Top 10 Front Delt Exercises for Massive Shoulder Growth

The front delt is such a body part that most people ignore by saying, “It’s already trained a lot on my chest day.” But in real life, their front delt looks flat most of the time. There are a lot of reasons behind this, but the two major reasons are,

Lack of intensity &
Muscle adaptation

Most of the time, we just focus on our side delt, which is correct. But the problem is, we often neglect the other parts. Now one thing you’ve to understand, that the front delt works almost every upper body movement. As a result, it’s already overtrained and adapts to the pressure. At this point, if you train this with negligence, then forget about your 3D shoulder dream.

Front shoulder is such a muscle that falls behind if you don’t pay attention to it. But the first thing that you notice in the mirror is your shoulder area. Whether you want it or not, every time when you stand focused on the camera and try to click a selfie, your front shoulder shows your upper body appearance with a manly look from the front angle.

Without proper exercise, you cannot be able to grow this area. In this article, you’re going to know the top 10 best front delt workouts, which will isolate your front shoulder and help you build an aesthetic, muscular, and sharp appearance. Also, you’re going to know,

Which movement activates the anterior deltoid the most
The correct angle, time under tension, and minimal movement that brings real growth.
And the correct execution tips that only professional knows.

Anatomy and Function of the Front Delt

The small but powerful muscle that we have in front of our shoulder is called the anterior deltoid, or front delt. It starts from the clavicle bone and ends at the upper part of the humerus (the upper arm bone). It mainly works during shoulder flexion, which means raising the hand. Besides, it’s heavily involved with any kind of pressing movement, like bench press, overhead press, or even incline push-ups.

But the interesting thing is, this part often gets activated but not isolated. Which means, we think we are training our front delt, but actually, the pressure often shifts to the chest or even triceps. Especially, it’s a common problem for heavy lifters.

Another big mistake is mixing the sensation of the upper chest and front delt. Most of the time, when people are doing incline dumbbell press or machine chest press, they think they are also hitting the front delt, but mainly they’re dominating their chest. That’s why you need some movement for true front delt isolation, where your shoulder flexion will dominate, not elbow extension, not chest contraction.

Best Training Strategies to Grow Front Delts

Pressing is not enough for your front shoulder development, because here a smart combination is the game-changer. Mostly, I see people in the gym doing only overhead press for the front delt. Which is good, but it’s a compound movement, and for a proper development, you have to mix both compound and isolation.

Overhead press or incline barbell press is like a mass builder for your body. But if you want front delt deep activation, then you must need some movement like front raise or cable front lift. Because with the isolation movement, you can target the muscle fiber directly.

Now the question is, “How many times?” If you train chest and shoulders on the same day, then I would suggest separating the shoulder day. And if you train in lower volume with the chest, then 2x a week will be best for you.

Also, you’ve to pay attention to your tempo manipulation. like

Pause reps, where you hold the weight at the top for 1 or 2 seconds. Or slow eccentric, where you take 3-5 seconds while lowering the weight. This way, you can create deep stress on the front delt muscle fiber.

10 Best Front Delt Exercises (With Pro-Level Breakdown)

Each of the following exercises will follow this format:
→ Targeted Muscles
→ Unique Description
→ How to Perform
→ Advanced Tips for Better Results

Dumbbell Front Raises

Targeted Muscles:
Primary: Anterior deltoid (front delt)
Secondary: Upper chest, serratus anterior (minimal)
This is a classic isolation movement that primarily hits your front delt muscle. This exercise is especially for those who don’t feel proper burn in their front shoulder.

How to Perform:

Stand straight with shoulder width apart for stability.
Hold two dumbbells and hang them in front of your body.
Now slowly raise the dumbbells forward up to your shoulder level.
Then, at the top, hold for a second and squeeze.
Slowly lower the dumbbell and do the same with the other hand.
Aim for 10-14 reps with 3sets.

Advanced Tips for Better Results:

Perform in front of a mirror to check the correct form.
Don’t raise the dumbbell too high, because it releases the tension.
Perform the exercise by alternating. It helps to increase the mind-muscle connection.
While raising, don’t swing your body and keep your back and neck straight.

Barbell Military Press

Targeted Muscles:
Primary: Anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid
Secondary: Triceps, upper chest, traps

Barbell military press is one of the most effective compound movements for the front delt. Though it covers your overall shoulder but if you perform this in a strict form, then the front delt will be the main driver. This allows you to take heavy. As a result, you can experience both volume and intensity together.

How to Perform:

Add weight according to your strength.
Unrack the barbell and place it on your collarbone.
Hold the grip slightly wider than your shoulder and stand shoulder-width apart.
Now tilt your head slightly back and press the bar straight overhead.
Then slowly lower the weight back into the starting position.
Aim for 8-12 reps.

Advanced Tips for Better Results:

Place your feet firmly on the floor, tighten your glutes, and keep your core tight.
Do some warm-up before the heavy working set.
Keep your tempo 2-1-3 (2 second up – 1 second hold – 3 second lower down)
You can perform on a sit for more stability.

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Targeted Muscles
Front delts (primary), lateral delts, triceps, upper chest (secondary stabilizers)
A classic press-based movement, which is excellent for high tension to build your front delt muscle. You’ve to control the movement completely different way than barbell. And this different balance movement makes your front delt more neuro-muscularly active.

How to Perform

Sit on a bench or stand straight with your shoulders width apart
Hold dumbbells with each hand exactly at shoulder height and palm facing forward.
Keep your lower back tight and don’t move your hip.
Now slowly press the weight upward.
Extend your arms, but don’t lock them, and at the top breathe out.
Then lower the weight in a controlled way back into the starting position.
Aim for 12-15 reps with 3sets.

Advanced Tips for Better Results

Slow down the eccentric (lowering): take at least 3-4 seconds while lowering the weight.
Keep elbows slightly forward, not by your side. This way, you can perform with proper intensity on your front delt.
Finish the exercise with some partial reps to completely burn out.
If you do this seated then then support your back with the pad for less momentum.
Keep your head straight and eyes facing forward. It will save your neck from any strain.

Arnold Press

Targeted Muscles
Front delts, lateral delts, upper chest, rotator cuff (stabilization)
This was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s favorite exercise. It has both press and rotation. Your anterior delt gets engaged from the beginning to the end because of the rotation, which generally does not seem in the classical press. Like the previous one, you can perform this standing or sitting as you wish.

How to Perform

Sit on a bench and place your back on the pad.
Hold the dumbbells in front of your shoulders with both hands.
Palm should be facing you.
Now slowly press the weight and breathe out
While pressing, slowly rotate your arm.
Rotate in such a way that your palms face forward (pronated grip)
Lift all the way up, but don’t lock your elbow.
Now lower the weight in a controlled way.
While lowering, rotate back to face your palms forward your face (reverse rotation).
Aim for 8-12 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips for Better Results

Keep your back straight and tight throughout the movement.
Don’t let the pressure come on your neck. Make sure the movement is happening with your shoulder.
Control the rotation – Don’t be hurry, take your time.
It’s best not to do this exercise on your chest day.

Cable Front Raise

Targeted Muscles
Primary: Front delts
Secondary: Upper chest, biceps (stabilization)

It’s an alternative to dumbbell front raise, but more effective because of its constant tension from beginning to end.

The only way to close the tension gap is to use the dumbbell, which many people raise in front of them. Because there is a constant resistance from the beginning to the end range, which increases muscle fiber activation and keeps pressure on the front deltoid for a long time.

How to Perform

Attach a single handle to the low pulley cable machine.
Stand in such a way that the cable comes from behind you
Legs will be hip-width, body will be a little lean forward
Hold the handle with one hand, the hands will be straight and the elbows slightly bent
Breathe out slowly with your hands in front of you.
Raise to shoulder level – not higher than that
Stop here for a second.
Slow down to the bottom of the control
Keep stress at bay

Advanced Tips for Better Results

Pause at the top – Pause for a second at shoulder height, ensuring burn.
If only to be pulled forward, walk a little back so that the tension is in full range.
Do not need too much weight – focus on burning in 12-15 reps, keeping the form right.

Landmine Press

Targeted Muscles
Primary: Front delts, upper chest
Secondary: Core, triceps, serratus anterior

It is a kind of diagonal pressing movement, where you feel the load falls on the front delta from a different angle. It’s great for sports-focused training because the stabilizer and core also work together. It is also a safer option if the shoulder mobility is low.

How to Perform

Properly set a barbell to a landmine or corner
Hold the barbell with one or both hands.
Stand straight, with your body slightly tilted forward.
Legs will be hip-wide, creating a stable base
Press the barbell up slowly and diagonally to exhale.
Stop for a second and release the tension when the hand reaches full extension.
Slowly bring the barbell back under control.
Ensure that the movement is through the shoulders and triceps
Don’t over-arc at the waist or back, keep the core contracted
Aim for 8-12 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips for Better Results

Use the single-arm variant for unique core stabilization;
To further isolate the front delta, keep the torso twist off – a fairly straight form.
A slight push towards the bottom of the barbell deepens the tension.
At the end, you can make a drop set or mechanical drop (from two hands to one hand).

Pike Push-Up

Targeted Muscles
Primary: Front delts, upper chest
Secondary: Triceps, upper traps, core

Even if you don’t have any equipment, you can still cause a terrible burn in the front delta with this bodyweight movement. It actually works like a bodyweight overhead press, where its own weight becomes the resistance.

How to Perform (Step-by-Step):

Take a mat or carpeted place on the ground so that the hands and feet are comfortably set.
Go to a standard push-up position – hands shoulder-width apart, legs straight back.
Now lift the waist up, so that the body takes a V-shape or an inverted V-shape.
The head will be down, the eyes will be on the head.
Bend the elbows and lower the body with the head close to the ground, so that the load falls on the shoulders – not the chest.
Go down and get back up again.
Breathe in as you go down and breathe out as you go up.
Aim for 12-15 reps with 3 sets.

Advanced Tips for Better Results

Elevate your feet – If you take support under the feet, more weight will be shifted towards the front delta.
Slow eccentric – drop in 3-4 seconds while descending, which increases muscle tension.
To keep the form, do not fall through the neck, but through the head, as if the press is overhead.
If the energy decreases in the last 2 reps, finish the reps by bending the knees slightly.

High Incline Bench Press

Targeted Muscles:
Front delts (primary), upper chest, triceps (secondary)

High incline bench presses the shoulder and upper chest in two places. It specifically targets the front deltoid muscle, as the bench’s incline angle increases shoulder flexion. The front delta portion is more active than the flat bench press.

How to Perform:

Lie down on an inclined bench at an angle of 45 -75 degrees.
Hold the barbell or dumbbell at shoulder height.
Inhale and slowly press the barbell or dumbbell straight upwards.
Stretch your arms until they are fully extended.
Exhale and lower slowly under control, with the barbell or dumbbell at shoulder height.
Maintain control, without putting too much pressure on the shoulders.

Advanced Tips for Better Results:

Maintain core stabilization during the workout, and the waist will stick to the bench properly.
While pressing, throw your hands inwards to increase the focus on the front deltas.
Exercise with slow-motion control (slow eccentric) to better activate the muscles.

Incline Front Raises

Targeted Muscles:
Front delts (primary), clavicular head of the upper chest (secondary)

Incline Front Raises is an exclusive isolation exercise for front delts. Sitting on an incline bench allows you to fully focus the muscles by getting back support. It is much more controlled and effective than the usual front raise.

How to Perform:

Sit on the bench at an incline of 30 to 45 degrees, the back will be properly supported.
Hold the dumbbells in both hands and lower the hands straight down, palms facing forward.
Slowly bend your elbows and place the dumbbells in front of your shoulders.
Keep your arms straight, but don’t lock your elbows.
Pause for a moment and slowly lower the dumbbells.

Advanced Tips for Better Results:

Try not to remove the body or core during the movement.
To keep the focus on the front deltas, think that you are taking some weight with your hands.
It is more important to maintain control than to gain weight.
Slow reps and staying in the position for a while increase tension, helping to build muscle.

Cable Diagonal Raise

Targeted Muscles:
Front delts (primary), medial delts, upper chest (secondary)

The Cable Diagonal Raise is a unique isolation exercise that gently stimulates the front deltas as well as the middle deltas and upper chest. Muscles are constantly challenged in this movement due to the constant tension of the cable, which gives deeper activation and improved muscle control.

How to Perform:

Hold the handle in one hand on the bottom pulley of the cable machine, in such a way that the cable will come from behind.
Bend your knees slightly and place your feet flat on the floor in front of your body.
Try to keep the hand completely straight; the elbow can be slightly bent.
Slowly lift the hand diagonally forward upwards, so that the cable stays on itself.
After getting up to the shoulder level, stop a little, take control, and lower your hands down.
Maintain muscle control throughout the movement; do not jump or swing the body.

Advanced Tips for Better Results:

Stop in the middle without lowering the hand completely to maintain tension.
Keeping the body stable, keeping the core strong will keep the form good.
Repeat slowly and gradually, reducing muscle tension.
Increase the tension by holding the position a little at the end of the reps.

The Bottom Line

The front delt isn’t just a part of the shoulder. It’s the main story of our pushing power. So to improve these muscles, it’s not enough to just lift weights – neuromuscular control, proper exercise selection, and targeted training strategies are needed.

When you work on the muscle focus in each set, it will be possible to get that structural form of the front deltas that you will also be proud to see, and will also show results in performance. That is, if you want a ‘big’ shoulder, you have to train with ‘intelligence’.