Cable Front Raise
Muscles worked
Instructions
- 1Select the weight on a low pulley machine and grasp the single hand cable attachment that is attached to the low pulley with your left hand.
- 2Face away from the pulley and put your arm straight down with the hand cable attachment in front of your thighs at arms' length with the palms of the hand facing your thighs. This will be your starting position.
- 3While maintaining the torso stationary (no swinging), lift the left arm to the front with a slight bend on the elbow and the palms of the hand always faces down. Continue to go up until you arm is slightly above parallel to the floor. Exhale as you execute this portion of the movement and pause for a second at the top.
- 4Now as you inhale lower the arm back down slowly to the starting position.
- 5Once all of the recommended amount of repetitions have been performed for this arm, switch arms and perform the exercise with the right one.
About Cable Front Raise
The low-pulley cable front raise isolates the front head of the deltoid, at the front of the shoulder. Standing with your back or side to the pulley, you raise the handle in front of you to shoulder height, arm nearly straight, then lower under control. Unlike dumbbells, the cable keeps constant tension across the whole range, including at the bottom where a dumbbell is almost unloaded. It is an accessible isolation exercise to shape the front of the shoulder, but often optional: the front delt is already heavily worked by all pressing movements.
check_circleBenefits
- check_circleConstant tension on the front delt, even at the bottom
- check_circleSmooth resistance that limits momentum and cheating
- check_circleGreat as a finisher or to bring up a lagging front delt
lightbulbExecution tips
- lightbulbRun the handle between the legs or along the side of the body
- lightbulbRaise to eye level with the arm nearly straight
- lightbulbControl the descent without letting the weight drop
- lightbulbKeep the torso still and the shoulders pulled down
warningCommon mistakes
- warningSwinging the torso to launch the weight up
- warningRaising above shoulder height and shifting load to the traps
- warningBending the elbow too much, which shortens the lever
- warningLoading too heavy at the expense of form
helpFrequently asked questions
Cable or dumbbells for front raises?expand_more
The cable keeps tension constant, while dumbbells load mainly the top of the movement. The cable is often smoother and more comfortable.
Do I really need to isolate the front delt?expand_more
It already works hard during pressing. Add this only if your front delt lags behind the other heads.
How high should I raise the arms?expand_more
To shoulder height (horizontal) is enough: going higher brings in the traps and removes tension from the delt. Stop at horizontal for clean work on the front of the shoulder.
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