Front raise

The front raise isolates the front portion of your shoulder muscles. Use caution if you have a history of lower back or neck discomfort.

Getting set
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand up tall with your feet as wide as your hips. Let your arms hang down at your sides — elbows relaxed and palms facing back. Stand up tall, pull your abdominals in, and relax your knees. See photo A.

The exercise
Raise your right arm up to shoulder height and then lower it back down. Then do the same with your left arm. Continue alternating until you complete the set. Or, for more of a challenge, do all your reps with one arm and then the other. See photo B.

Do’s and don’ts

• DO keep your elbows slightly bent as you perform the exercise.
• DON’T arch, lean back, or wiggle around in an effort to lift the weight.
• DON’T lift your arm above shoulder height.

Other options

• Palms-up front raise: Turn your palm up and do the exercise exactly as it’s described in the basic front raise. Try this version if you’re prone to shoulder or rotator cuff injuries.
  
• Diagonal front raise (harder): When the dumbbell is at shoulder height, move your arm a few inches in until the weight is in front of the top of your chest. Skip this version if you have chronic shoulder problems.
• Seated front raise (harder): Perform the front raise sitting on a bench with a back support; this position removes any possibility of cheating!
• Lying front raise (harder): Lie on your stomach on a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight in front of you (or slightly out to the side), palms facing in and thumbs up. Raise the dumbbells as high as you comfortably can but no higher than shoulder level. You’ll have to use a much lighter weight for this version of the exercise. You can also incline the bench and do the same exercise.