Dumbbell Front Raise

How to Perform the Dumbbell Front Raise

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing your thighs.
Keep a slight bend in your elbows and brace your core to stabilize your torso.
Raise one or both dumbbells forward and upward in a controlled arc.
Lift until your arms are approximately parallel to the floor, at shoulder height.
Pause briefly at the top, maintaining control without swinging.
Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position slowly and repeat.

Swinging the weights up using momentum

Use a controlled tempo and reduce the weight if you need to use body momentum.

Raising the dumbbells too high above shoulder level

Stop at shoulder height; going higher shifts tension to the traps rather than the front delts.

Locking out the elbows completely

Maintain a slight bend in the elbows to reduce stress on the joint.

✓Directly isolates the anterior deltoid for targeted development.
✓Helps build the front cap of the shoulder for a more rounded shoulder appearance.
✓Simple movement pattern that is accessible for all training levels.

●Alternate arms for better core stability or raise both simultaneously for efficiency.
●Use a thumbs-up (neutral) grip to slightly reduce impingement risk in the shoulder.
●This exercise pairs well with lateral raises for complete deltoid development.

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

Join 2,000,000+ lifters tracking their workouts with Stronger. Available on iOS and Android.