In many sports and occupations, most of the body's movement takes place in front of the body. As a result, the front arm raise can be done to enhance some of these movements and to maintain or even improve shoulder flexibility.
The anterior deltoid, the pectoralis major (upper portion), and the coracobrachialis are involved in the front arm raise. The action in this exercise is shoulder joint flexion, in which the arms move directly forward and upward from a position alongside the body. In the shoulder girdle the serratus anterior and the upper and lower trapezius are involved in upward rotation of the scapula.
When both arms are involved, the right scapula rotates counterclockwise and the left rotates clockwise on an axis through the center of each bone when viewed from the rear. When one or both arms are used, the scapula also undergo some abduction, especially in a reaching action, in which they move away from the spine toward the sides of the rib cage.
