How to do the Dumbbell Front Raise
ShouldersDeltsDumbbellIntermediate
The dumbbell front raise isolates the anterior deltoid with surgical precision, building the rounded shoulder thickness that makes every pressing movement stronger. Master the details here and you will develop shoulders that are as functional as they are impressive.
Add this to my personalized plan →Muscles worked
Primary
Deltoids
Secondary
TrapeziusTriceps
Step-by-step
- Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand resting at your thighs, palms facing your body and core braced.
- Raise both dumbbells forward in a controlled arc, keeping your arms nearly straight with just a soft elbow bend, until they reach shoulder height.
- Pause briefly at the top without letting momentum carry the weight past parallel to the floor.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the start over two to three seconds, resisting gravity the entire way down.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the torso back to initiate the lift, which transfers the load off the delts and onto your lower back — brace your core and initiate the movement from the shoulder only.
- Raising the dumbbells too high above shoulder level, which shifts stress onto the traps and upper traps — stop precisely at shoulder height to keep tension on the anterior delt.
- Using dumbbells that are too heavy and losing control of the descent — choose a weight that allows a full slow eccentric, since the lowering phase drives most of the growth stimulus.
Pro tip — Rotate your pinkies very slightly upward at the top of the lift, as if pouring a small amount of liquid from a pitcher, to maximally recruit the anterior deltoid fibers through their full range of contraction.
Sets & reps by goal
Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps
Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.
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