The best reverse pec deck alternative is the rear delt cable fly: crossed cables set at chest height and pulled out to your sides give the same wide arc, with tension the whole way. With dumbbells, lie chest-down on an incline bench for incline rear delt raises, which copy the machine's chest support. At home, a band rear delt fly or band pull-aparts do the job with one light band.
What a reverse pec deck alternative has to replace
Rear delts, machine fly
Reverse Pec Deck
Shoulders
Sitting facing the pad, you sweep the handles out and back at shoulder height. The machine fixes the path and supports your chest, so your rear delts can be pushed close to failure with no balance or lower back involved.
How to do it
Set the handles to the rear position, sit facing the pad, and adjust the seat so the handles are at shoulder height.
Hold the handles with arms straight in front of you, palms down or facing in.
Sweep your arms out and back in a wide arc until they are in line with your body.
Return slowly, stopping just before the weight touches the stack, and repeat.
Cues
Wide arc, not a row
Arms almost straight
Keep the stack off the rest
Common mistakes
Pulling the elbows back like a row: the arms move out to the side.
Too much weight with jerky reps: these grow on 12 to 20 controlled reps.
The reverse pec deck trains your rear delts, with help from the muscles between your shoulder blades. Your arms sweep out and back at shoulder height while the pad holds your chest still, so the rear delts do the work all the way to the point where your arms line up with your body.
A replacement should keep that wide arc at shoulder height and some way to stop your torso helping: a pad, a bench, or a strict hinge.
You train in a gym where the pec deck is always being used for chest flies.
A pulldown and a chest-supported row cover your lats and mid back, then the rear delt cable fly takes the reverse pec deck's place at the same reps and face pulls add the outward turn. 12 working sets.
You train at home with adjustable dumbbells and a bench that inclines.
A dumbbell row covers your back, then the incline rear delt raise copies the machine with your chest on the bench, the Y raise adds the lower traps, and seated rear delt flies finish close to failure. 11 working sets.
Twice a week. If your lightest dumbbell is too heavy for the flies, do them one arm at a time.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then move up the smallest dumbbell step. On the last exercise, push every set to one rep short of failure.
You have a couple of resistance bands and floor space, and nothing else.
A band row covers your lats and mid back first, then band rear delt flies and pull-aparts take the reverse pec deck's place at high reps with short rest, since bands only get hard near the end of a set. 10 working sets.
Keep your shoulders down and think of reaching your hands to the walls, not squeezing your shoulder blades together. Use a lighter weight until the back of your shoulders burns first.
Lower back tires on bent-over flies
Use the incline rear delt raise or the cable fly, which take your lower back out of it, instead of the bent-over versions.
Dumbbells jump too much
If the smallest step up is too big for a fly, add reps to 25 first, or do one arm at a time with the heavier dumbbell.
Elbows bend more as you tire
That shortens the lever and makes the rep easier without you noticing. Set a slight elbow bend at the start and end the set when you can no longer hold it.
Train them often
Spread your rear delt sets over two or three sessions a week, 3 to 6 sets each, at the end of a pull or shoulder day, rather than one long block.
Questions
What can I do instead of the reverse pec deck?
The rear delt cable fly is the closest. With dumbbells, use incline rear delt raises or seated rear delt flies; at home, a band rear delt fly or band pull-aparts.
What is a reverse pec deck used for?
Training your rear delts, the back of your shoulders, with help from the muscles between your shoulder blades. The chest pad keeps your torso still so they do the work.
What exercise can replace a reverse fly?
Any movement that sweeps your arms out at shoulder height with your torso still: a cable rear delt fly, a chest-supported dumbbell raise, or a band rear delt fly.
What's the best rear delt exercise?
The one you can do strictly for 12 to 20 reps close to failure. The reverse pec deck and rear delt cable fly are easiest to do that way; face pulls add upper-back work.
Can you use the pec deck for reverse flies?
Yes, on most machines. Move the handles to the rear position, sit facing the pad and sweep your arms out and back.
How heavy should rear delt flies be?
Light enough to keep your elbow bend fixed and reach the point where your arms line up with your body on every rep, usually for 12 to 20 reps.
