12 Best Front Deltoid Exercises (With Workout Plan)

Are you tired of those flat, underdeveloped front delts that make your shoulders look incomplete from every angle?

Trust me, I’ve been there to HELP you.

After spending countless hours testing different shoulder exercises (and making plenty of mistakes along the way), I finally cracked the code to building impressive anterior deltoids.

In fact, these exact exercises helped me add size to my shoulder measurements in just 4 months.

Today, I’m going to share everything I learned about front-line training.

You’ll get a complete breakdown of the 12 best exercises (including 3 little-known movements that nobody talks about), plus a ready-to-use workout plan that works.

Let’s dive in.

How To Train Front Delt

While numerous exercises target the anterior deltoid exist, there are two types of exercises: presses and raises.

Presses and raises both act on shoulder flexion, which is powered by the anterior delts. 

• Raises, such as shoulder front raises and many other variations, are isolation exercises that mainly target the front deltoid. Front delts respond well to light weights with high volume, particularly regarding hypertrophy.
• Presses, like incline bench presses and overhead presses, are the ultimate anterior deltoid strength exercises. They are compound exercises that target many other muscle fibers.

Here are some tips and techniques for optimizing your anterior deltoid workout and maximizing your gains.

• Training this muscle group at least 1-2 a week is essential. This will provide enough stimulus to promote muscle growth.
• Vary your anterior deltoid exercises regularly (after 2-3 months) to avoid plateaus and keep your muscles guessing.
• Progressive overload the deltoid muscles by increasing resistance over time (I.e. weight, set, or reps)
• Also include exercises that work the medial and posterior deltoids for balanced shoulder development and joint stability.
• Give your anterior deltoids adequate time to recover between workouts. Overtraining can hinder progress and increase the risk of injury.

Now, let’s discuss the best anterior deltoid exercises for strengthening and building muscle mass on your shoulder using various fitness equipment and bodyweight exercises you can do at home.

• Barbell Front Delt Workouts
• Anterior Delt Exercises with Dumbbells.
• Cable Anterior Deltoid Exercises
• Bodyweight Delt exercises (No Equipments).

12 Best Anterior Deltoid Exercises

1. Dumbbell Front Raise

The Dumbbell Front Raise isn’t just another shoulder exercise…It’s your secret weapon for laser-targeted anterior delt development.

The dumbbell version gives you something that barbell and plate raises can’t – independent arm control. This means you can:

• Fix strength imbalances between sides
• Use a more natural range of motion
• Focus on mind-muscle connection without worrying about stabilizing a bar

The coolest part? Research shows that unilateral training (working one side at a time) can boost muscle activation by up to 15%.

The dumbbell front raise is one of the best isolation exercises for isolating the front deltoid muscle.

You can perform this exercise using a pair of dumbbells, either while standing or sitting. Additionally, you have the option to do the exercise in an alternating fashion or with both hands working together.

How To Do

1. Stand holding a pair of dumbbells across the front of your thighs.
2. Your feet are shoulder-width apart, and your knees are slightly bent.
3. Raise one dumbbell (say right hand) in front of you until it reaches just above shoulder level.
4. Now lower the weight (of the right hand) while raising the left in front of you.
5. Perform this exercise in this alternating manner.

Tips

• Pause momentarily at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
• Concentrate on training the front delts. Lift dumbbells before you; do not raise them outside the body.

2. Incline Dumbbell Front Raise

The incline dumbbell front raise is the souped-up version of your regular front raise that nobody’s talking about.

Here’s what makes it unique:

By lying on an incline bench (30–45 degrees), you will automatically eliminate the biggest killer of front raises. i.e body momentum.

There are many ways to do it.

• You may either maintain a neutral grip, use a pronated (overhand) grip, or start with a neutral grip.
• You may perform the incline dumbbell front raise with both arms or one arm at a time.
• Alternate between the different variations.

How To Do

1. Set the bench at 45 degrees inclined. Lie on the bench and both feet are firmly pressed on the ground.
2. Hold two dumbbells in front of you with an overhand grip and arms extended.
3. Exhale and raise the dumbbells up towards your head while keeping your arms straight.
4. Continue until your arms are diagonal at a 45º angle to the ground.
5. Inhale and lower the dumbbells down, remembering to keep your arms fully extended.
6. Now, return to the starting position.

Tips

• Make sure your back is always in contact with the bench.
• Pause momentarily at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
• Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.

3. Barbell front raise

The barbell front raise is a powerful exercise to target the front deltoids (anterior deltoids) directly. Though primarily targeting the front deltoids, the barbell front raise also recruits the upper chest, traps, and even the forearm muscles

Think of them as the mass-building bulldozer for your front delts.

Why? Because this exercise lets you handle heavier loads than its dumbbell cousin – and we all know that progressive overload is the name of the game for serious muscle growth.

How To Do

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grasp a barbell with an overhand grip.
2. Hold the barbell in front of your thighs, palms facing down, and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Keep your back straight, engage your core, and slightly bend your elbows.
4. Lift the barbell up slowly in front of you. Make sure your arms are parallel to the ground or slightly higher.
5. Pause briefly at the top of the movement, then lower the barbell to the starting position.

Tips

• Most lifters make this move wrong by using a wide grip. Pro tip: Keep your hands just slightly wider than shoulder width for optimal front delt engagement.
• Start lighter than your ego wants. Form trumps weight every single time with this exercise.
• Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.

4. Plate front raise

The Plate front raise exercise is a variation of the traditional front raise that increases forearm strength while targeting your frontal deltoids.

The plate’s design naturally fixes your form. That circular shape forces you to keep your arms straight and wrists neutral – something most people struggle with during regular front raises.

It is perfect for drop sets (just grab a lighter plate, no awkward dumbbell switches). It’s my favourite option drop set.

How To Do

1. Stand up straight, holding a weight plate in front of your thighs with both hands.
2. Your hands should be at the three and nine o’clock positions.
3. Raise the plate up until your arms are parallel with the ground.
4. Pause, and then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

Tips

• Start with a light plate, around 10–25 lbs, to focus on form and control.
• A small elbow bend can help reduce joint strain while maintaining focus on the shoulder muscles.

5. Cable front raise

The cable front raise is useful because it provides constant tension on the front delt as you move the weight through the range of motion.

Cable front raises are perfect for finishing moves. Why? Because you can drop the weight instantly when you hit failure.

You can also perform the cable front raise using a straight bar, rope, or single handle.

How To Do

1. Attach a straight bar to a low cable pulley.
2. Grab the bar using a shoulder-width or wider overhand grip.
3. Stand close to the pulley with your body upright, your shoulders pulled back.
4. Exhale as you pull the bar up the front of your body until the bar is at shoulder height.
5. Hold for a count of two. Inhale as you lower the bar to the starting position.

Tips

• Keep your shoulders back, chest out, and body upright.
• Power Tip: Try the unilateral (one-arm) version. It exposes strength imbalances you never knew you had.
• Try not to bounce at the top of the movement, allow the shoulders to flex and then lower slowly.

6. Barbell Overhead Press

The shoulder press is the best exercise for building muscle mass and strength. It remains the granddaddy of all shoulder exercises to build big, round shoulder muscles.

Research indicates that the overhead press is highly effective in activating the muscles around the shoulders. This effectiveness primarily stems from the necessity for stabilization during the exercise, which significantly increases muscle engagement throughout the shoulder girdle and upper body.

The seated shoulder press is the favourite shoulder exercise among bodybuilders because it builds muscle fast and is a power move.

Performing the exercise while seated upright is a stricter version than standing and prevents cheating the weight upward using momentum generated by the legs.

How To Do

1. Sit on an exercise bench and grab a bar with an overhand grip.
2. Bring the bar over and in front of your head, under your chin, and just above your upper chest.
3. Now Press the bar straight up overhead until your arms are fully extended but not locked out.
4. Slowly lower the bar back to the starting position.

Tips

• Perform a warm-up with 50% weight for 1–2 sets.
• Always perform the Shoulder Exercises before you perform the triceps.

7. Barbell Push Press

The barbell push press is a powerful compound movement that combines elements of both strength and explosive power.

This exercise engages the shoulders, triceps, and upper chest, while also activating the lower body and core for stability.

It allows you to lift heavier weights overhead compared to a strict military press.

How To Do

1. Position a barbell on a squat rack at shoulder height or lift it onto your shoulders. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grip the bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Rest the bar on your front deltoids with elbows pointing forward. Ensure your core is engaged.
3. Bend your knees slightly while keeping your torso upright, lowering into a shallow squat (quarter squat). This dip should be controlled—do not let your knees cave inward.
4. Explosively extend your knees and hips while simultaneously pressing the barbell overhead until your arms are fully extended. Your feet may come up onto the balls of your feet as you drive upward.
5. Lower the barbell back to shoulder height while maintaining core engagement throughout the movement.
6. Reset for another repetition by returning to a standing position before dipping again.

Tips

• Many beginners tend to squat too low during the dip phase, which can lead to instability. A shallow dip is sufficient for generating power.
• Ensure that your grip allows for proper elbow positioning; elbows should remain slightly in front of your body rather than flaring out excessively.
• Control that negative. The faster you push up, the more time you have to lower the weight under control.
• This isn’t your typical bodybuilding move. Start light and master the timing before going heavy. Your shoulders (and lower back) will thank you.

8. Landmine Press

It is not a popular exercise, yet it provides many benefits for progressing your anterior deltoid and upper chest.

The landmine’s diagonal press pattern hits your front delts from a unique angle that regular pressing just can’t match. Plus, the increasing leverage makes each rep slightly different – forcing constant adaptation.

You can press with two hands for pure strength, or go single-arm to expose weakness and build stabilizer muscles you didn’t even know you had.

How To Do

1. Secure one end of a barbell into a landmine attachment or place it in a corner. Your feet should be level and shoulder-width apart or kneel down.
2. Grip the free end of the barbell with one hand (or both hands if doing a double-arm variation) at shoulder height, keeping your elbow close to your body.
3. Engage your core and push the barbell upward in a diagonal arc away from your body, maintaining control throughout the movement. Your elbow should extend fully at the top of the press.
4. Lower the barbell back to shoulder height in a controlled manner, maintaining good posture and core engagement.
5. Complete your desired number of repetitions before switching sides if performing unilaterally.

Tips

• Ensure that your grip allows for proper elbow positioning; it should not flare out excessively.
• Maintain an upright torso throughout the movement; leaning too far forward can strain your lower back.
• Hold a neutral spine throughout the movement to prevent injury.
• Ensure that the barbell is stable.
• Brace your core, keep your back straight, and maintain a slight bend in your knees.

9. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

While everybody’s chasing fancy exercises, the dumbbell shoulder press remains one of the most effective front delt builders ever created. Period.

Why? Because it combines three critical elements:

• Natural range of motion (unlike fixed barbell paths)
• Independent arm movement (exposing and fixing imbalances)
• Core stability demands that barbells can’t match

It also engages the triceps and stabilizes the core muscles.

Research shows dumbbell presses activate more stabilizer muscles than barbell presses. More muscle activation = more growth potential.

How To Do

1. You can sit on a military press bench or upright bench with back support. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your palms facing forward.
2. Place the dumbbells upright on your thighs before lifting them into position. Ensure your elbows are slightly in front of your body and your wrists are straight.
3. Exhale as you push the dumbbells upward until your arms are almost fully extended above your head. Avoid locking out your elbows to maintain tension on your shoulders.
4. Inhale as you slowly lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height, maintaining control throughout the movement.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, typically between 8 and 12 for hypertrophy training.

Tips

• Keep your back straight and avoid excessive arching. Your head, shoulders, and hips should be aligned.
• Position your feet shoulder-width apart for a stable base. If seated, ensure your feet are flat on the ground or on the footrest of the bench.
• Keep your elbows slightly in front of your body rather than flaring them out too wide.
• Perform both the lifting and lowering phases in a controlled manner. Avoid using momentum to lift the weights; instead, focus on slow, deliberate movements.

10. Arnold Shoulder Press

The Arnold shoulder press is a popular exercise named after the legendary bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Unlike regular shoulder presses that hit your delts from one angle, the Arnold Press attacks them through a unique rotational pattern that literally forces growth. This exercise uniquely targets all three heads of the deltoid—front (anterior), side (lateral), and rear (posterior)

You start in a supinated grip (palms facing you), then rotate to a pronated position (palms forward) as you press up. This rotation is the secret sauce that regular presses are missing.

How To Do

1. Sit on a stool or stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with your palms facing your body.
3. Begin the movement by pressing the dumbbells overhead while simultaneously rotating your palms away from your body.
4. As you press upward, rotate your palms until they face forward.
5. Pause at the top and then reverse the movement by rotating your palms back towards your body as you lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position.

Tips

• Due to its rotational nature, you may not be able to lift as heavy as with traditional presses; focus on form over weight.
• Keep your back flat against the bench (if seated) or maintain a neutral spine (if standing).
• At the top of the movement, avoid locking out your elbows completely. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows maintains tension on your shoulder muscles and prevents joint strain

11. Incline Dumbbell Press

While everyone thinks Incline dumbbell press exercise as a chest exercise, it’s secretly one of the most effective front delt builders in your arsenal.

Set that bench to 30-45 degrees, and your front delts become a major player in the pressing party.

EMG studies show that incline presses can activate your front delts almost as much as direct shoulder work. You’re basically getting a two-for-one deal here.

How To Do

1. Lie back on an incline bench. Ensure the bench is adjusted to 30–45 degrees on an incline.
2. Clean the dumbbells and lift them straight overhead. Feel a good chest squeeze at the top.
3. Lower the dumbbells and feel a good chest muscle stretch at the bottom.
4. Hold for a second, then press the dumbbell back to the starting position.

Tips

• Ensure that the bench is set at an appropriate angle (30-45 degrees) to effectively target the upper chest without placing undue stress on your shoulders.
• Keep your wrists straight and aligned with your forearms.
• Exhale as you press up and inhale as you lower down; proper breathing helps maintain intra-abdominal pressure and supports core stability.

12. Pike Push Up

Pike Push-ups aka shoulder push-up is a variation of the push-up that increases strength and stability in the shoulders and triceps.

The pike push-up looks like a mash-up of Downward-Facing Dog and Dolphin Pose, and this move can build major strength.

Perform this exercise in a more upright position to target the shoulders more than the chest.

How To Do

1. Start in a standard push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows completely locked out.
2. Lift the hips up and back until your body forms an inverted V shape.
3. Keep arms and legs as straight as possible.
4. Slowly lower the top of your head towards the ground.
5. Once your head is about to contact the ground, pause for a second.
6. Then slowly push back until your arms are straight, and you’re in the inverted V position.

Tips

• Make sure you maintain control throughout the movement.

Related Post: 5 Best Shoulder Push-Ups To Build Strength & Mass

Front Delt-Only Workout Plan

This plan is specifically crafted to isolate and strengthen the front deltoid muscle. It adopts a targeted approach by concentrating on exercises that highlight shoulder flexion and pressing movements.

Front Delt-Focused Shoulder Workout Plan

This workout plan targets the front delts while still engaging the other shoulder muscles (lateral and posterior delts), promoting balanced shoulder development.

Advanced Front Delt Blast Workout

For experienced lifters who are looking to maximize their front deltoid development, this high-volume workout focuses on intensity and variety.

dvanced Front Delt Blast Workout in tabular form:

Conclusion

These anterior deltoid exercises are recommended for anyone who wants to build a bigger shoulder and gain strength.

It allows for targeted muscle development and provides an overall 3D look to the shoulder.

It is easy to do and requires no more scientific details or fancy equipment. You should incorporate some of these 12 exercises into your workout regimen.

To sum up, you should hit your front delts directly at least once a week, but if you’re lacking in this area, you might want to work them more often than that.

If you do these anterior deltoid exercises consistently, the results will speak for themselves.

12 Best Front Delt Exercises To Build Bigger Shoulder

References

• Raizada, Shiny & Bagchi, Amritashish. (2017). Comparison among the EMG Activity of the Anterior Deltoid and Medial Deltoid During Two Variations of Dumbbell Shoulder Press Exercise. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. 8. 653. 10.5958/0976-5506.2017.00411.9.
• Coratella G, Tornatore G, Longo S, Esposito F, Cè E. Front vs Back and Barbell vs Machine Overhead Press: An Electromyographic Analysis and Implications For Resistance Training. Front Physiol. 2022 Jul 22;13:825880. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.825880. PMID: 35936912; PMCID: PMC9354811.
• Błażkiewicz, M., & Hadamus, A. (2021). The Effect of the Weight and Type of Equipment on Shoulder and Back Muscle Activity in Surface Electromyography during the Overhead Press—Preliminary Report. Sensors, 22(24), 9762. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22249762
• Elzanie A;Varacallo M (2024). Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle. [online] Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30725741/.
• Tipton, K.D. and Ferrando, A.A. (2008). Improving muscle mass: response of muscle metabolism to exercise, nutrition and anabolic agents. Essays in biochemistry, [online] 44, pp.85–98. doi:https://doi.org/10.1042/bse0440085.
• Lasse Mausehund, Amelie Werkhausen, Bartsch, J. and Tron Krosshaug (2021). Understanding Bench Press Biomechanics—The Necessity of Measuring Lateral Barbell Forces. Journal of strength and conditioning research, [online] 36(10), pp.2685–2695. doi:https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000003948.
• Brad Jon Schoenfeld, Grgic, J. and Krieger, J. (2018). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of sports sciences, [online] 37(11), pp.1286–1295. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906.
• Adel Elzanie and Varacallo, M. (2023). Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Deltoid Muscle.
• Campos YAC, Vianna JM, Guimarães MP, Oliveira JLD, Hernández-Mosqueira C, da Silva SF, Marchetti PH. Different Shoulder Exercises Affect the Activation of Deltoid Portions in Resistance-Trained Individuals. J Hum Kinet. 2020 Oct 31;75:5-14.

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.