Chest
Pec Deck
The pec deck offers unparalleled mechanical tension and isolated contraction for focused chest development.
How to perform.
Follow the sequence — setup is half the lift.
Adjust the seat height so that the handles or pads are level with your chest and your feet rest flat on the floor.
Sit back firmly against the pad with a neutral spine and grasp the handles with a slight bend in your elbows.
Contract your chest to pull the handles together in a controlled arc until they meet in front of your body.
Squeeze your pectoral muscles forcibly at the peak of the movement for one second.
Slowly reverse the motion to return the weights to the starting position without letting the plates touch.
Maintain the slight bend in your elbows throughout the entire set to keep the tension on the chest rather than the joints.
Common mistakes.
Fix these first — they cost reps, kilos, and joints.
- Arching the lower back off the pad to compensate for heavy weight
- Allowing the elbows to travel too far back past the shoulders
- Using momentum or swinging the weights together
- Gripping the handles too tightly, which can shift tension to the forearms
Muscles worked.
The primary movers do the work; the stabilizers keep the path honest.