How to do a Meadow Landmine Row
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Meadow Landmine Row
Barbells
Landmine
Workouts with Meadow Landmine Row
Instructions for Proper Form
This exercise is a variation on the more standard Dumbbell Row. Similar to other variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets your back. The use of a landmine causes you to raise the weight in an arc, up and slightly away from your torso at the top of the movement. By targeting each side independently, you can ensure that you aren’t compensating for any weakness between sides.
- Stand in a staggered stance with your leg closest to the landmine behind you.
- Lean forward to grasp the end of the landmine with your palm facing in towards you. Position your shoulder directly over the end of the landmine.
- Engage the muscles in your upper back to raise the landmine while allowing your elbow to flare out roughly 45-degrees away from the body.
- Tense your upper back to hold this position for a moment at the top of the movement.
- Slowly allow the weight to descend back to the starting position while maintaining tension in your upper back.
- Maintain good posture by keeping your back straight, shoulders back, and core engaged for stability.
- You should feel this exercise primarily in your upper back.
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Resisting Lean
Your core is responsible for stabilizing your upper body during this exercise. Because the resistance isn’t balanced between both sides, you’ll naturally engage your core to resist leaning to one side. Ensure that you’re only resisting the lean, and keeping your upper body stable. Don’t use your core to assist in performing the exercise.
Over Recruiting Biceps
While your biceps should be involved, you should be feeling a majority of the tension in your back. Try focusing on driving your elbow back instead of bringing the weight towards your chest. This mindset shift will help you recruit the proper muscle groups for this exercise.
Don’t Use Momentum
Extending your lower back can help you move more weight by recruiting additional muscle groups to help you build momentum. Keep your torso stable by engaging your core, and limit your movement to the desired exercise. You may need to reduce your weight to maintain proper form.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Meadow Landmine Row standards by male, female, weight, age and height
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Alternative Exercises to Meadow Landmine Row
1. Dumbbell Row
99.9 mSCORESWAPPED 218 TIMESThis compound movement primarily targets the back, but also hits the shoulders and biceps, as well as requiring some core activation for stability. By bracing yourself on the flat bench, you can position your torso parallel to the ground, without needing specific equipment. This is a great exercise with or without limited equipment, and a staple in many back workouts.
2. Landmine Row
80.5 mSCORESWAPPED 182 TIMESLandmine Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, but also hits the shoulders and biceps. The use of the landmine causes the weight to arc towards the chest, rather than move in straight line. This is an excellent exercise for adding some variety to your rows, and is a great way to build muscle mass and strength.
3. Cable Row
99.8 mSCORESWAPPED 132 TIMESCable Row is a compound movement that primarily targets your back, but also hits your shoulders and biceps. This exercise is often done with a specific cable machine that sets you into the perfect position, but you can also use an adjustable cable to have more control over the direction your resistance is coming from. This is a great exercise for building muscle mass and strength in your back, and is a common addition to most upper body or pull workouts.
4. Bent Over Barbell Row
97.1 mSCORESWAPPED 102 TIMESBent Over Barbell row is a compound movement that primarily targets your back, but also hits your shoulders, traps, and biceps. The use of a barbell adds more stability to this movement compared to something like dumbbells which can help you focus on exerting strength rather than stabilizing the movement. It’s a great exercise for building strength, and can be a way to start learning more advanced exercises like Olympic Lifts.
5. Lat Pulldown
100 mSCORESWAPPED 96 TIMESThis compound exercise primarily targets the back, but also hits the shoulders and biceps. The movement itself is based on a Pull Up, however, by locking your legs into place, you can add significantly more stability to the movement making it easier to complete a rep, as well as getting control over the resistance. This exercise can be easily adapted to meet your needs with different handles.
- Beginner
- Back
- Lat Pulldown
6. Incline Dumbbell Row
90.5 mSCORESWAPPED 88 TIMESThis is a compound exercise that primarily targets your back. It’s a variation on the more standard Bent Over Row, that uses an incline bench to stabilize your upper body. This added stability ensures that you can't assist yourself by recruiting other muscle groups. The added stability also allows you to focus on moving the weight rather than stabilizing your upper body in the right position.
7. Straight-Arm Pulldown
81.4 mSCORESWAPPED 85 TIMESThis is an isolation exercise that primarily targets your back. Pulling the bar down in an arc with your arms straight helps to remove muscle groups like biceps from the movement, and allows you to focus your attention on your back. You can further adjust where in your back you’re targeting by moving your hands closer to the ends of the bar.
- Beginner
- Back
- Lat Pulldown
8. Single Arm Landmine Row
48.6 mSCORESWAPPED 83 TIMESThis exercise is a variation on Landmine Row. Similar to Landmine Row, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your back. By performing this movement with each arm individually, you ensure that you aren’t compensating for any strength discrepancies between sides, as well as adding more instability to the movement.
9. Dumbbell Bent Over Row
94.4 mSCORESWAPPED 83 TIMESDumbbell Bent Over Row is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, but also hits biceps. The use of dumbbells helps prevent compensating for any discrepancies in strength between sides, as well as adds more instability to the movement compared to equipment like barbells. This can be a great addition to any back workout for building muscle mass and strength.
10. Machine Row
95.6 mSCORESWAPPED 71 TIMESLike other row variations, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your back. Unlike other variations, using a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds a ton of stability to the movement. This is excellent exercise for learning or practicing the movement of a seated row.
- Beginner
- Back
- Row Machine