Group: General Fitness & Exercise

General Fitness & Exercise
Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 383, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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Faulty gym equipment?

shaipnai83
shaipnai83
Posts: 30
Joined: 2003/02/01
United States
2005/07/15, 02:14 PM
Does anybody use the Pec Deck machine at the gym? I read in a Men's Health magazine that it's not safe to use; that it places tremendous stress on your front deltoids, which can lead to nerve injuries. It also had some explanations why the standing calf raise machine, and the smith machine for squats were dangerous too.
2005/07/15, 10:07 PM
I've heard that the starting position on many pec decks (elbows pulled far back) can possibly cause over-stretching of the connective tissues in the shoulder. I think you can get around that, though, by rotating your torso and putting one arm at a time into place (ensuring the arm your placing isn't pulled too far back). You can also have someone pull the pads or grips forward a little to prevent that stretch. I've never personally had problems with the exercise, though I rarely use that machine; I prefer dumbbell flyes.