Muscles Worked: Back, Shoulders
Equipment Needed: Dumbbells / Barbells
Difficulty: Advanced
The incline front raise is a great overall exercise for the shoulders, specifically the front shoulder muscles.
It is a fairly simple exercise, and is only a single-joint exercise, meaning you can add this to most shoulder workouts alongside a multi-joint compound exercise such as the barbell shoulder press.
The only equipment you need to complete this exercise is common and found in almost all gyms, however if you wish to purchase some dumbbells we have a link below for some decent dumbbells on Amazon.
You can also use a barbell instead of dumbbells if you prefer, even cables or resistance bands will work too.
How to Do the Dumbbell Incline Front Raise
These instructions below are specifically designed for the dumbbell incline front raise exercise, however a similar method applies with the barbell, resistance band or cable variation of this exercise. You can also do this exercise standing up or at different incline settings.
To begin, sit on a bench (with an adjustable back) with the incline set between 30-60 degrees while holding a dumbbell in each of your hands.
Then grip the dumbbells with your palms facing down.
Extend your arms straight out in front of you, about 1 inch above your thighs, this will be your starting position.
Raise the dumbbells up, keeping your arms straight out, until they are slightly above shoulder level.
Contract and squeeze your shoulder muscles at the top of the repetition for 1-2 seconds.
Slowly (around 3-5 seconds) lower your arms back down to your starting position, while keeping your arms straight out in front of you.
Repeat this for your desired amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
The incline front raise, whether you use dumbbells or barbells, works primarily the rear and lateral deltoid muscles.
Other muscles significantly activated include the traps and lat muscles, along with other stabilising and underlying muscles, such as the erector spinae, abs, legs, etc.
Variations
You can do this same exercise using a barbell, resistance bands or even cables depending on what you prefer or what equipment you have available. You can also do this exercise standing up or at different incline settings.
Caution: Do not use too much weight with this exercise as this can lead to bad exercise form and therefore a possibility of injury.
Written by Billy White
Billy White is a qualified Kinesiologist and Personal Trainer. He is an aspiring bodybuilder, fitness enthusiast, and health and fitness researcher.
He has multiple years of experience within the fitness, bodybuilding and health space. He is committed to providing the highest-quality information.
The information provided in this article is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a physician or other competent professional before following advice or taking any supplement. See our terms and conditions.