Landmine 180's
The landmine 180 has you gripping the free end of a barbell anchored in a landmine sleeve, arms extended in front of your chest, then rotating your hips and torso to swing the bar down toward one hip and back up across to the other. Your feet pivot with the movement instead of staying planted, so the rotation comes from your hips and core rather than just your arms. It trains your abdominals to control rotational force, the quality that separates a strong, stable torso from one that just looks strong standing still.
Why it works
Most core training asks your abs to resist a straight-line force, like bracing against a heavy squat. The landmine 180 asks something different: your abdominals, obliques included, have to control torque as the bar's weight tries to keep swinging past where you want it to stop. Your glutes and lower back work isometrically to keep your hips stable as your feet pivot, and your shoulders stay engaged to keep the bar's arc smooth rather than letting it flop from side to side. That combination, rotational control on top of a stable base, is what carries over to throwing, swinging a bat or racket, or turning to grab something heavy without tweaking your back.
Set up
- Anchor one end of a barbell in a landmine attachment or a sturdy corner.
- Stand facing the anchor point with feet roughly shoulder-width apart, gripping the free end of the bar with both hands, arms extended in front of your chest.
- Brace your core before the bar moves at all.
How to do it
- Rotate your hips and torso together, letting your back foot pivot, to swing the bar down toward one hip.
- Let the bar tap near hip height, then reverse the rotation.
- Drive back through center and continue the rotation to the opposite hip, pivoting the other foot this time.
- Keep your arms relatively fixed relative to your chest; the movement should come from your hips and trunk, not your shoulders swinging the bar on their own.
- Control the speed on both sides rather than letting momentum carry the bar.
Form cues
- Rotation starts at the hips, not the arms.
- Back foot pivots with the turn instead of staying glued down.
- Arms stay locked relative to your chest throughout.
- Control both ends of the swing; don't let the bar's weight pull you past center.
Breathing: Exhale as you rotate toward each side, inhale briefly as you pass back through center.
Common mistakes
Swinging the bar with the arms and shoulders while the hips stay locked in place.
Fix: Feel your back foot pivot on every rep; if it isn't moving, the rotation isn't coming from your hips.
Letting momentum carry the bar past a controlled range at the bottom of each swing.
Fix: Slow the tempo down and stop the bar at hip height instead of letting it drop further.
Rounding or arching the lower back to chase more rotation.
Fix: Keep the rotation happening through the hips and thoracic spine, and shorten the range if your lower back is taking over.
Starting with too much weight on the bar.
Fix: Landmine 180s reward control far more than load; start with just the empty bar until the pattern feels smooth on both sides.
How to program it
- Two to three sets of 8 to 10 rotations per side is a solid starting dose, since the movement is more about control than fatigue.
- This one earns a spot early in a core or warm-up block rather than at the end of a session, because clean hip rotation gets harder to feel once you're tired.
- Add weight only after both sides look and feel identical; a heavier bar on an already-uneven rotation just bakes the imbalance in deeper.
- It pairs naturally with a static anti-rotation hold like the pallof press, one for dynamic control and one for resisting rotation altogether.
Safety notes
- Keep the range short enough that your lower back stays neutral through the whole rotation; this is a hip and core movement, not a lower-back one.
- Make sure the landmine sleeve or corner anchor is genuinely stable before loading the bar; a bar that slips mid-rotation is the real risk here, not the exercise itself.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- Strength
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the landmine 180 work?
It's primarily an abdominal and oblique exercise, with your glutes and lower back stabilizing your hips through the rotation and your shoulders holding the bar steady.
How much weight should I use for landmine 180s?
Start with just the empty bar. This exercise is about controlling rotation, not moving maximum load, so add weight gradually and only once both sides feel even.
What can I do instead of landmine 180s if I don't have a landmine attachment?
A pallof press with a cable or band trains the same anti-rotation core control without needing a barbell setup at all.
Are landmine 180s bad for your lower back?
Done with a short, controlled range and a neutral spine, they're not. Rounding your back to force a bigger swing is what turns a hip rotation exercise into a lower-back one.