Setup
Attach a straight bar or rope handle to the low pulley of a cable machine. Stand facing away from the machine with feet shoulder-width apart, gripping the attachment with both hands at thigh level, arms extended.
How to do it
- Keep your core tight and maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the movement
- Raise the bar forward and upward in a smooth arc until your arms are parallel to the floor
- Pause briefly at the top while squeezing your front delts
- Lower the bar back down under control, resisting the cable tension
- Avoid swinging or using momentum by keeping your torso still
Watch out for
- ✗Leaning back or using body momentum to lift the weight instead of isolating the front delts
- ✗Raising the bar too high above shoulder level, which shifts tension away from the target muscle
- ✗Letting the cable pull your arms down too quickly instead of maintaining tension throughout the descent