Landmine Row

The landmine row uses a barbell with one end anchored in a landmine attachment (a floor-mounted pivot point) and the other end loaded with plates. The lifter stands over or beside the bar, gripping the loaded end with a v-handle, towel, or bare hands, and rows the weight to the sternum. The fixed anchor constrains the bar path to an arc, which keeps the lift in a consistent groove rep after rep and limits the lower-back demand that a free-standing bent-over row carries.

The main advantage over a barbell row is back-friendliness without sacrificing load. A lifter who cannot tolerate a heavy bent-over row because of a cranky lower back can often hit the same upper-back training effect with a landmine row because the anchor handles the horizontal force. This makes it a good choice for high-volume back training in the middle of a strength block, or as a permanent substitute for lifters recovering from lumbar issues.

Two stance variations dominate. The chest-supported landmine row (straddling the bar and rowing from a bent-over position) loads the lats and rhomboids primarily. The single-arm landmine row (standing beside the bar, one hand on the loaded end) allows a deeper squeeze at the top and hits each side independently, which helps lifters with a pronounced left-right imbalance. Both belong in most intermediate programs; pick by which pattern the lifter is under-training.

In LiftProof, landmine rows are tracked as a back accessory. Log load (bar end weight) and reps. Programming usually runs 3-5 sets of 6-12, as the second or third back movement of the session after a heavier row variant. The lift tolerates volume well because the lower-back demand is low, making it a good candidate for higher-rep finishing sets or drop-set protocols at the end of a pull day.

• Chest up, hips hinged — the row pattern is the same as a bent-over row
• Pull the bar end to the lower chest / sternum, not the navel
• Elbow tracks along the ribs — not flared out
• Squeeze at the top — pause briefly before lowering
• Keep the hips still — no momentum swinging the bar up

• Rowing with momentum — turns the lift into a hinge plus hoist
• Pulling to the navel — loses the upper-back bias and shifts to the lats alone
• Flared elbows — overloads the rear delts and cheats the lats
• Shallow range of motion — the bar should come close to the chest, not stop short

• barbell row→
• single arm dumbbell row→
• pendlay row→