Dumbbell front raise: how to do it, and whether you need it

How to do the dumbbell front raise

It is the simplest way to load the front delt on its own, with nothing but a pair of light dumbbells. Use it when pressing alone has not brought the front of your shoulders along, or as a short finisher on an upper-body day.

Swap for: Plate Front Raise, Band Front Raise, Arnold Press

Muscles the dumbbell front raise works

The front raise works the front (anterior) delt, with the upper fibers of the chest helping and the side delts, traps and the muscles around the shoulder blade holding the shoulder steady. The load is heaviest when your arms are level with the floor, because that is where the dumbbell sits furthest from your shoulder, and close to nothing at the bottom. That is why the top of the rep, not the first few inches, is where the set gets hard.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the dumbbell front raise

Dumbbell front raise variations

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  Plate Front Raise

  Both hands grip one plate at its sides, and you raise it to shoulder height, the plate standing upright in front of you. Good when the dumbbell rack is busy.

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  EZ-Bar Front Raise

  Hands overhand on the angled grips of an EZ bar. One bar for both arms lets you load a little heavier, and the angled grip suits sore wrists.

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  Barbell Front Raise

  A light straight bar held overhand at shoulder width. The same job as the EZ bar when that is taken; keep the plates small.

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  Band Front Raise

  Stand on the middle of a band, a handle in each hand, and raise both together. The band pulls hardest at the top, so it suits home training and travel.

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  Kettlebell Front Raise

  One kettlebell held by the handle in both hands, bell hanging down, raised with bent elbows toward eye level. Works with a single bell at home.

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Dumbbell front raise alternatives

Presses that load the front delts heavier

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  Arnold Press

  Seated, start with your palms facing you and turn them out as you press. The low start puts the front delts in charge, with far more weight than any raise.

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  Dumbbell Shoulder Press

  The plain seated dumbbell press overhead. If you already do it, your front delts are getting most of the work a front raise would add.

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  Incline Dumbbell Press

  Upper chest and front delts together. A steeper bench shifts more of the press onto the shoulders.

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If the shoulder pinches or the raise turns into a swing

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  Landmine Press

  Both hands on the end of a bar in a landmine, pressed up and forward from your chest. The angled path is often comfortable for a cranky shoulder.

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  Dumbbell Chest-Supported Y Raise

  Lie chest down on an incline bench and raise the dumbbells forward and out in a Y. The bench makes swinging impossible.

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No equipment, or the side delts instead

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  Pike Push-Up

  Hips high, head toward the floor between your hands. Your bodyweight loads the front delts with no gear at all.

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  Dumbbell Lateral Raise

  Raise the dumbbells out to your sides instead. Pick it when your front delts are covered by pressing and you want wider-looking shoulders.

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Do you need front raises?

Often not. The front delt is one of the main movers in every horizontal and overhead press, so a program with bench press, incline press, push-ups or overhead presses already trains it several times a week.

Add front raises when the front of your shoulders is clearly behind the rest of your upper body, when an injury or a missing bench rules out pressing, or when you simply enjoy them as a short finisher. If you have limited time for isolation work, lateral raises and rear-delt work usually pay off more, because presses train those parts of the shoulder far less.

Front raises vs lateral raises

They train different parts of the shoulder. A front raise moves the arm forward and works the front delt; a lateral raise moves it out to the side and works the side delt, the part that makes your shoulders look wider from the front.

Presses already hit the front delt hard and the side delt much less, so if you only have room for one raise, lateral raises are usually the better use of the time. Do both if the front of your shoulders is lagging too.

How heavy should front raises be?

Light, and lighter than you expect. The dumbbell sits at the end of a long, almost straight arm, so a weight that feels easy to press feels heavy at shoulder height in a raise. Start with one of the lightest pairs on the rack.

Check yourself at shoulder height: a pair you can hold there for a one-count, with no lean back, is the right one. Add reps until you reach the top of your rep range, then move up the smallest step you have. On a lift this small, one jump on the dumbbell rack can cost you several reps.