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Shoulders

Dumbbell Front Raise

The dumbbell front raise isolates your front delts; they already work hard in presses, so treat this as a finisher, not a base.

Dumbbell Front Raise: starting position
1Starting position
Dumbbell Front Raise: end position
2End position

Setup

Stand tall with dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing you or down. Elbows slightly bent, shoulders down, abs braced.

Execution

  1. Stand tall with the dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing back — starting position.
  2. Exhale and raise one dumbbell forward to just above shoulder height, elbow slightly bent.
  3. Lower it as you raise the other, alternating arms.

Common mistakes

  • Raising above eye level — shoulder height is enough.
  • Swinging and using your torso — stand still, the weight is light.
  • Shoulders creeping up — drop them before each rep.
  • Dropping the dumbbells — lower them as slowly as you raise them.

Not sure about your form? Send me a video of a set — I'll take a look and tell you what to fix first.

More for this muscle group: Shoulders

Standing Barbell Overhead PressStanding Barbell Overhead PressSeated Dumbbell Shoulder PressSeated Dumbbell Shoulder PressDumbbell Lateral RaiseDumbbell Lateral RaiseArnold PressArnold PressFace PullFace PullBent-Over Dumbbell Rear Delt FlyBent-Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

← All exercises

Position photos from the open free-exercise-db.