Barbell Front Raise
Learn how to perform Barbell Front Raise, a Shoulders exercise, with setup, breathing and common mistakes.
Barbell Front Raise · Preview
Setup
Stand tall with the bar in front of your thighs, then brace your abs and glutes so your torso stays still. Keep your elbows just slightly bent and your wrists straight.
Start phase
Slowly raise the bar to shoulder height without leaning back, keeping your arms moving as one unit. Think of your front delts pulling the bar up to minimize momentum.
End phase
Pause briefly at shoulder height, then lower the bar slowly. Keep the front of your shoulders under tension by starting the next rep before the bar touches your thighs.
Target muscles
Focus on your front delts lengthening and contracting. If it feels like your arms are lifting the bar, reduce the weight and raise it with the fronts of your shoulders.
Common mistakes
Leaning back to use momentum reduces tension on your front delts. Raising the bar far above your shoulders can make you shrug, so stop around shoulder height.
Breathing
Exhale as you raise the bar and inhale as you lower it. Steady, calm breathing helps keep your torso stable and your tempo consistent.
Coach tip
Because both arms move together, a barbell can make momentum easy to use, so deliberately slow the tempo. Choose a weight you can pause for 1 second at shoulder height and lower over 2 seconds.
