# Reverse Pec Deck: how to do it

- Main muscles: rear delts
- Also works: upper back
- Equipment: machine
- Level: beginner
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/reverse_pec_deck/ad0dd6cf57/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Set the seat so the handles are level with your shoulders.
2. Sit facing the pad, chest against it, and hold the handles with straight arms.
3. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and sweep your arms out and back.
4. Stop when your arms are in line with your shoulders and pause.
5. Return slowly without letting the weights touch down.

## Cues

- Chest stays on the pad.
- Arms wide, at shoulder height.
- Shoulders down, elbows soft.

## Common mistakes

- Leaning back off the pad: lighten the weight and keep your chest pressed in.
- Shrugging: set your shoulders down before each rep.
- Bending your elbows to pull: keep the slight bend fixed so your rear shoulders do the work.

## Starting position

Machine in rear-delt mode: arms set to the front-most position, seat facing the chest pad. Seat height set so the handles are level with the shoulders when the arms are straight out in front (arms parallel to the floor); the machine pivots sit directly above the shoulder joints. Sit tall with the chest and stomach against the pad, feet flat, knees about 90°. Neutral grip on the vertical handles (palms facing each other), thumbs wrapped, wrists straight. Shoulders set down, gaze ahead.

## The movement

Each hand travels a flat arc at shoulder height around the shoulder joint. Only the arms move. The chest stays on the pad, the trunk and head stay still, the elbows stay at the same bend.

## End position

Arms swept out and back until they are in line with the shoulders, forming a T seen from the front (up to 10° behind the shoulder line is fine). Arms still level with the shoulders, elbow bend unchanged, palms facing forward. Shoulder blades drawn together lightly. Pause 0.5 s.

## Tempo

Open 1.5 s / pause 0.5 s / return 2 s, stopping just before the stack touches down.

## Form in numbers

| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hand height | shoulder height | ±5 cm through the rep |  |
| Trunk angle from vertical | 0° | 0–10° forward, no change in the rep |  |
| Elbow flexion (fixed) | 15° | 10–20° |  |
| Arms behind the shoulder line at the end (top view) | 0° | 0–10° |  |
| Hand gap at the start | 25 cm | 20–30 cm |  |

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/reverse-pec-deck