Pec deck

What it is

A seated machine fly in which you bring two handles or pads together in front of your chest along a fixed arc. The machine controls the path, so the chest gets a deep, supported stretch and a hard squeeze without the balance demands of dumbbells.

Muscles worked

Primary: Chest (pectorals). Secondary: Front deltoids.

How to perform it

1. Set the seat so the handles sit at mid-chest height when your arms are out to the sides.
2. Sit back with your shoulder blades against the pad and take the handles with a slight, fixed bend in the elbows.
3. Bring the handles together in an arc in front of your chest, squeezing the pecs as they meet.
4. Return under control to a comfortable stretch across the chest without letting the shoulders roll forward.

Common form faults

• Opening so far back that the stretch is felt in the shoulder joint. Set the range stops, or stop where you feel a stretch across the chest rather than a strain at the front of the shoulder.
• Bending and straightening the elbows, turning it into a press. Fix a slight elbow bend and keep it; the movement should come from the shoulder joint with the chest doing the work.
• Shoulders rolling forward off the pad at the squeeze. Keep the shoulder blades pinned back against the pad so the chest, not the front delt, finishes the rep.

Programming

A chest-isolation accessory in moderate to higher reps, usually after the main pressing. The guided path makes it easy to take close to failure safely, and the stretched position is where it earns its place: do not cut it short to move a bigger stack.