Lateral to Front Raise
Also known as: Lateral raise to front raise, Lateral front raise, Dumbbell lateral to front raise
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Description
Raise two dumbbells out to your sides, sweep them forward at shoulder height and lower them in front to train your side and front delts in one move. The side delts do most of the lifting on the way out, the front delts take over as your arms come forward and down, and the rear delts help a little. Your arms stay at shoulder height for the whole sweep, so even a light pair gets heavy fast. That makes it a good home exercise and a shoulder-day finisher. Pick the plain Dumbbell Lateral Raise when the side delts are the priority and you want to load them heavier.
How to Perform
- Stand tall with your feet between hip and shoulder width, knees soft, a dumbbell hanging beside each thigh and palms facing in.
- Pull your shoulders down away from your ears and set a slight bend in your elbows. That angle stays the same until the last rep.
- Raise both dumbbells out to the sides until your arms are parallel to the floor, elbows leading, palms turning to face down.
- Without letting them dip, sweep both arms forward in a wide arc at shoulder height until they point straight ahead, about shoulder width apart.
- Lower the dumbbells straight down in front of you, taking 2 to 3 seconds to reach the front of your thighs.
- Let them drift back to your sides, palms in, and start the next rep without a bounce. Set them down after the last one.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Tips
- Use this at the end of a shoulder or upper-body day for 2 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps. Add reps with the same pair until all sets reach 20 with your hands level through the sweep and no lean back. Then move up the smallest step you have, ideally 1 kg per dumbbell, and drop back to 12. If your gym only jumps in 2 kg steps, earn a few reps past the range first.
- The burn travels around the shoulder: the side while your arms rise, then the front as they come forward and lower. If it's mostly your neck that burns, you're shrugging. A sharp pinch at the top of the shoulder means the set is over.
- Shoulder pinching with your arms out to the sides? Raise them about 30° in front of your body instead of straight out, stop at or just below shoulder height and go lighter.
- Can't stop swaying? Sit on a bench, or bend your elbows to about 90° to shorten the lever. When the full version gets easy, pause for 2 seconds at the sides and again in front, or take 3 seconds over the forward sweep, before you add weight.
- Substitutes: Dumbbell Lateral Raise to load the side delts heavier, Dumbbell Front Raise for the front half on its own, Dumbbell Alternate Front Raise if both arms at once keep pulling you into a sway.
Common Mistakes
- Dumbbells sagging below shoulder height during the forward sweep. One rep turns into two half raises. Keep your hands level with your shoulders all the way across; if you can't, the weight is too heavy.
- Leaning back or dipping the knees to swing the weights up, usually just as the arms come forward. Stand tall with a light brace; if you still sway, drop the weight, sit down or put your back against a wall.
- Dropping the dumbbells from the front position. Take 2 to 3 seconds to lower them, because that part works your front delts too.
Recommended Exercises
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