What you'll gain

• The cable keeps tension on the front deltoid at the bottom where dumbbells go slack.

• A single-joint movement that adds shoulder volume without more overhead pressing.

• The fixed line of pull makes the rep easy to standardize across a program.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Set a cable pulley to its lowest position and attach a straight bar or rope handle.

2. 2

   Stand facing away from the stack with the cable running between your legs and your feet shoulder-width apart.

3. 3

   Grip the handle with both hands using an overhand grip and let it rest near your thighs.

4. 4

   Brace your abs and raise both arms straight in front of you with a slight bend in the elbows.

5. 5

   Stop when your hands reach shoulder height and pause briefly.

6. 6

   Lower the handle back toward your thighs under control and repeat.

Common Mistakes

• Leaning back to start the rep, which uses the trunk instead of the front deltoid.

• Raising the hands well above shoulder height, which hands the work to the traps.

• Bouncing at the top and dropping the stack, which throws away the constant tension the cable is there for.

• Stacking it on top of heavy pressing, which piles yet more volume on an already busy anterior deltoid.

About This Exercise

The cable front raise is a front raise fed from a low pulley instead of a dumbbell. You stand facing away from the stack with the cable running between your legs, take the handle in both hands with an overhand grip, and raise your arms straight in front of you to shoulder height. The front deltoids are the target with the traps and upper back assisting, and the cable holds tension steady across the range instead of falling away at the bottom as a dumbbell does. The shoulder flexion path is simple enough that the movement suits beginners. For a library this is the constant-tension member of the front raise family. It belongs in cable equipment filters, shoulder accessory blocks, and content comparing cable, dumbbell and plate front raises.

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