Single Arm Landmine Shoulder Press
Also known as: landmine press, single arm landmine press, one arm landmine press, landmine shoulder press, standing landmine press
In SetGrip: Landmine Shoulder Press (Single Arm)
- Secondary muscles
- Triceps, Upper Back
- Body part
- Shoulders
- Position
- Standing
- Laterality
- Unilateral (one arm at a time)
- Category
- Strength
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Because the bar pivots from the floor, the press travels up and forward on an arc instead of straight overhead, which suits lifters who cannot yet get a dumbbell vertically over their ears. Working one arm at a time adds a rotation-resisting job for your trunk. Stagger your stance with the opposite foot forward and the groove smooths out.
How to do the Single Arm Landmine Shoulder Press
- Load the lever and stand facing its free end with your feet about shoulder-width apart or in a staggered stance.
- Hold the end of the lever in one hand at shoulder height with your elbow bent and tucked close to your body.
- Brace your core and press the lever up and forward until your arm is fully extended.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the lever back to your shoulder.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
Tip: Take a breath and brace before unracking, then press up and slightly back so the bar ends over the middle of the foot.
Muscles worked
Primary
Delts · Shoulders
The front and side delts drive the weight off the shoulders and should carry the load all the way to lockout; the burn builds across the whole shoulder cap.
Secondary
- Triceps — The triceps take over in the top half to lock the elbows, and a weak lockout usually means they need direct work.
- Upper Back
Common mistakes
- Leaning back into an incline — if the lower back arches hard, the chest is doing the work; squeeze the glutes, brace the abs and keep the ribs down.
- Pressing around the head — the bar should travel straight up, so pull the chin back to let it pass, then push the head through at the top.
- Stopping short of lockout — finish with the arms straight and the bar stacked over the shoulders and hips, shoulders shrugged slightly up at the top.
- Elbows drifting behind the bar — keep the elbows slightly in front of the bar at the bottom, with the wrists stacked straight above them.
Where it fits in a workout
Overhead presses go first in a shoulder session or second after bench in a push day. Superset them with a pulldown or pull-up for a vertical push and pull pair.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without machine
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
Track the Single Arm Landmine Shoulder Press in SetGrip
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.