How To: Do dumbbell front raises

Learn how to do dumbbell front raises. Presented by Real Jock Gay Fitness Health & Life.

Benefits
You've probably been doing dumbbell front raises since you first started working out, and in this case, an old standard is a good thing. Dumbbell front raises isolate and work the front of the shoulder.

Starting Position
Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand. Allow your arms to hang straight down in front of you, just in front of your thighs but not resting on them, with your palms facing inward and your elbows slightly bent.

Exercise
1. From the starting position, engage your shoulders and quickly lift the dumbbells up in a scooping motion, bringing them up in front of you with arms extended. As your arms rise, bring your hands together toward the midline of your body, such that you end with your arms at chin level and weights less than shoulder-width apart.
2. From the top of your motion, reverse direction and lower your arms back to the starting position.

Single-Arm Variation
You may do this exercise with one arm at a time if you wish. To do so, start with an entire set with one arm, and then do an entire set with the other arm. Alternating arms leaves too much rest time between repetitions for each arm.