One-Arm Dumbbell Front Raise

The One-Arm dumbbell front raise is one of the best shoulder exercises, primarily targeting the anterior deltoids (front of the shoulders). Since you’re lifting one arm at a time, this exercise also challenges your core muscles.

This exercise works one arm at a time and helps to fix the imbalance between the left and right shoulder muscles.

If you want to lift one dumbbell with both arms at once, try doing a one-dumbbell front raise.

One Arm Dumbbell Front Raise Muscles Worked

• The one-arm dumbbell front raise primarily targets the anterior deltoid.
• It also engages other muscles in your upper body, including Secondary and stabilization muscles such as the upper pectoralis, trapezius, Lateral Deltoid, Serratus Anterior.

How to do a Single-arm Dumbbell Front Raise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core tight to stay stable.
2. Hold a dumbbell in one hand with a pronated grip (palms facing your body) and let it hang in front of your thigh.
3. Keep your non-working arm relaxed at your side or hold on to something stable for balance if needed.
4. Slowly raise the dumbbell straight up in front of you until it’s parallel to the floor. Don’t raise the dumbbell above shoulder height.
5. Pause briefly when your arm is parallel to the floor.
6. Inhale as you slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
7. After completing the desired number of repetitions on one arm, switch to the other arm and repeat the exercise.

One-Dumbbell Front Raise

Unlike traditional front raises, where you hold a dumbbell in each hand, this variation requires you to hold only one dumbbell with both hands.

It allows you to lift heavier loads and provides a more balanced load distribution than using two dumbbells simultaneously.

How To Do It

1. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
3. Inhale and slowly raise the dumbbells together until they reach shoulder height.
4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement and hold for a second (peak contraction).
5. Exhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat the exercise according to your training program, maintaining proper form and pace.

Tips and Form

• Avoid shrugging your shoulders or leaning backward as you lift the dumbbell. Maintain proper posture with your shoulders down and back.
• Maintain a slight bend in your elbow throughout the exercise to reduce strain on the joint.
• Exhale as you lift the dumbbell and inhale as you lower it back down.
• Don’t shrug your shoulders as you lift the weight.

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.