The pec deck is a seated machine that isolates your chest through a fixed arc. You sit upright, brace your back against the pad, and bring your arms together in front of you against resistance, either pressing your forearms into pads (the classic pec deck) or pulling handles together (the butterfly version). The seat and arm position lock you into one path, so your chest does the work without your shoulders or triceps needing to stabilize anything. That’s what makes it such a good isolation exercise for 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps at a time.
You might need an alternative for a few reasons. Not every gym has a pec deck, and almost no home gym does, so if you train outside a commercial gym you probably don’t have access to one at all. The fixed arc is also built for an average frame, and if your shoulders are wider or narrower than that average, the pad position can dig into your shoulder joint instead of your chest. Or maybe the machine’s just occupied every time you want to use it, and you need something else to hit the same muscle without waiting around.
Here are the 8 pec deck alternatives I reach for most, picked for how well they isolate the chest through a full range of motion, how safe they are on the shoulders, and what equipment they need. Some of these are close cable equivalents you could run in the exact same program slot, and others trade some of that isolation for a heavier compound option or a true no-equipment stand-in. I’ll tell you when to use each one and exactly how to do it.
Table of Contents
- 1 The 8 Best Pec Deck Alternatives
- 2 Reasons to Choose a Pec Deck Alternative
- 3 Muscles Worked by the Pec Deck
- 4 FAQs
- 4.1 What’s the closest alternative to the pec deck?
- 4.2 Can I build chest size without a pec deck?
- 4.3 What’s the best pec deck alternative for shoulder pain?
- 4.4 What’s the best pec deck alternative at home?
- 4.5 Why does the pec deck feel different from a dumbbell fly?
- 4.6 How many chest fly exercises should I do per workout?
- 5 Key Takeaways
- 6 Other Alternative Exercises
- 6.1 The 8 Best Ab Rollout Alternatives
- 6.2 The 12 Best Pull-Up Alternatives
- 6.3 The 10 Best Box Jump Alternatives
- 6.4 The 9 Best T-Bar Row Alternatives
- 6.5 The 10 Best Plank Alternatives
- 6.6 The 10 Best Front Squat Alternatives
- 6.7 The 9 Best Lunge Alternatives
- 6.8 The 10 Best Romanian Deadlift Alternatives
- 6.9 The 8 Best Hammer Curl Alternatives
- 6.10 The 10 Best Leg Extension Alternatives
- 6.11 The 10 Best Lat Pulldown Alternatives
- 6.12 The 7 Best Deadlift Alternatives
- 6.13 The 8 Best Decline Bench Press Alternatives
- 6.14 The 10 Best Pallof Press Alternatives
- 6.15 The 10 Best Bent Over Row Alternatives
The 8 Best Pec Deck Alternatives
- Cable Crossover
- Dumbbell Fly (Flat Bench)
- Incline Dumbbell Fly
- Machine Chest Press
- Banded Fly
- Dumbbell Squeeze Press
- Svend Press
- Low-to-High Cable Fly
1. Cable Crossover
When to Perform Cable Crossovers
This is the closest swap I’ve got for a pec deck. You’re still bringing your arms together against resistance, but a cable keeps tension on your chest through the entire range instead of losing it near the top the way a pec deck sometimes does. Use it when the pec deck is taken, when you want to adjust the pulley height to shift emphasis around your chest, or when you’d rather stand and let your core work a little too. I usually program it for 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, either in the same slot a pec deck would sit in or as a finisher after a heavier press.
How to Perform Cable Crossovers
- Set both pulleys of a cable crossover station to roughly shoulder height and attach D-handles.
- Grab a handle in each hand and step forward into a staggered stance to create tension.
- With a slight bend in your elbows, bring your hands together in an arc in front of your chest.
- Control the weight back out to the starting position, keeping the same slight elbow bend the whole time.
Equipment: dual cable crossover station, D-handles.
This video from PureGym shows how to perform the cable fly, also known as the cable crossover.
Tips for Cable Crossovers
- Keep the same slight elbow bend from start to finish. Bending them more turns this into a press.
- Lean forward slightly from the hips instead of standing bolt upright.
- Move the pulleys lower to bias your upper chest, or higher to bias your lower chest.
- Squeeze your pecs together at the finish instead of just letting the handles clang.
For more cable-only chest options, see our cable chest exercises roundup, and for the version that biases your lower chest specifically, check out our cable lower chest exercises guide.
2. Dumbbell Fly (Flat Bench)
When to Perform Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys
This is my pick for a real free-weight stand-in, since it forces your shoulders and rotator cuff to control the weight instead of a machine doing it for you. Use it when you train at home with just a bench and dumbbells, or when you want the stabilizer work the pec deck strips out. I’d run 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps, and I’d rather see you use less weight than you think you need than sacrifice the stretch at the bottom.
How to Perform Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys
- Lie on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand above your chest, palms facing each other.
- Set a slight, fixed bend in your elbows and keep it there for the whole set.
- Lower the dumbbells out to your sides in an arc until you feel a stretch across your chest.
- Bring the dumbbells back together above your chest along the same arc.
Equipment: flat bench, a pair of dumbbells.
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the flat dumbbell fly.
Tips for Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys
- Don’t lower the dumbbells so far that you feel a pull in the front of your shoulder instead of your chest.
- Keep your elbow bend fixed. Straightening your arms as you lower turns this into a shoulder exercise and adds strain.
- Use a spotter or ask someone to hand you the dumbbells at the start so you’re not wrestling them into position alone.
- Squeeze your chest at the top for a second instead of just letting the dumbbells knock together.
3. Incline Dumbbell Fly
When to Perform Incline Dumbbell Flys
Reach for this one when your upper chest needs more direct work than a standard pec deck gives it, since most pec deck machines sit you upright and load the mid-chest more than the clavicular head. Set the bench to a moderate incline, not a steep one, or your front delts start taking over. I’d program 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps here, usually paired with a flatter chest exercise later in the same session.
How to Perform Incline Dumbbell Flys
- Set a bench to a 30 to 45 degree incline and lie back holding a dumbbell in each hand above your upper chest.
- Set a slight, fixed bend in your elbows.
- Lower the dumbbells out to your sides in an arc, keeping your wrists stacked over your elbows.
- Bring the dumbbells back together above your chest along the same path.
Equipment: adjustable incline bench, a pair of dumbbells.
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the incline dumbbell fly.
Tips for Incline Dumbbell Flys
- Keep the incline moderate. Past about 45 degrees this starts training your shoulders more than your chest.
- Use lighter dumbbells than you’d use for a flat fly, since the angle already makes the exercise harder to stabilize.
- Don’t let your elbows drift back behind the bench line at the bottom of the rep.
- Bring the dumbbells together above your upper chest, not straight above your face.
4. Machine Chest Press
When to Perform the Machine Chest Press
This is the alternative for when you want to load your chest heavier than an isolation exercise like the pec deck ever will, while keeping the same shoulder-friendly fixed path. It’s a pressing pattern rather than a fly, so it brings your triceps and shoulders into the lift more, but the seat and handle path still guide you the same way a pec deck does. I’d program 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, and treat it as a genuine strength-and-size builder rather than a pure isolation move.
How to Perform the Machine Chest Press
- Adjust the seat so the handles line up with the middle of your chest.
- Grip the handles with your feet flat on the floor and your back against the pad.
- Press the handles forward until your arms are extended without locking your elbows out hard.
- Control the handles back to the starting position without letting the weight stack slam.
Equipment: seated chest press machine.
This video from PureGym shows how to perform the seated chest press.
Tips for the Machine Chest Press
- Get the seat height right before you touch the weight. Handles set too high or low will bother your shoulders.
- Don’t lock your elbows out hard at the top of every rep.
- Keep your shoulder blades pulled back against the pad instead of letting them roll forward.
- If your gym has both a plate-loaded and a pin-loaded version, the plate-loaded machine usually lets you adjust the seat more precisely.
For more machine-only chest options, see our gym machine chest exercises guide, and if you want a barbell alternative in the same pressing family, check out our bench press alternatives.
5. Banded Fly
When to Perform Banded Flys
This is your no-equipment option, the one you can pack in a bag for a hotel room or a home gym with no machines at all. A band anchored at chest height gives you the same constant-tension feel as a cable crossover, just without needing a cable stack. Bands are usually lighter resistance, so I’d run this for 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps rather than treating it like a strength exercise.
How to Perform Banded Flys
- Anchor a resistance band at chest height to a door anchor or a sturdy post.
- Grab an end in each hand and step forward until you feel tension in the band.
- With a slight bend in your elbows, bring your hands together in an arc in front of your chest.
- Control your arms back out to the starting position.
Equipment: one resistance band, an anchor point at chest height.
This video from Home Gym Fitness Channel shows how to perform the standing chest fly using resistance bands.
Tips for Banded Flys
- Pick a band tension where your last 2 or 3 reps of a 15 to 20 rep set actually feel hard.
- Keep a slight forward lean from your hips instead of standing straight up.
- Don’t let your shoulders round forward as you bring your hands together.
- Loop the band lower on the door anchor for more of an upward angle, or higher for more of a downward one, to change the emphasis.
6. Dumbbell Squeeze Press
When to Perform the Dumbbell Squeeze Press
This one’s closer to the pec deck than it looks on paper, since you’re keeping constant inward pressure on the dumbbells the entire set, the same continuous chest tension you get from a machine. Use it as a finisher when you want your pecs under load from the first rep to the last without any rest at the top. Stick to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps with a weight lighter than you’d use for a regular press, since the squeeze does most of the work.
How to Perform the Dumbbell Squeeze Press
- Lie on a flat bench holding two dumbbells together above your chest, palms pressing into each side of the dumbbells.
- Squeeze the dumbbells together and keep that pressure on for the entire set.
- Lower the dumbbells to your chest while maintaining the inward squeeze.
- Press the dumbbells back up to the starting position without letting them separate.
Equipment: a pair of dumbbells, a flat bench.
This video from Jordan Syatt shows how to perform the dumbbell squeeze press.
Tips for the Dumbbell Squeeze Press
- Use lighter dumbbells than you’d think. Most of the stimulus comes from the squeeze, not the load.
- Never let the inward pressure relax, not even for a single rep.
- Keep your elbows slightly flared instead of tucked, since a squeeze press isn’t meant to mimic a close-grip bench press.
- If your dumbbells keep sliding apart, try hex dumbbells instead of round ones for a flatter contact surface.
7. Svend Press
When to Perform the Svend Press
This is the lightest, most joint-friendly option on the list, and I like it as a warm-up before heavier chest work or as a finisher when your shoulders are already fried. The short range of motion and standing position mean there’s almost no way to load your shoulder joint the way a pec deck sometimes can. Keep it to 2 or 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps with a plate you can control the whole way, not one you’re straining to hold together.
How to Perform the Svend Press
- Hold a weight plate between both palms at chest height, fingers pointing up and pressing the plate flat.
- Keep squeezing the plate inward so it doesn’t slip.
- Press the plate straight out in front of your chest until your arms are extended.
- Bring the plate back to your chest, still squeezing the whole time.
Equipment: one or two weight plates (10 to 25 lbs is plenty).
This video from Bodybuilding.com shows how to perform the svend press.
Tips for the Svend Press
- Press the plate straight out, not down toward the floor.
- Use a lighter plate than you’d guess. The squeeze is the whole point, not the weight.
- Keep the plate at chest height the entire set instead of letting it drift up toward your chin.
- Stack two lighter plates back to back if a single heavier plate feels too awkward to squeeze.
8. Low-to-High Cable Fly
When to Perform the Low-to-High Cable Fly
Use this one when you want more upper chest work than the pec deck gives you, since most pec deck machines load the mid-chest at a fixed angle that doesn’t change with the pulleys the way a cable does. The upward arc mimics an incline fly but with the constant tension a cable provides. I’d program 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, usually as the second chest exercise in a session after a heavier press or fly.
How to Perform the Low-to-High Cable Fly
- Set both pulleys of a cable station to the lowest setting and attach D-handles.
- Grab a handle in each hand and split your stance to create tension.
- With a slight bend in your elbows, bring your hands up and together in an arc to about chest height.
- Control your arms back down to the starting position along the same path.
Equipment: dual cable station with low pulley settings, D-handles.
This video from ScottHermanFitness shows how to perform the low-to-high cable fly for a bigger upper chest.
Tips for the Low-to-High Cable Fly
- Set the pulleys as low as the machine allows so you get the full upward arc.
- Don’t turn this into a front raise by driving through your shoulders instead of your chest.
- Squeeze your pecs together at the top of every rep before lowering back down.
- Keep a slight forward lean and split stance so you’re not fighting to stay balanced.
For a single-cable version you can do one arm at a time, see our single cable chest exercises guide, and for more upper chest specific options, check out our cable upper chest exercises guide.
Reasons to Choose a Pec Deck Alternative
There are a few good reasons to swap the pec deck for one of the options above. None of them are a downgrade. Each one still isolates your chest through a real range of motion, and a few of them let you adjust the angle in ways a fixed machine never will.
- You don’t have a pec deck. Cables, dumbbells, bands, and bodyweight cover you anywhere, whether that’s a commercial gym without one or a home setup with a bench and a pair of dumbbells.
- The fixed arc doesn’t fit your frame. If the pad or handle position digs into your shoulder no matter how you adjust the seat, a dumbbell fly or cable crossover lets you set the range of motion yourself.
- You want to target a specific part of your chest. The incline dumbbell fly and low-to-high cable fly bias your upper chest in a way most pec deck machines can’t match.
- You want more stabilizer work. A dumbbell fly forces your shoulders to control the weight through the whole set, something the pec deck removes entirely.
- You want a true no-equipment option. The svend press and banded fly need next to nothing, so a missed gym day doesn’t have to be a missed chest day.
Muscles Worked by the Pec Deck
Your pectoralis major is a fan-shaped muscle made up of a clavicular head near your collarbone and a sternal head lower down, and both handle horizontal adduction, the motion of bringing your arms together in front of your chest that the pec deck and every alternative on this list trains. The angle you work at determines which head does more of the work, which is why the incline fly and low-to-high cable fly feel different from a flat dumbbell fly even though the motion looks similar. These are single-joint or near single-joint exercises that train these muscles almost on their own:
- Pectoralis major, sternal head: the primary target on flat and mid-height movements like the pec deck, cable crossover, flat dumbbell fly, and svend press. This is the bulk of your chest and what most lifters are trying to build when they pick one of these exercises.
- Pectoralis major, clavicular head: works hardest on the incline dumbbell fly and low-to-high cable fly, since the upward angle shifts more of the load to your upper chest.
- Anterior deltoids: get secondary work on every fly variation, more so on the incline and low-to-high versions where the angle brings your shoulders in more.
- Serratus anterior: assists at the top of the squeeze on the dumbbell squeeze press and svend press, where the inward pressure recruits it to help stabilize your shoulder blades.
- Biceps brachii: stays active isometrically on every dumbbell and cable variation to keep your elbow angle fixed through the range.
- Core and hip stabilizers: work harder on the standing exercises, the cable crossover, banded fly, low-to-high cable fly, and svend press, since you don’t have a bench or a seat holding you in place.
Want more chest exercises that build your triceps and shoulders on the side? A pullover trains a related but distinct pattern through your lats and chest at once. See our dumbbell pullover alternatives guide for that angle.
FAQs
What’s the closest alternative to the pec deck?
The cable crossover. Both bring your arms together in an arc in front of your chest, and a cable actually keeps tension on your pecs more consistently than a pec deck does near the top of the rep. If you had to pick one swap, I’d start there.
Can I build chest size without a pec deck?
Yes. Your chest grows from loading it through a full range with enough volume over time, and it doesn’t care whether that load comes from a machine, a cable, a dumbbell, a band, or a plate you’re squeezing between your hands. Any exercise on this list will build your chest if you train it hard and progress it, whether that means adding weight, adding reps, or slowing the tempo down.
What’s the best pec deck alternative for shoulder pain?
The svend press and banded fly are usually the friendliest, since neither one puts your shoulder into the deep, end-range stretch that can bother a sensitive joint. If a specific exercise hurts, shorten the range of motion before you drop the weight, and give the joint a week or two of lighter loading before you try to push it hard again.
What’s the best pec deck alternative at home?
The svend press if you’ve got a single plate, and the banded fly if you’ve got a resistance band and something to anchor it to. Between the two, you can train your whole chest without ever needing a machine or a bench. Add a flat dumbbell fly to the mix if you’ve got a bench and a pair of dumbbells at home too.
Why does the pec deck feel different from a dumbbell fly?
The seat and arm pads lock you into one path, so your chest does the work without your shoulders needing to stabilize the weight the way they do with a dumbbell. That’s usually why people find the pec deck easier to push closer to failure. A dumbbell fly asks more of your shoulder stability, which is part of why I like it as a swap when I want that stabilizer work back in the program.
How many chest fly exercises should I do per workout?
One is usually enough on a day where you’re also pressing, since your chest already gets worked by a bench press or machine chest press before you isolate it. On a dedicated chest day, 2 exercises covering different angles, like a flat fly and an incline or low-to-high fly, will cover the muscle well without piling on junk volume.
Key Takeaways
If you want the closest swap, go with the cable crossover. If you’re training at home with a bench and dumbbells, the flat dumbbell fly covers the same pattern with more stabilizer demand. Chasing upper chest specifically, use the incline dumbbell fly or low-to-high cable fly. Bad shoulders or no equipment at all, start with the svend press or banded fly before you try anything with a deep stretch at the bottom. Pick based on your equipment and how your shoulders feel, and progress it the same way you’d progress a pec deck: more weight or more reps over time. You don’t need to run all 8 at once. Two that fit your equipment and your goals will do more for your chest than trying to cram every option into one program.
Other Alternative Exercises
If you enjoyed this post, check out our other roundups of the best alternatives for other exercises.
