Shoulders · Barbell
Barbell Seated Front Raise
How to do the barbell seated front raise, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit upright on a bench holding a barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width grip resting across your thighs. Keeping your elbows soft, raise the bar straight out in front to shoulder height, then lower it under control.
- 1Front delts doing the lifting as the bar rises to shoulder height
- 2Soft bend held in the elbows the whole way up
- 3Tall, braced torso with shoulders pinned down
Common mistakes
- Swinging the bar up or lifting above shoulder level
- Leaning back or shrugging to heave the weight up
- Locking the elbows out at the top
Muscles worked
The barbell seated front raise mainly works the front delts, with the forearms and side delts assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell seated front raise for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More shoulders exercises
- How to do the battle rope alternating waves
- How to do the arm circles
- How to do the arnold press
- How to do the resistance band front raise
- How to do the resistance band lateral raise
- How to do the resistance band overhead press
Last reviewed June 2026.