Front Raise: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The front raise works your shoulders, isolating the front, or anterior, portion of the deltoid as you lift the weight straight out in front of you. With no other muscle group sharing the load, it's a focused way to build front-shoulder strength and size without heavier pressing.
- Primary muscle:
- Shoulders
Muscles worked
Your shoulders, specifically the anterior deltoid, are the only mover in a front raise. Lifting the weight out in front of your body isolates this head of the deltoid more directly than a pressing movement, where your chest and triceps would otherwise share the work.
Log Front Raise in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- Pick a couple of dumbbells and stand with a straight torso and the dumbbells on front of your thighs at arms length with the palms of the hand facing your thighs. This will be your starting position.
- While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the left dumbbell to the front with a slight bend on the elbow and the palms of the hands always facing down. Continue to go up until you arm is slightly above parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this portion of the movement and pause for a second at the top. Inhale after the second pause.
- Now lower the dumbbell back down slowly to the starting position as you simultaneously lift the right dumbbell.
- Continue alternating in this fashion until all of the recommended amount of repetitions have been performed for each arm.
Form tips
- Raise the weight to about shoulder height, not higher.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbow instead of locking it straight.
- Lift with a controlled tempo instead of swinging the weight up with momentum.
- Lower the weight all the way down between reps rather than stopping short.
- Use one arm at a time if keeping both sides strict is difficult with a heavier weight.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Dumbbell |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do front raises build the whole shoulder or just the front?
Front raises isolate the anterior, or front, head of the deltoid. Your side and rear deltoids barely contribute, so front raises work best alongside lateral raises and rear-delt work, not as a stand-alone shoulder exercise.
Why do I feel front raises in my traps instead of my shoulders?
That usually means the weight is too heavy or you're using momentum to swing it up, which lets your traps shrug in to help. Lower the weight, slow the tempo, and stop the raise around shoulder height so your anterior deltoid stays the muscle doing the work.
Do I need front raises if I already do the overhead press?
Pressing movements like the overhead press already work your front deltoid heavily, so front raises are optional extra volume rather than essential. They're most useful if your front delts lag or you want more isolated shoulder work.
More shoulders exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
