For full transparency: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through a link I would earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Only personally used or thoroughly researched products are recommended. Learn more.

11 Landmine Press Alternatives At Home

Photo of author
Published on

The landmine is an awesome training tool that allows you to perform a wide range of movements freely and naturally. That’s thanks to the pivoting anchor and the ability to work your muscles unilaterally. It’s especially great for overhead work, which is the focus of this article…

I especially enjoy doing one arm presses with the landmine. It provides me with a delt burn that I can’t quite get with any other training equipment. 

But the landmine is only as good as your ability to get your hands on this device. If you haven’t got one, you’re going to have to improvise. That’s where we come in. 

As a personal trainer, I train a lot of guys in their home gyms. Less than 10 percent of them have a landmine attached to their power rack. For the other 90 percent, I’ve had to come up with alternatives that are almost as good. 

I’ve narrowed it down to the eleven best landmine press alternatives. In this article, I’ll lay them all out for you.


How I Chose My Landmine Alternatives

Here at Strong Home Gym, we put a lot of thought into putting together these alternative exercise articles. We value your time too much to simply throw together a bunch of exercises that are somewhat similar to the original movement.

For the article to be of any benefit, it should only include exercises that move the same muscles through the same direction of movement.

In the case of a landmine press alternative, our chosen exercises had to meet two key criteria:

  1. They had to have the same target muscles as the landmine press.
  2. They had to work each side of the body unilaterally.

The key muscles used in the landmine press are the side and front heads of the deltoids and the triceps.

Landmine Press Alternative Muscles Used

The following secondary muscles also act as stabilizers:

  • Obliques
  • Erector spinae
  • Abdominals
  • Serratus anterior
  • Rotator cuff

The ability to train a muscle group unilaterally allows you to develop muscle and strength evenly between the left and right side muscles. Training unilaterally also involves the core muscles more than doing the exercise bilaterally.

Research suggests that training one limb at a time improves power compared to training both.

The more recent innovations in core training and back rehab actually include a lot of unilateral carries and holds, to force a rebalancing of core strength. By using the landmine, you’re doing some of this work naturally!


Equipment Needed for These Exercises


11 Landmine Press Alternatives that Replicate the Same Movement Pattern

These ten landmine press alternatives are all variations of dumbbell and kettlebell single arm pressing exercises. These are the most natural unilateral substitutes when you don’t have a landmine.

Landmine Press Alternative Infographic part 1

1. Half Kneeling Dumbbell Press

Could we add a short comment ahead of each of the technique descriptions? I think there’s real value for the reader in a couple of lines explaining why this exercise made the list.

Equipment needed for exercise:

SMRFT Nüobell 80LB Adjustable Dumbbells

SMRFT Nüobell 80LB Classic
Read our best adjustable dumbbell guide here

These are the dumbbells we recommend for ‘most people’.

We have spent over 50 hours of research and compared over 100 dumbbells. Adjustable dumbbells make sense for most home gyms as they save space.

The Nüobell dumbbells go all the way to 80lbs per hand. This means they are much more versatile than most 50lbs adjustable dumbbells. You can use these for heavy shrugs, squats and bench press etc.

The main reason they are the top pick is because of their shape. They actually feel like real dumbbells and are not awkward to lift like some others.

How to do exercise:

  • Get down in a half-kneeling position, with your right foot forward, holding a dumbbell in the left hand.
  • Hold the dumbbell at shoulder level with the palm facing forward.
  • Maintaining a neutral spine position (no arching), breathe in deeply through your nose and contract your core muscles.
  • Press the dumbbell straight up, stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts.
  • Lower under control and repeat.

Exercise muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps

2. Half Kneeling Kettlebell Shoulder Press

Equipment needed for exercise:

  • A single kettlebell

How to do exercise:

  • Get down in a half-kneeling position, with your right foot forward, holding a kettlebell in the left hand.
  • Hold the kettlebell at shoulder level so that the body of the bell is resting against the back of your forearm. 
  • Maintaining a neutral spine position (no arching), breathe in deeply through your nose and contract your core muscles.
  • Press the dumbbell straight up, stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts. In the top position your palm should be facing forward. 
  • Lower under control and repeat.

Exercise muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps
  • Rotator cuff

3. Half Kneeling Arnold Press

Equipment needed for exercise:

How to do exercise:

  • Get down in a half-kneeling position, with your right foot forward, holding a dumbbell in the left hand.
  • Hold the dumbbell at shoulder level with the palm facing toward you.
  • Maintaining a neutral spine position (no arching), breathe in deeply through your nose and contract your core muscles.
  • Press the dumbbell straight up, rotating your wrist so that the palm is facing away from you in the top position. Stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts.
  • Lower under control, rotating the wristy once more to return to a palms facing start position. Repeat for the required rep count.

Exercise muscles worked:

  • Medial deltoids
  • Front deltoids
  • Triceps

4. Single Arm Standing Dumbbell Press

Equipment needed for exercise:

How to do exercise:

  • Stand with feet shoulder width apart and a dumbbell held in your right hand at shoulder level with the palm facing forward.
  • Maintaining a neutral spine position (no arching), breathe in deeply through your nose and contract your core muscles.
  • Press the dumbbell straight up, stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts. Avoid the tendency to use momentum or bend at the knee to create upward drive. 
  • Lower under control and repeat.

Exercise muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps

Want to build out a home gym but not sure how to go about it? We’ve got the answers in our complete home gym guide.


5. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Arnold Press

Equipment needed for exercise:

REP AB-3000 Bench

REP AB-3000 Weight Bench
Read our best weight bench guide here

This is the weight bench we recommend for ‘most people’.

We compared over 70 benches against 12 criteria. This is our highest-ranked flat, incline & decline (FID) bench.

Some adjustable benches can be a bit wobbly when on the incline. But the AB-3000 is very sturdy.

With a height 18mm it’s comparable to benches that cost twice as much.

How to do exercise:

  • Place a wooden step up box in front of a weight bench with an upright back support. Sit on the bench so that your back is securely against the back of the bench. Place your feet on the wooden step to further brace your back against the support and keep your pelvis aligned.
  • Hold a pair of dumbbells at shoulder level with your palms facing backward.
  • Breathe in deeply as you contract your core.
  • Press the left hand dumbbell up, rotating your wrist so it is facing forward in the top position. Stop just short of lockout to maintain tension of the delts.
  • Lower under control, rotating the wrist so that the palm is again facing backward in the bottom position.
  • Repeat on the right side.
  • Continue alternating from side to side to complete your rep count. 

Exercise muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps

Landmine Press Alternative Infographic part 2

6. Half Kneeling Kettlebell Bottom Up Press

Equipment needed for exercise:

  • A single kettlebell

How to do exercise:

  • Get down in a half-kneeling position, with your right foot forward, holding a kettlebell in the left hand.
  • Hold the kettlebell at shoulder level so that the base of the bell is facing the ceiling. 
  • Maintaining a neutral spine position (no arching) and keeping your elbows close to your sides, breathe in deeply through your nose and contract your core muscles.
  • Press the dumbbell straight up, stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts. In the top position your palm should be facing forward. 
  • Lower under control and repeat.

Note: this exercise requires a lot of stability and coordination. I recommend starting with a relatively light weight and only progressing the poundage when you are accustomed to the instability of the movement. 

Exercise muscles worked:

  • Rotator cuff
  • Serratus anterior
  • Front deltoids
  •  Medial deltoids

7. Alternating Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Equipment needed for the Alternating Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:

How to do the Alternating Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:

  • Place a wooden step up box in front of a weight bench with an upright back support. Sit on the bench so that your back is securely against the back of the bench. Place your feet on the wooden step to further brace your back against the support and keep your pelvis aligned.
  • Hold a pair of dumbbells at shoulder level with your palms facing forward.
  • Breathe in deeply as you contract your core.
  • Press the left hand dumbbell up, stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts.
  • Lower under control.
  • Repeat on the right side.
  • Continue alternating from side to side to complete your rep count. 

Alternating Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps

8. Single Arm Standing Kettlebell Bottom Up Press

Equipment needed for the Single Arm Standing Kettlebell Bottom Up Press:

  • A single kettlebell

How to do the Single Arm Standing Kettlebell Bottom Up Press:

  • Stand with feet shoulder width apart, holding a kettlebell in the left hand.
  • Hold the kettlebell at shoulder level so that the base of the bell is facing the ceiling. 
  • Maintaining a neutral spine position (no arching) and keeping your elbows close to your sides, breathe in deeply through your nose and contract your core muscles.
  • Press the dumbbell straight up, stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts. In the top position your palm should be facing forward. 
  • Lower under control and repeat.

Note: Because this exercise requires a lot of stability and coordination, you should begin with a relatively light weight and only increase the weight when you are used to the instability of the movement. 

Single Arm Standing Kettlebell Bottom Up Press muscles worked:

You don’t have to buy a whole rack of dumbbells to keep making progress on these exercises. All you need is a quality pair of adjustable dumbbells.


9. Single Arm Standing Kettlebell Shoulder Press

Equipment needed for the standing kettlebell shoulder press:

  • A single kettlebell

How to do the standing kettlebell shoulder press:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, holding a kettlebell in the left hand.
  • Hold the kettlebell at shoulder level so that the body of the bell is resting against the back of your forearm. 
  • Maintaining a neutral spine position (no arching), breathe in deeply through your nose and contract your core muscles.
  • Press the dumbbell straight up, stopping just short of lockout to maintain tension on the delts. In the top position your palm should be facing forward. 
  • Lower under control and repeat.

Standing kettlebell shoulder press muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps

10. Single Arm Dumbbell Z Press

Equipment needed for the single arm dumbbell Z press:

How to do the single arm dumbbell Z press:

  • Sit on the floor on your butt with your legs extended at a slight angle.
  • Hold a dumbbell in your right hand at shoulder level with your elbow tucked into your body. Hold the weight with a neutral grip so your palm is facing the wall to your left.
  • Breathe in through your nose as you brace your core andpress the weight directly up, stopping just short of lockout to keep tension on the working muscles.
  • Lower under control and repeat.

Single arm dumbbell Z press muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps

11. Standing Single Arm Dumbbell Arnold Press

Equipment needed for exercise:

How to do exercise:

  • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and a dumbbell held at shoulder level in your left hand with your palm facing backward.
  • Breathe in deeply as you contract your core.
  • Press the dumbbell up, rotating your wrist so it is facing forward in the top position. Stop just short of lockout to maintain tension of the delts.
  • Lower under control, rotating the wrist so that the palm is again facing backward in the bottom position.

Exercise muscles worked:

  • Front deltoids
  • Medial deltoids
  • Triceps

Landmine Press Alternatives – Bottom Line

The eleven landmine press alternative exercises described above provide you with a lot of choice in programming your deltoid workout.

They are all pretty similar to each other in terms of effectiveness, so my suggestion is to experiment with them. Narrow down the two or three that feel right for you and give you the greatest activation of the front and medial delts. 

Add your chosen exercises into your delt workout, doing them first as your basic mass builder before doing some medial and rear delt-specific moves to ensure complete shoulder development.

Check out my favorite reverse fly alternatives to hit the rear lets.

Want to improve your home gym?

Use the hours of research, testing and experience inside the ultimate guide to build a home gym. Find out…

  • The 4 items of kit every gym needs
  • What you should avoid
  • Where to find bargains and discounts

Click here to learn more about how to build a home gym.

Photo of author
Steve is a certified personal trainer, current home gym owner, former gym owner, and copywriter. He joined his first gym at age 15 and, five years later, he was managing his own studio. In 1987, he became the first personal fitness trainer in New Zealand.

Leave a Comment