Step-by-Step Instructions

1
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with arms at your sides and palms facing your thighs (pronated grip).
2
Brace your core and maintain a slight bend in the elbows, locking this angle for the entire set.
3
Raise one or both dumbbells directly in front of you in the sagittal plane, leading with the knuckles.
4
Lift until the dumbbell reaches eye level or slightly above shoulder height — no higher, as the upper traps take over beyond this point.
5
Pause briefly at the top, then lower the dumbbell under control over 2-3 seconds to the starting position.
6
Avoid using alternating arm momentum — if alternating, fully lower one arm before raising the other.

Common Mistakes

Raising the dumbbells too high above shoulder level, which shifts the load to the upper trapezius and reduces anterior delt isolation.
Using a jerking hip thrust to initiate the lift, indicating the weight is too heavy for strict form.
Letting the wrists flex and the thumbs point upward, which changes the shoulder mechanics and recruits the biceps.
Leaning backward as the dumbbells rise, which compresses the lumbar spine and reduces effective anterior delt loading.

About This Exercise

The dumbbell front raise is a single-joint shoulder exercise that isolates the anterior head of the deltoid through shoulder flexion in the sagittal plane. While the anterior delt receives significant stimulus from pressing movements, the front raise provides targeted volume to drive front-delt hypertrophy and improve shoulder definition. Controlled tempos and moderate loads are key, as the long lever arm created by an extended elbow makes this movement more challenging than it appears.

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