Trunk and anti-rotation exercise
Landmine Rotation
Train hip-to-torso separation for passing and fending.
- Equipment
- Barbell, landmine
- Sides
- One side at a time
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- 20X1
Setup
Barbell in a landmine, held at chest height with both hands, feet shoulder-width.
How to do it
- Keep your arms long and rotate by pivoting your back foot and turning through your hips, not by twisting your lower back.
- Control the bar across and back.
- Do 3 sets of 6 to 10 per side with a light to moderate load.
- If you feel it in your lower back rather than your hips, you are rotating in the wrong place.
Coaching cues
- Pivot the back foot, rotate through the hips
- Arms stay long
- Feel it in the hips, not the lower back
Common mistakes
- Rotating purely at the lumbar spine
- Going too heavy so the movement becomes a swing
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Light to moderate | 3 | 6 to 10 per side | 60 sec |
Tempo 20X1: Take 2 seconds to lower it, no pause, lift it as fast as you can, hold for 1 second at the end of the lift.
Related exercises
- Pallof PressBuild trunk stiffness against rotation, which is how force actually transfers in contact.
- Weighted PlankProgress trunk bracing by adding load rather than adding time.
- Dead BugLearn to brace against extension before you load a hinge.
- Farmer's CarryBuild grip, trunk and trap strength with almost no specialist equipment.
- Suitcase CarryBuild lateral trunk stiffness for one-shouldered contact.
- Back SquatBuild maximal bilateral lower-body strength, the foundation of scrum drive and contact.