The bench press is a foundational exercise for developing upper body strength and muscle mass, primarily targeting the chest, shoulders, and triceps. To maximize training efficiency and muscle growth, many lifters employ a superset, which involves performing two different exercises back-to-back with minimal rest. This approach saves time and increases workout intensity. Effective pairings focus on either working opposing muscle groups or further fatiguing the pressing muscles.
Antagonistic Superset Pairings
Pairing the bench press (a horizontal push) with an exercise targeting the opposing muscle group—the back—forms an antagonistic superset. This strategy uses reciprocal inhibition, where contracting one muscle group promotes the relaxation and faster recovery of its opposing group. This allows for a higher quality of work in both movements. The primary advantage is time-saving, as the rest period for one muscle is utilized for training the other.
A highly effective pairing is the Bench Press followed immediately by a Dumbbell Row. The Dumbbell Row targets the lats and mid-back, which are the antagonists to the chest and front shoulders used in the press. Training these muscles helps promote muscular balance around the shoulder joint, which can be beneficial for long-term shoulder health. This combination of a horizontal push and a horizontal pull is biomechanically sound, as it trains opposing movements within the same plane of motion.
For a more focused approach on shoulder health and stability, superset the bench press with Face Pulls or Band Pull-Aparts. The Face Pull targets the rear deltoids and upper back musculature, which stabilize the shoulder joint during the bench press. Performing this pulling exercise helps correct the common imbalance created by excessive pushing volume. Band Pull-Aparts also activate the scapular retractors and rear shoulders, priming the upper back to provide a stable platform for heavy pressing.
Complementary Accessory Supersetting
A different superset strategy pairs the bench press with an accessory exercise targeting the same or synergistic muscle groups, such as the chest or triceps. This approach enhances metabolic stress and drives the targeted muscles to a higher degree of fatigue. These pairings are referred to as pre-exhaustion or post-exhaustion sets, depending on the exercise order. The goal is to maximize growth stimulus by forcing the primary muscle group to work harder relative to its assisting muscles.
Post-exhaustion is the most common application, where the compound lift is performed first, followed by an isolation movement like Cable Flyes. Starting with the compound movement maximizes mechanical tension and strength development by allowing you to lift the heaviest weight possible. The subsequent isolation movement then pushes the chest to full fatigue with minimal involvement from the already-taxed triceps and deltoids.
Post-exhaustion can also target the triceps, which are heavily involved in the lockout phase of the bench press. Pairing the Bench Press with an exercise like the Triceps Pushdown or an overhead extension fully fatigues the muscle. This ensures the triceps, often the limiting factor, receive additional volume for hypertrophy. While pre-exhaustion (isolation first) can improve the mind-muscle connection, it usually limits the weight handled on the subsequent bench press.
Structuring and Safety Considerations
Implementing supersets requires careful attention to programming and safety protocols. The rest period between the two exercises should be minimal, ideally zero to 30 seconds, to maximize intensity and time efficiency. However, the rest period between the completion of one full superset and the start of the next should be longer to ensure adequate recovery of the nervous system and strength.
For a primary lift like the bench press, a rest period of 90 to 120 seconds between full supersets is appropriate for muscle growth goals. The load selection for the accessory lift should be significantly lighter than a straight set load. This is because the accessory movement is performed in a fatigued state to increase metabolic stress, not to move maximal weight. Maintaining strict control and perfect form on the accessory exercise is necessary to prevent injury.
Safety is important when incorporating high-intensity techniques like supersets with a heavy compound lift. Always use a spotter or set up safety pins in a power rack to prevent the bar from trapping you if a repetition fails. Prioritizing a thorough warm-up, including dynamic movements for the shoulder joint, is necessary before beginning any heavy pressing. Once the supersets begin, be mindful of form degradation as fatigue accumulates; if technique breaks down significantly, the set should be terminated immediately.