your legs straight in front of you.
2. Grab the bar with your hands and hold it above your chest with straight arms.
3. Slightly lift your upper back off the floor and raise your legs until they form a 45-degree angle with the floor.
4. Keeping your core, thighs, and glutes engaged, hold in this position for as long as possible.

Pro Tips:

• Keep your lower back in contact with the floor throughout the movement.
• You must keep your core tight the entire time.

Recommended reps: 15 seconds x 3

6. Landmine Side Bend

Exercise level: Beginner to Intermediate

The landmine side bend is a good alternative to the dumbbell side bend which hits the side muscles of your core, the internal and external oblique. The obliques help you rotate your torso, bend at the waist, twist your torso from side to side, and provide stability to your entire core muscles.

The side bend is an isolation move, meaning it allows you to focus on each side of your oblique at a time and helps correct strength and muscle imbalance.

How to perform side bend with landmine bar:

1. Put the desired weight into the bar and grab the end of it with an underhand grip with your right hand
2. Holding the bar stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and arm straight.
3. Lower the bar to your right side until you feel the contraction in your oblique.
4. Pause for a moment and extend your hips to complete the rep.
5. Do an equal number of reps and sets on each side.

Recommended reps: 10 x 3 on each side.

7. Plank Landmine Row

Exercise level: Intermediate to Advanced

The plank row isn’t specifically a core exercise but works throughout the upper body muscles, including the abs, upper back, rear deltoid, and arms.

How to do it:

1. Set the bar in a suitable position and get into a high plank with your arms straight below your shoulders and legs wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Grasp the barbell in your right hand with your palm underneath it.
3. Pull the bar at your side and then return it back to the start.
4. Perform the suggested reps on each side.

Pro Tips:

• Keep your core engaged throughout the movement.
• Your head should be in a neutral position during the exercise.

Recommended reps and sets: 10 x 3/side

The Bottom Line

You can build up your core in various ways with and without equipment, but if you’re looking for specific landmine core exercises, then you can try out the above workouts; sit-up, anti-rotation, Russian twist, rollout, hollow body hold, and side bend.

These exercises will help you work out each core muscle, such as rectus abdominis (six-pack abs), transverse abdominis (deepest abs), and internal and external obliques (sides of your core).

Having a solid core provides stability to your lower back, enhances athletic and lifting performance, minimizes the risk of injuries, and helps improve posture.

So, include the various landmine ab exercises into your workout program and do them once or twice a week along with other abs exercises to build up and improve the appearance of your core muscles.

References

• 1
  Calatayud J, Escriche-Escuder A, Cruz-Montecinos C, et al. Tolerability and Muscle Activity of Core Muscle Exercises in Chronic Low-back Pain. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(19):3509. Published 2019 Sep 20. doi:10.3390/ijerph16193509 – International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health