Men’s Open bodybuilder Hunter Labrada has built a reputation as one of the premier competitors in the world right now. Late last month, Labarda dished the secret to getting the calves to grow. Now, he’s giving his audience tips on building fuller pecs.
On May 11, 2023, Labrada published a video to his YouTube channel wherein he demonstrates how to do pec deck flyes with proper form. Check it out below:
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What Is the Peck Dec Flye?
A pec deck is a machine where one sits and, in each hand, holds a handle attached to a metal arm that moves in an elliptical motion. With this machine, there are two movements one can perform: flyes and reverse flyes.
Reverse flyes target the upper body, including the rhomboids and rear deltoids. The front-facing flye hit’s the antagonistic muscles (opposing muscles) of the reverse flye — the pectoralis major.
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Labrada uses pec deck flyes as an accessory exercise to add volume to the chest. Movements like the bench press are excellent for lifting heavy to increase strength. Pec deck flyes offer more range of motion to train the pecs in their fully lengthened position. Squeezing at the top of the movement promotes a fuller chest.
Labrada’s Pec Deck Flye Tips
Below are aspects gym-goers should focus on to perfect their pec deck flye form:
Setup
Labrada suggests positioning the machine’s seat so the arms are perpendicular to the torso. This allows the lifter to move through their full range of motion. When contracting the pecs at the top of each rep, think about pressing the bottoms of the hands together as hard as possible to further contract the pecs.
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“Everything, relatively, should be in a…straight line,” says Labrada. “Wrist, elbow, shoulder, carrying across to the other side…You’re trying to put the…line of force through those pec fibers.”
One should avoid having their arms too straight since it would put them at risk of shoulder or elbow impingement. Though, if the arms are too bent, tension fades from the chest. A slight bend in the arms is recommended to bias the pecs while protecting the shoulder joints.
Torso/Hip Positioning
Labrada keeps the “line of pull” within the chest, which means the hips are pushed forward, the chest is upright, and the pecs are isolated to move the weight.
By scooting the hips forward on the machine, the range of motion in the chest can increase, though it likely biases the lower pec fibers. Labrada keeps constant tension on the pecs throughout the movement, meaning that there is no position of rest at the top or bottom of the movement — the chest remains engaged to maintain tension on the pecs.
Range of Motion
With his shoulders down and back while bracing into the back of the pad, Labrada rotates his armpits forward, almost as if he were doing chest flyes with dumbbells on an incline bench.
If the shoulders roll, the arms traveled go too forward or back. Instead, the arms should remain neutral. The goal is a full stretch while pointing the armpits up and fully contracting by bringing the elbows together — a cue for shortening the pecs. Neutral, engaged shoulders and a proud, upright chest ensures Labrada gets a quality rep every time.
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Upcoming for Labrada
The IFBB pro will hit the 2023 Tampa Pro and 2023 Texas Pro stages to try and qualify for Mr. Olympia, scheduled for Nov. 2-5 in Orlando, FL.
Win or lose this year, I really want to do a good job of being present and self-aware and being in the moment.
Despite falling to seventh place overall at the 2022 Olympia from fourth overall the year prior, Labrada is a favorite to score another pro win and earn his 2023 Olympia qualification.
Featured image: @hunterlabrada on Instagram
