The shoulders are made up of three distinct heads, the front (anterior), the side (medial), and the rear (posterior). The front delts, although involved in virtually all compound pressing movements, can still become underdeveloped if you dominate with the chest and/or triceps during pressing movements. One excellent exercise for targeting this head is the front delt raise. Start with a dumbbell in each hand with arms extended down at your sides. Then, keeping a slight bend in arms, raise one or both dumbbells directly in front of you up to face level. Then lower them back down to your sides at a controlled speed.
ALTERNATIVES
Barbell front raises, Arnold presses.
WHEN TO RAISE THEM THUMBS UP
Front dumbbell raises can be done at any time during a shoulder workout. They are best accomplished with a moderate amount of weight to allow good control of the rep speed and muscle contraction. Leave the heavy weights for the compound movements!
FORM AND FUNCTION
The front delt is one of the three heads of the deltoid. It originates at the outermost end of the clavicle and inserts into the upper part of the humerus.
FRONT DELT WORKOUT
Military Press| SETS: 3 | REPS: 8-12
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raise| SETS: 3 | REPS: 12-15
