Pec Deck

Equipment

How to do it

Adjust the seat so your upper arms are about level with your shoulders when your forearms rest on the pads. Sit with your back flat against the back pad and your feet on the floor.

1. 1.Place your forearms against the pads with your elbows bent to about 90 degrees, holding the grips lightly if the machine has them.
2. 2.Start with the pads open to your sides, chest up, and shoulder blades against the back pad.
3. 3.Press through your forearms to bring the pads together in front of your chest in a hugging motion.
4. 4.Squeeze your chest for a moment when the pads meet.
5. 5.Let the pads open slowly until you feel a stretch across your chest, stopping while your shoulders are still against the back pad.

Common mistakes

• Letting your shoulders roll forward off the back pad as the pads meet.
• Opening your arms past the point where you can control the weight.
• Using momentum to swing the pads together.
• Gripping hard and pulling with your hands instead of pressing through your forearms.

Variations

Handle pec deck

Some machines use long handles instead of forearm pads. Hold them with a slight bend in your elbows and keep that angle for the whole set.

Single-arm pec deck

Work one arm at a time on a machine with independent arms, holding the other side still.

Alternatives

• Dumbbell Chest Fly: The free-weight fly on a flat bench.
• Cable Crossover: A standing cable fly with adjustable pulley height.
• Low-to-High Cable Fly: A cable fly angled toward the upper chest.
• Chest Press Machine: A machine press for the chest when you want heavier loads.

Related exercises

Chest StretchChest, Front delts, Side deltsAssisted Dip MachineChestShoulder Press MachineFront delts, Side delts, TricepsSmith Machine Bench PressChestArnold PressFront delts, Side delts, TricepsBarbell Bench PressChest