Dumbbell Front Raise Exercise Guide

The Dumbbell front raise is a fundamental exercise for strengthening and defining the shoulders, particularly the anterior deltoid. It’s a relatively simple movement that can be incorporated into various workout routines for both beginners and experienced lifters.

The dumbbell front raise is one of the most commonly utilized shoulder isolation exercises that is used for building muscle mass. In this guide, we’ve explained how to do it with tips, variations, and more.

For many, the front delts are an overdeveloped muscle group and either don’t need much or any extra work because they’re involved in essentially all pressing exercises.

But for those who feel their front delts need a little more work, the dumbbell front raise is usually the go-to movement. This guide will delve into everything you need to know about the dumbbell front raise, including proper form, variations, benefits, and programming tips.

In this guide, we’ve explained how to do it with tips, variations, and more.

Muscles Targeted

The primary muscle targeted by the dumbbell front raise is the anterior deltoid, the front portion of the shoulder muscle responsible for shoulder flexion (lifting your arm forward). Additionally, the exercise engages secondary muscles like the medial deltoid (side shoulder), upper trapezius (upper back), and biceps brachii (upper arm) to a lesser extent, helping to stabilize the movement and contribute to overall shoulder development.

Benefits of Dumbbell Front Raises

Increased Shoulder Strength and Size: Regularly performing dumbbell front raises can lead to stronger and more defined anterior deltoids, contributing to a more sculpted upper body appearance.
Improved Shoulder Stability: The exercise strengthens the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint, promoting better stability and potentially reducing the risk of injuries.
Enhanced Athletic Performance: Strong shoulders play a vital role in various athletic activities like throwing, pushing, and overhead pressing. Front raises can improve performance in these movements.
Improved Posture: Well-developed shoulders can help maintain proper posture by supporting the upper back and preventing hunching.

In This Exercise:

Target Muscle Group: Deltoid anterior

Type: Hypertrophy

Mechanics: Isolation

Equipment: Dumbbells

Difficulty: Beginner

Muscles Worked

While the dumbbell front raise primarily works the front delts, there are other muscles involved too.

Deltoid anterior

Also known as the front delts, this is the target muscle group for this exercise. The deltoid anterior works with the other two heads (lateral and posterior) to abduct the arm past 15 degrees.

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Deltoid Lateral

The deltoid lateral or side deltoid head laterally abducts or raises the arm past 15 degrees while the other two heads stabilize the shoulder.

Pectoralis Major Clavicular Head

The clavicular or upper portion of the chest causes flexion of the extended arm.

Serratus Anterior

The serratus anterior, also known as the boxer’s muscle is located above the oblique muscles. It’s responsible for the protraction (throwing a punch) and upward rotation (e.g., lifting something overhead) of the scapula.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Proper Dumbbell Front Raise Form

Grab the dumbbells: Choose dumbbells that challenge you for 10-15 repetitions while maintaining proper form. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and core engaged.
Starting position: Hold the dumbbells with an overhand grip (palms facing down) at your sides, arms slightly bent at the elbows. Keep your back straight and shoulders down.
Lift the dumbbells: Raise the dumbbells simultaneously in a controlled motion directly in front of you. Breathe out as you lift. Keep your elbows slightly bent throughout the movement, and focus on using your shoulders to raise the weights, not your arms.
Top position: Lift the dumbbells until your arms are parallel to the floor (or slightly higher) and your palms face forward. Avoid swinging the weights or arching your back.
Lower the dumbbells: Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position in a controlled manner. Breathe in as you lower. Maintain proper form throughout the descent.

How To Do The Dumbbell Front Raise

This is a rather simple exercise but to ensure you do it correctly, we’ve provided step-by-step exercise instructions.

While standing, hold the dumbbells by your sides using a neutral/hammer grip.
With the elbows slightly bent or extended, raise the dumbbells up in front of you until your hands are just above shoulder height.
Lower the dumbbells back down and repeat.

Dumbbell front raise tips

Choose a challenging weight that you can lift without having to swing it.

Advanced lifters are better able to utilize momentum to overload the front delts further.

You can perform the exercise using both arms at the same time although it’s very common to do the alternating variation.

Using a neutral grip is better for the health of the shoulders. The pronated or overhand grip is more likely to cause internal rotation of the shoulder which is not ideal.
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Dumbbell Front Raise Variations:

Here are three variations of this exercise that we recommend.

1. Barbell front raise

Using a barbell for any exercise usually means that you can lift more weight overall. So you can really overload the front deltoids and build strength that will carry over into building muscle.

We recommend using a fixed barbell which is much shorter than an Olympic or standard barbell.

2. Cable front raise

Cables are a superior tool for shoulder isolation exercises such as front raises, lateral raise, and rear delt raise. That’s because the constant tension of the cables keeps the shoulders in a stretched position

But to maximize this benefit, you must position yourself appropriately.

To do this, you’ll want to first attach a single-grip handle to the cable machine. Then, you’ll set up as you normally would by grabbing the handle by your hip.

Next, you want to walk forward until you feel a slight stretch in your front delts and then perform the front raise as you normally would.

3. Incline front raise

When you do this using dumbbells or cables… it doesn’t necessarily matter. But doing the front raise on an incline bench places your shoulders under a similar stretch similar to the cables.

You’ll have to adjust the bench to find an ideal incline angle but the lower the bench, the more stretch you’ll get on the shoulders.

Avoid this exercise if you have shoulder issues though as it can place a lot of strain on the area.

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Key Points for Proper Form

Maintain a neutral spine: Keep your back straight and core engaged throughout the movement to avoid arching or rounding your lower back.
Focus on shoulder movement: Isolate your shoulders by minimizing bicep involvement. Don’t swing the weights to lift them.
Controlled motion: Lift and lower the dumbbells with control. Avoid jerky movements.
Full range of motion: Aim for a full range of motion by going all the way up to shoulder height and all the way down to the starting position with relaxed arms.
Don’t overextend: Avoid raising the dumbbells higher than shoulder level, as this can put strain on your shoulders.

Variations of the Dumbbell Front Raise

Seated dumbbell front raise: This variation can be beneficial for those with lower back problems or who want to focus more on shoulder isolation. Sit on a bench with your back straight and core engaged. Perform the front raise as described above.
Hammer dumbbell front raise: Hold the dumbbells in a neutral grip (palms facing each other) throughout the movement. This variation can place more emphasis on the medial deltoid.
Alternating dumbbell front raise: Raise one dumbbell at a time, then alternate with the other arm. This can help maintain core engagement throughout the exercise.
Incline dumbbell front raise: Perform the front raise while seated on an incline bench. This can target the upper portion of the anterior deltoid more effectively.

Programming Dumbbell Front Raises into Your Workouts

Sets and repetitions: Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions per set. Choose a weight that challenges you for the desired rep range while maintaining good form.
Frequency: Include dumbbell front raises in your upper body workout routine 2-3 times per week. Allow adequate rest time for your shoulders to recover between workouts.
Progression: As you get stronger, you can increase the weight, sets, or repetitions to continue challenging your muscles and promoting growth.

How To Incorporate The Dumbbell Front Raise Into Your Training Routine

Because the dumbbell front raise is a shoulder movement, it just makes sense to do it alongside your other shoulder exercises.

Keep in mind though that bench pressing, shoulder pressing, and any type of press heavily involve the front delts. So, you may not need to do many sets and reps.

You’ll have to look at your front delts and determine whether or not it needs more work, although many times, it’s overdeveloped especially compared to the rear and side delts. It’s all about balance.

Wrapping Up

The dumbbell front raise is a staple isolation exercise for working the anterior deltoids and we have a feeling it’ll never go out of style – as this exercise was used by the Golden Era legends and well before that too.

Again, not everyone will need to isolate the front delts but for those who do, we hope this guide was helpful.

More About Dumbbell Front Raise (Shoulder Development) Contents

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