Shoulders · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Standing Front Raise Above Head
How to do the dumbbell standing front raise above head, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand resting in front of your thighs, palms facing you. Keeping your arms nearly straight, raise the dumbbells forward and up in a smooth arc until they are overhead. Lower them back to your thighs under control and repeat for reps.
- 1Feel your front delts lift the load from thighs to overhead
- 2Keep a slight bend in your elbows and lead with your wrists
- 3Brace your core so your torso stays still
Common mistakes
- Don't swing or use momentum to throw the weights up
- Avoid arching your lower back as the arms pass shoulder height
- Don't shrug aggressively at the top of the arc
Muscles worked
The dumbbell standing front raise above head mainly works the front delts, with the forearms, upper chest, upper traps, upper abs, and side delts assisting.
- Front DeltsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell standing front raise above head 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.