Landmine rotation

Also called landmine twist, landmine 180.

What is a landmine rotation?

A landmine rotation moves the free end of an anchored barbell in an arc from one side of your body to the other. Both hands hold the sleeve as it passes through a high middle position and down toward each hip. This guide covers the standing version with the hips and feet allowed to turn.

Anatomical illustration of a standing landmine rotation at both low endpoints, with two hands holding the bar sleeve and the abdominal muscles highlighted.

How do you perform a landmine rotation?

Set up

Fit one end of a barbell into a secured landmine attachment. If you add a plate to the free end, secure it with a collar and clear enough space for the bar to travel to both sides.
Face the anchor with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width. Bend your hips and knees, take the end of the sleeve in both hands and stand up with it.
Soften your knees and brace your trunk. With your arms long and elbows slightly bent, lift the sleeve in front of your upper chest, then guide it toward one hip. Keep the plate clear of your legs.

Execution

Sweep the sleeve up and across the front of your body, keeping your arms long as your shoulders and hips turn with the movement.
Pass through the high middle position and lower the sleeve toward the opposite hip. Let your feet pivot with your hips, keeping your knees pointed in the same direction as your toes.
Reverse the curved path under control and continue alternating sides. When the set is finished, bend your hips and knees to lower the bar to the floor.

Common mistakes

Throwing the bar from side to side
Use a load you can slow down before reaching each hip. If the plate swings beyond your control, remove weight or shorten the arc.
Locking the feet while forcing a large turn
Allow your feet to move with your hips instead of twisting against planted feet. Turn only as far as you can keep your balance.
Curling the sleeve across the chest
Repeatedly bending the elbows changes the movement into an arm pull. Keep a small, steady bend while the bar follows its arc.

Where it fits in a session

Place it where your session calls for rotational trunk work.

Begin with no added plates and learn to stop smoothly at both sides. Use a lighter training bar if the empty bar is already too heavy, and keep the same bar and arc when comparing sets.

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The internal and external obliques are listed together without ranking one against the other.

Variations

Cable wood chopUses a cable handle moving down a diagonal from above a shoulder to the opposite hip. Its load and hand path differ from the anchored barbell arc.
Pallof pressKeep the torso facing forward while pressing a cable handle away from the chest. This is a separate exercise that resists turning.

Frequently asked questions

Should your hips turn during a landmine rotation?

In the version taught here, let the hips and feet turn with the bar. Some lifters keep their hips more still. Choose a smaller arc if you cannot stay balanced.

How can you make landmine rotations easier?

Remove added plates first. The empty bar still has weight, so use a lighter training bar if needed, with an attachment that fits it securely. Practise a smaller arc before extending the bar farther to each side.

Is a landmine rotation the same as a cable wood chop?

They use different equipment and paths. A landmine rotation sweeps an anchored barbell through a high middle position to both sides. A high-to-low cable wood chop pulls one handle diagonally from above a shoulder toward the opposite hip.