Essomio™

← All exercise guides

chest

Pec Deck

Seated at a machine, you bring two padded arms together in front of your chest. The easiest way to learn the fly movement.

beginnerpec deck

Pec Deck, start position
START
Pec Deck, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START3
  1. Set the seat so the handles are level with the middle of your chest.
  2. Set the starting position of the arms so you feel a light stretch when you grab them.
  3. Choose the weight with the pin.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit with your back flat against the pad and your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Grab the handles with your elbows slightly bent, or rest your forearms on the pads.

Check: Your back is against the pad, your arms are open, and you feel a light stretch across your chest.

Bring the arms together

  1. Squeeze your chest to bring the handles together in front of you.
  2. Hold for a second with the handles almost touching.

Check: The handles meet in front of your chest, your back is still against the pad, and you feel your chest squeezing.

Open slowly

  1. Let the handles move apart slowly until you feel the stretch again.

Check: You are back at the start with a light stretch across your chest.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then let the arms rest back gently against the stops.

Breathe out as you bring the arms together in about 1 second; breathe in as you open them over 2 to 3 seconds.

MUSCLES WORKED
Pec Deck: muscles worked, front view
Pec Deck: muscles worked, back view

chestfront delts

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES3
  • Leaning forward or lifting your back off the pad. You use your shoulders and momentum instead of your chest. Fix: Keep your back and head against the pad.
  • Letting the weight snap the arms open. Fix: Control the opening; it should take longer than the squeeze.
  • Seat too low, so the handles are above your shoulders. Fix: Raise the seat until the handles are level with mid-chest.
SAFETY1
  • Set the arm start position before loading weight; a deep stretch under load can strain the shoulder.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • pec deck · seat height: handles level with the middle of your chest · arm start position: set so you feel a light stretch, not a strain
RELATED EXERCISES

harder: dumbbell fly, cable crossover

variants: chest press machine

© 2026 Essomio LLC. The illustrations, muscle charts and guide text on this page are works of Essomio LLC, all rights reserved. They are for your personal use and may not be copied, redistributed or used to train models without written permission — see Licensing.