Landmine Squat
The landmine squat is a front-loaded squat holding the end of an anchored barbell at your chest. It works your quads and glutes, with your abs bracing. The angled bar lets you lean into the load, which makes it a friendly squat pattern for beginners and anyone who dislikes bar-on-back loading.
Muscles worked
The landmine squat trains the quadriceps and glutes, with abs helping.
Primary
Helpers
Weekly sets for quadriceps
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for quadriceps, 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 squat
- 01Anchor the bar, load the free end and lift it to hold the sleeve at your upper chest.
- 02Cup the end with both hands, elbows down, and step back so you lean slightly into the bar.
- 03Set your feet about shoulder width apart with toes turned out slightly.
- 04Brace and squat down between your heels, keeping your chest tall against the bar.
- 05Drive through your midfoot to stand fully, pressing your hips forward at the top.
Coaching cues
- Lean into the bar
- Knees out, chest tall
- Stand all the way up
Common mistakes
- Standing too far from the bar makes it pull you off balance, so step close enough for a slight forward lean.
- Cutting depth short leaves quad growth on the table, so squat as low as you can while staying upright.
- Letting your heels lift moves the load to your toes, so keep your whole foot planted throughout.
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 Squat alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
- Barbell Back SquatBarbell, quadriceps, glutes
- Dumbbell Goblet SquatDumbbell, quadriceps, glutes
- Pistol SquatsBodyweight, quadriceps, glutes
- Kettlebell Goblet SquatKettlebell, band and specialty bar, quadriceps, glutes
- Barbell Bulgarian Split SquatBarbell, quadriceps, glutes
- Barbell LungeBarbell, quadriceps, glutes
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your landmine squat free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.