A machine fly, alternatively called a seated lever fly or "Pec Deck" fly is a
strength training
Strength training or resistance training involves the performance of physical exercises that are designed to improve strength and endurance. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate a variety of training te ...
exercise based on the free weight
chest fly. As with the chest fly, the
hand and
arm
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...
move through an
arc while the
elbow
The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the me ...
is kept at a constant angle. Flyes are used to work the
muscles of the
upper body, primarily the sternal head of the
pectoralis major. Because these exercises use the arms as
lever
A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or '' fulcrum''. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the locations of fulcrum, load and effort, the lever is d ...
s at their longest possible length, the amount of weight that can be moved is significantly less than equivalent press exercises for the same muscles (the
military press
The overhead press is an upper-body weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight overhead while seated or standing. It is mainly used to develop the anterior deltoid muscles of the shoulder. The standing version was once a compon ...
and
bench press for the shoulder and chest respectively). Denie Walter is credited with calling it the Peck Dec back in the 1970s.
Equipment
There are two designs of weight training machines available for this exercise. The seated lever fly machine, and the Pec Dec. The seated lever fly involves grasping two handles at shoulder height, and pushing them together while keeping the elbows at a constant angle. When using the Pec Dec machine the hands grip two handles at head height, while the forearms push against two pads at chest height.
Pec Dec fly
at exrx.com The anterior deltoids
The deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the human shoulder. It is also known as the 'common shoulder muscle', particularly in other animals such as the domestic cat. Anatomically, the deltoid muscle appears to be made up o ...
are used as synergists in both variations. The biceps brachii act as a synergist in the seated lever exercise, but not on the Pec Dec due to the raised arm position.
In some machines, the seated lever can be adjusted to perform a rear delt fly exercise.
Butterfly-machine-2.png, Butterfly machine fly (pec deck) start
Butterfly-machine-1.png, Butterfly machine fly (pec deck) end
References
Weight training exercises
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