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Pec deck machine is one of the most common machines you can find in the gym. In this machine, you can do chest flys and reverse flys ( for rear delts). But what if you are at home or don’t have access to a pec deck machine? What exercises you can do as an alternative to peck deck fly? You will find those answers here.
In this article, I have shared the list of the 8 best alternatives to the pec deck fly which you can do at home. Some exercises are bodyweight while some require basic home gym equipment. But before starting the exercise, it’s important to know which muscles are worked during pec deck fly.
8 Best pec deck fly alternatives that you can also do at home are:
- Dumbbell Floor Fly
- Chest Dips
- Swiss Ball Pushup
- Sliding Pushup
- TRX Chest Fly
- Archer Pushup
- Flat Dumbbell Fly
- Cross Over Chest Fly
Contents
Muscles Worked During Pec Deck Fly
During a pec deck fly or a cable crossover, the primary muscles involved are the pectoralis major and minor (chest muscles). Along with that, there are secondary muscles like the triceps and anterior deltoids which also assist during the movement. So when we choose an alternative option, then we should consider this.
So now let’s jump into the pec deck alternatives!
Alternatives To Pec Deck Fly
1. Dumbbell Floor Fly
Floor exercises are easier and more convenient to do at home. Floor dumbbell flye is much safer and more effective in training your chest. Also, you can do it as an alternative to pec deck fly.
How to do
1. Hold both dumbbells and lay down on the floor with your legs either straight or both feet on the floor.
2. Now start moving your hands up while keeping the tension on the chest and then pause at the top when both dumbbells are about to meet.
3. Gradually return to the starting position and then repeat the movement.
Flys done on the floor will keep your shoulder in a safe position as there is the support you get from the ground at the bottom part of the movement. Whereas bench flys are not as safe as floor fly. If you are looking for high-quality adjustable dumbbells, then you can choose Bowflex. They have top-quality fitness equipment and products. You can check out their dumbbells by clicking here.
2. Chest Dips
This is a great bodyweight exercise to increase the strength of the upper body. Many people perform this exercise to build the size and thickness of their chest. Dips are a little harder than pec deck fly but it’s one of the powerful exercises to build the strength and size of the chest.
Targeted Muscles- lower chest, triceps, and abs
How to do
1. Place both hands on the dip bar while holding it tight and then lift your body balancing it in the air.
2. Now start lowering your body by slightly keeping your elbows out and reach at the bottom position where your elbows are at a 90° angle.
3. From there, start pushing the body up by squeezing your chest muscles and extending your elbows at the top.
If you are a beginner, then you can do some other alternatives to dips as there are many other options available. If you don’t have a dip bar at home, then you can buy it from sports royals as they have very quality dip bars available. There are so many other products they have. You can check out their dip bars here
3. Swiss Ball Push-Ups
Another great alternative to pec deck fly. Here, you just need a swiss ball to perform this exercise. This will not only work the chest but also target the core muscle. So you must try it!
This is a little harder exercise. You will require great balance and stability while doing this move which will make It challenging for beginners. You can reduce the difficulty level by keeping the swiss ball behind the wall.
How to do
1. Place your hands on a stability ball and slowly bring your feet back and keep it straight.. Hands should be as further as the ball allows.
2. Your chest should be in line with your hands. It should not be away from the ball.
3. With your core and hips tight, start bringing your body down until your chest almost touches the ball.
4. Push back to the starting position and repeat the movement.
This exercise is an advanced exercise so beginners should stick do the regular push-ups. Once you master the pushup, then slowly and gradually add this to your workout program.
4. Sliding Pushup
Another great alternative option for you. This is a bodyweight exercise you can do at home without any type of equipment. This also activates your core muscles to a great extent which makes them functional and athletic.
Targeted muscles- pectoralis major and minor, abs
How to do
1. Grab two pairs of hand pads or socks and place both hands on the floor.
2. Keep both hands close to each other and get yourself in a push-up position by keeping your legs and arms straight. The chest should be under the hand.
3. Start the exercise by pushing both hands to the sides for a slide while keeping your back straight.
4. Pause at the bottom when your chest is almost touching the floor and then slide back to the starting position.
Remember to breathe in on the way down and breathe out on the way up. Also, do this exercise slowly. If the exercise is difficult for you then do it with your knees down.
5. TRX Chest fly
Talking about TRX, it is a great tool that you should have with you. You can do many exercises with the TRX at home or anywhere. So if you don’t have pec deck fly, then do TRX chest flys.
You can also do a chest press with TRX suspension, or mix both chest flys and presses as shown in the above video. Add these variations if you can do chest press or flys easily.
Targeted Muscles– mid and lower chest
How to do
1. Attach a TRX suspension at the top where you can fix the strap. You can find how to attach TRX here.
2. Grab each end of the bands and stand forward with your body leaning forward and keeping your arms straight forward. This is the starting position.
3. Slowly bring your body forward and move your arms sideways by pointing your elbows to the side. Control on the way down.
4. Pause at the bottom when your wrist comes slightly above your lower chest. Then Slowly push back to the starting position.
Your shoulders should be pinched back before performing the exercise. Always keep your chest up as you go down as this puts constant tension on your chest without involving your shoulder.
6. Archer Push-Ups
Archer pushup is a great exercise to put complete tension on the chest. Here, you can create constant tension on your muscles and individually focus on each side of the chest. So if you are at home without a pec deck fly machine, then do archer pushups.
How to do-
1. Set up just like a normal push-up position with your legs and arms straight. Your grip should be wider than the normal push-up grip.
2. Lower your body and bring your chest towards one side with the help of one hand. The other hand will be placed on the side of the ground for balance.
3. Bring your torso up by pushing with your arms and return to the starting position.
4. Then again go down, but this time towards the other side and do the same movement.
Remember to keep your back straight and don’t drop your hips during the movement. You should activate your abs and tighten the core to perform the exercise correctly.
7. Flat Dumbbell Fly
This is the old-school exercise that many bodybuilders like Arnold used to do during their peak times. Dumbbell fly allows you to stretch your pecs at the bottom, making it move in a full range of motion.
One benefit of performing flys on a bench is that you can completely stretch your chest at the bottom. This creates more range of motion which means, your muscles will work more.
Targeted Muscles- lower and mid-chest
How to do
1. hold two dumbbells and lay down with your back on the bench. Keep your arms straight up with a slight bend in the elbow. This will be your starting position.
2. Start by moving your arms down and bending your elbows as you reach the bottom. Breath in on the way down.
3. Stop until your chest is fully stretched and then move your arms up while breathing out.
4. Move your arms up and bring them back to the starting position.
Tip- To fully activate your chest, your shoulders should be pinched back, which brings your chest up. This way you will involve your shoulders less during the movement.
8. Cross Over Chest Fly
This is another great exercise you can do at home and you need is a resistance band. Make sure that the band has a handle. This is a great exercise because here, you can take your hands beyond the midline of the body which will put maximum tension on your chest.
Targeted muscles- Pectoralis major and minor (mid and inner chest)
How to do
1. Attach a door anchor at hip height. Fix the resistance band with the anchor. Now hold the handles and come forward.
2. Move your hands forward like you are hugging someone. Your hands should go beyond the midline of the body.
3. Come back slowly and repeat the movement.
If your hands pass the midline of the chest, it activates your chest more. And this allows you to bring both hands across each other which creates even more tension on the chest.
Recommended Equipments
If you want to do a workout at home or if for any reason you can’t go to the gym, then these are the equipment you should consider buying. You can do many exercises if you have this basic equipment with you.
`1. Adjustable Dumbbells
Having adjustable dumbbells can be very helpful in performing workouts at home. You can do so many exercises with dumbbells. One of the important things to consider before buying dumbbells is whether you can increase or decrease the weight of the dumbbells.
Having adjustable dumbbells is very beneficial as you can increase the weight of the dumbbells as you progress. Bowflex is a very popular equipment company and they have good quality products. Their dumbbells and bench press machines are very popular.
You can check out their dumbbells by clicking here
2. Adjustable Bench
An adjustable bench is another basic and most important piece of equipment you should have in your home gym garage. You can do so many exercises like incline, decline, or flat bench presses. You can adjust the bench angle to hit different parts of the chest.
You can also buy an adjustable bench from Bowflex by clicking here.
3. Dip Bar
If you don’t have a dip bar at home, then you can buy it from sports royals as they have very quality dip bars available. There are so many other products they have. You can check out their dip bars here.
Instead of a dip bar, you can also buy a power tower where you can do so many exercises including pull-ups, dips, hanging leg raises, chin-ups, and much more. So if you are planning to work at home or already working out in your home garage, then you must have a power tower. You can check sports royals power towers here
4. Home Gym Machine
If you want one machine that allows you to do all different kinds of exercises, then Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE is the best. It is a very popular machine and has so many good reviews. Their quality is also good. However, if you don’t work out at home too often, then you might not need it. This product is for those who usually work out at home and want to build their own home gym. Click here to know more about their product
Final Words
So there are many options available when we look at an alternative. All these exercises discussed above can be replaced with pec deck flys but make sure that you design your workout program according to your strengths and limitations. Don’t pick those exercises which are uncomfortable to perform or which hurts your joints or cause pain.
You can also use a pec deck fly machine to do reverse flys. You can check out this article on reverse pec deck fly alternatives by clicking here.
If you found this blog helpful, then do share it with your friends and on social media so that more people can read it. Also, if you know of any other alternative exercises, you can share them in the comment section below.
Also Read
- 16 Awesome Chest Exercises You Can Do Without Bench
- 10 Best Seated Cable Row Alternatives (That Works Same Muscles)
- 12 Best Alternative to Dips for Chest and Triceps
Roshan Pillai is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer with more than 6 years of experience in lifting weights and guiding people to get fit. He has worked as a personal trainer in gyms and is the owner and editor of fitnessproworkout.com. He is passionate about fitness and helping people to get in shape.
