Landmine Row
The landmine row is a bent-over row where you pull the free end of an anchored barbell toward your torso. It works your upper back and lats, with biceps assisting. The fixed arc and neutral grip handle make it a stable, heavy-friendly alternative to barbell rows that is easy on the lower back.
Muscles worked
The landmine row trains the back, with biceps, lats helping.
Weekly sets for back
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for back, counting every exercise that trains it. Start a cycle near the growth line and climb toward the recovery limit before a deload.
How to do the landmine row
- 01Anchor the bar, load the free end and straddle it facing the plates.
- 02Hinge forward to about 45 degrees and grip the bar under the sleeve or with a V-handle.
- 03Set a flat back with chest up and let the bar hang at arm's length.
- 04Pull the bar toward your lower chest, driving your elbows back and squeezing your shoulder blades.
- 05Lower slowly to a full stretch without rounding your back, then repeat.
Coaching cues
- Elbows to back pockets
- Flat back, chest proud
- Stretch at the bottom
Common mistakes
- Standing up as you pull turns it into a shrug, so hold your hinge angle fixed throughout the set.
- Rounding your spine under a heavy load reduces control, so keep a neutral back and drop weight if needed.
- Yanking with your biceps shortens the range, so think about driving elbows back rather than curling the bar.
How Swole.fit programs it
Log it once and the app plans the next session for you.
- Most sets land between 8 and 15 reps, the range the plan steers compound lifts toward for size.
- Week one starts around 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Each week you train a little closer to failure, ending around 0 to 1 in reserve before a deload week.
- Hit the top of the range on every set and the next session adds the smallest real jump in weight, rounded to the plates, dumbbells or stack you actually have.
- Sets for this exercise count toward your weekly volume for every muscle it trains: a full set for the primary muscles, half a set for the helpers.
The full method, with the maths, is in how mesocycles work.
Landmine Row alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your landmine row free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.