10 Best Assistance Exercises For Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift

The squat, bench press, and deadlift are staple lifts in most training regimens. These compound (multi-joint) lifts train almost every muscle in your body. Also, competitive powerlifters are judged on these three lifts.

Serious powerlifters are always chasing PRs and one-rep maxes (1RMs). Some want to get stronger and post a giant total in their next powerlifting meet, while others want social media bragging rights. This article will help take you toward your goal.

As a veteran personal trainer with over seven years of experience, I work extensively with powerlifters, integrating accessory exercises into their training plans to maximize strength gains.

Assistance exercises, also known as accessory lifts, are usually done at the end of a workout. They can improve aesthetics and train secondary muscles for better performance in compound lifts like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. 

In this article, I share the 10 most effective assistance exercises to take your strength gains to the next level. 

Must Read: What Does PR Mean in Gym?

10 Best Assistance Exercises For Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift

Be mindful of the assistance exercises you add to your powerlifting program. Analyze your weaknesses and design a training regimen that helps fix them. 

Adding the following accessory lifts to your powerlifting regimen will improve your performance and aesthetics:

1. Pin Squat
2. Pause Squat
3. Front Squat
4. Bulgarian Split Squat
5. Dumbbell Chest Fly
6. Dips
7. Military Press
8. Deficit Deadlift
9. Barbell Row
10. Good Morning

4 Squat Assistance Exercises 

These exercises should be a part of your squat day:

1. Pin Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 6-8
Equipment Needed	Squat rack, barbell
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae (lower back)

The pin squat is an incredibly effective exercise for building lockout strength during a conventional squat. Since this exercise involves a limited range of motion (ROM), you can lift significantly heavier here, giving you a psychological boost. 

Think about actively pulling yourself down once the bar hits the pins instead of just letting the weight settle. It helps maintain tension and sets you up for a powerful ascent.

Steps:

1. Set the safety bars in the middle of your orthodox squatting range of motion. Alternatively, set them in the trouble zone for you.
2. Load the bar with an appropriate weight.
3. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance.
4. Lower toward the floor by bending at your knees and pushing your hips back and down.
5. The bar should rest on the safety pins at the bottom.
6. Explode back to the starting position while driving through your heels.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. It helps build lockout power on the squat.
2. The pin squat is less strenuous on the lower back.
3. One of the safest squat alternatives. 

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Increase weight, pause at the bottom	Box squat

Check out our complete pin squat guide!

2. Pause Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 5-8
Equipment Needed	Squat rack, safety pins, barbell
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, erector spinae

Many make the mistake of setting the pins at or below parallel at the squat’s bottom during the pin squat. While the approach is acceptable, the pause squat is a better alternative if you want to go so deep. 

The pause squat is a great assistance exercise if you have trouble getting out of the hole. It requires you to pause at the bottom of the squat. Aim for a 1-5 second pause to get the best bang for your buck.

Steps:

1. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance and a barbell placed across your shoulders.
2. Slowly lower toward the floor by pushing your hips back and down and bending at your knees.
3. Go down as low as possible comfortably.
4. Hold for 1-5 seconds — the more, the merrier.
5. Driving through your heels, explode back to the starting position.
6. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits: 

1. It increases your time under tension.
2. Pause squats make you stronger at the bottom of the squat.
3. They improve your endurance.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Longer pause	Box squats

3. Front Squat

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Squat rack, barbell
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, glutes, core

Most lifters believe the barbell front squat is more challenging than the back squat. It forces you to keep your torso upright and core tight. You can’t muscle out of a tricky spot during a front squat, as even the slightest forward tilt will make the bar roll off your shoulders. 

Drive your elbows toward the ceiling throughout the ROM to keep the barbell in place. It also activates the upper back and promotes a more upright torso.

Steps:

1. Raise your arms in front of your body and push your shoulders out to create a shelf for the barbell.
2. Place a barbell across the front of your shoulders, also known as the front rack position.
3. Alternatively, you could grab the bar with a cross grip (arms crossed).
4. Assume a shoulder-wide stance.
5. Lower toward the floor by pushing your hips back and down while keeping an upright torso.
6. Return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. The front squat is arguably the most quad-centric squat variation.
2. It reduces lower-back engagement.
3. It helps build core strength.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Thrusters	Goblet squat

Check out our complete front squat guide!

4. Bulgarian Split Squat 

Sets & Reps	3 x 10-15 per leg
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings

The Bulgarian split squat can help improve your balance and core strength and carry over to your squatting performance. 

Leaning forward slightly during the descent loads the quads and helps maintain balance. Beginners can hold onto a sturdy surface like a wall for better stability.

Steps:

1. Stand about two feet in front of a flat bench.
2. Grab a dumbbell in each hand.
3. Place the top of your right foot on the bench. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
4. Find a position where you can comfortably complete a squat. 
5. Engage your core, push your shoulders back and down, and lean forward slightly.
6. Slowly lower toward the floor until your rear knee gently touches the floor.
7. Return to the starting position.
8. Repeat for recommended reps before switching sides.

Benefits:

1. It is a unilateral exercise that can help fix muscle and strength imbalances.
2. Bulgarian split squats can improve your core stability and balance.
3. It does not overload your back.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Elevate the front foot	Split squats

Check out our complete Bulgarian split squat guide!

3 Bench Press Assistance Exercises 

Perform these accessory lifts for a bigger bench:

1. Dumbbell Chest Fly

Sets & Reps	3 x 10-15
Equipment Needed	Dumbbells
Target Muscles	Pectoralis major (chest)

The dumbbell chest fly is an isolation exercise that biases the inner chest. It also improves your rotator cuff health. 

Extend your elbows on the concentric phase to achieve peak chest contraction at the top for better muscle activation and mind-muscle connection.

Steps:

1. Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand placed at the bottom of your upper leg.
2. Lay back and push the dumbbell to your chest.
3. Press the dumbbells to lockout at the top.
4. While maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, slowly lower the dumbbells laterally.
5. Once the dumbbells reach chest level, return to the start position by reversing the movement.
6. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. It is an isolation exercise that can help improve your mind-muscle connection.
2. The dumbbell chest fly can deliver a muscle-ripping chest pump.
3. It can help loosen up your rotator cuffs.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Beginner	Cable chest fly	Banded chest fly

Check out our complete dumbbell fly guide!

2. Dips

Sets & Reps	3 x AMRAP (As Many Reps as Possible)
Equipment Needed	Dip bars or assisted dip machine
Target Muscles	Triceps, pectoralis minor (chest)

Parallel bar dips are an underrated exercise for building upper body strength and muscle mass. They should be an indispensable part of your training regime if you are struggling with your bench press lockout strength. 

Control the eccentrics and aim for a three-second descent to increase the time under tension (TUT) and promote hypertrophy.

Steps:

1. Grab the parallel bar handles with a neutral grip.
2. Flex your elbows and lower yourself toward the ground until your upper arms are almost parallel to the floor.
3. Explode back to the starting position.
4. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. Dips help build lockout strength.
2. It helps improve chest and triceps conditioning.
3. Parallel bar dips help build pectoral separation.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Ring dips	Assisted dips, bench dips

Check out our complete dips guide!

3. Military Press

Sets & Reps	3 x 6-8
Equipment Needed	Barbell
Target Muscles	Deltoids (shoulders), triceps

Shoulder exercises can help build pressing strength, which can translate to better performance on the bench press. They also help maintain shoulder mobility and range of motion.

Keep your elbows under your wrists at the starting position to generate maximum force.

Steps:

1. Grab a barbell with a pronated shoulder-wide grip.
2. Assume a hip-width stance. The bar should be at your shoulder level at the starting position.
3. Engage your core and glutes and press the bar to lock out overhead.
4. Slowly return to the starting position.
5. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. The overhead press helps build shoulder muscle mass and strength.
2. It improves pressing performance.
3. Military press improves your shoulder, core, and triceps strength.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Push press	Seated dumbbell shoulder press

Check out our complete military press guide!

3 Deadlift Assistance Exercises 

Here are the most effective deadlift accessory lifts:

1. Deficit Deadlift

Sets & Reps	3 x 5-6
Equipment Needed	Barbell, weight plates, small platform (optional)
Target Muscles	Hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae (lower back), trapezius (upper back)

The deficit deadlift is one of the most demanding deadlift variations. It increases the exercise’s range of motion, thus spiking the time under tension. Make it a part of your training regimen if you want to improve your strength off the floor. 

Wedge yourself under the bar by pulling your lats down and back before initiating the lift to create a more stable base and generate maximum force.

Steps:

1. Stand on a couple of weight plates stacked on top of each other. Alternatively, you could use a sturdy elevated platform.
2. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance.
3. Position the bar over the top of your feet.
4. Grab the bar with a shoulder-wide mixed grip.
5. Lift the barbell off the floor by driving through the whole foot and pushing the floor away.
6. The bar should track in a straight line as you extend your hips and knees. Keep your back and head neutral.
7. Pause at the top.
8. Slowly return to the starting position.
9. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. This deadlift variation makes you stronger off the floor.
2. You’ll experience greater posterior chain engagement in this variation than in the conventional deadlift.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Advanced	Increase the stack height	Conventional deadlift

Check out our complete deficit deadlift guide!

2. Barbell Row

Sets & Reps	3 x 8-12
Equipment Needed	Barbell
Target Muscles	Latissimus dorsi (back), biceps brachii (arms), trapezius (upper back)

The bent-over barbell row is a staple in most bodybuilding back workouts. Rowing exercises can boost upper back strength, translating to bigger and better deadlifts. 

Pull the bar toward your belly button instead of your upper abs to engage the lats more effectively and limit bicep engagement.

Steps:

1. Stand upright with a shoulder-wide stance.
2. Grab a barbell with a slightly wider than shoulder-width overhand (pronated) grip.
3. Bend your knees slightly.
4. Push your hips back and hinge forward until your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
5. Drive your elbows toward the ceiling. They should be behind your upper body at the top of the movement.
6. Pause and contract your lats.
7. Slowly return to the starting position.
8. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. Barbell rows are one of the most effective exercises to build back width.
2. Since you are almost parallel to the floor while performing this exercise, it helps build balance and stability.
3. It helps build a more robust posterior chain.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Pendlay row	Dumbbell rows

Check out our complete barbell row guide!

3. Good Morning

Sets & Reps	3 x 10-15
Equipment Needed	Barbell
Target Muscles	Hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae (lower back)

Good mornings are a hip hinge movement that helps build stronger glutes and hamstrings. It is one of the most effective remedies for a flat butt.

Push your hips back as far as possible while maintaining a neutral spine to maximize hamstring activation and minimize lower back strain.

Steps:

1. Stand upright with a barbell placed across your shoulders.
2. Assume a hip-width stance.
3. Maintain a slight bend in your knees throughout the exercise.
4. Push your hips backward and hinge forward until your torso is almost parallel to the floor. Keep your spine neutral.
5. Pause and contract your glutes and hamstrings at the bottom.
6. Return to the starting position.
7. Repeat for recommended reps.

Benefits:

1. It helps build stronger glutes, improving your performance in squats and deadlifts.
2. You can also train your lower back with good mornings.
3. It helps build a stronger posterior chain.

Difficulty	Progression	Regression
Intermediate	Increase weight	Bodyweight or banded good mornings

Check out our complete good morning guide!

Tips To Make The Most of Powerlifting Assistance Exercises

Use the following tips to get the best bang for your buck with these accessory lifts:

Use Advanced Training Principles

Advanced training principles like supersets, dropsets, and intraset stretching can take your workouts to the next level. Use progressive overload techniques to ensure you don’t hit a plateau. 

Modifying your rep tempo adds variety to your training regimen and shocks your muscles. Furthermore, vary your reps, sets, and weights to keep your muscles guessing. 

Bands and Chains

Advanced lifters can use resistance bands and chains in their exercises to add variable resistance. Both these training tools reduce resistance during the eccentric part of the motion and add resistance during the concentric movement. 

Don’t Go Too Heavy

They are called accessory lifts for a reason. Your goal is to follow the correct form, have a full range of motion, and contract your target muscles. Use an explosive movement pattern to build muscle memory. 

Limit Your Accessory Work

This point might feel contradicting to everything you have read in this article, but it had to be said. Although assistance exercises for squats, bench presses, and deadlifts can boost your big three performance, overdoing the three can lead you down the wrong path. 

Never spend more time doing assistance exercises than you do on the big three, and do them after the main lifts. Going overboard can increase your muscle recovery time between workouts. 

Benefits of Doing Assistance Exercises For Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift

Many powerlifters reason that since the big three exercises train almost all muscle groups, they can skip other lifts. What you’re about to read next might change your opinion.

Below are reasons why accessory lifts should be a part of powerlifting programs:

Variation

Limiting yourself to the squat, bench press, and deadlift daily can lead to a plateau. Avoiding an overhead ceiling in training is easier than breaking through one. Also, adding assistance exercises to your training regimen can make your workouts more interesting and boost your motivation.

Balance, Symmetry, and Aesthetics

The squat, bench press and deadlift are compound exercises that train different muscle groups with varying intensity. For example, the bench press targets your chest while your triceps and shoulders are in a supporting role. The squat focuses on your quads and glutes while your hamstrings take a back seat. The deadlift trains your posterior chain while your quads and shoulders breathe easy.

Furthermore, muscles move weights. You need solid muscle mass to back big lifts. Besides training for strength in the 1-5 rep range, you should focus on hypertrophy by performing 8-12 reps.

Powerlifters who want to improve their aesthetics must include accessory lifts in their training regimen. They can help fix muscular and strength imbalances.

The new-age powerlifters are considerably different from the pre-2000s powerlifters. While powerlifters of the previous era usually had bulging bellies, the current athletes are changing the trend. John Haack (90KG Raw Deadlift World Record holder), Jamal Browner (110KG Raw Deadlift World Record holder), and Danny Grigsby (125KG Raw Deadlift World Record holder) are jacked AF.

Better Muscle Engagement

Powerlifting might look simple, but it demands a lot skill and practice. You need a robust neuromuscular connection to ensure all your muscles are firing during a lift. 

Performing isolation lifts like the leg extension, leg curl, dumbbell chest fly, and straight arm cable lat pulldown help build a mind-muscle connection. You’ll be able to better engage your muscles during the big three lifts by adding assistance exercises into your training regimen. 

Reduces Risk of Injury

Most injuries in powerlifting are due to muscular imbalances. Not only will assistance exercises lower your risk of injury while performing the big three, but they are also generally safer than the squat, bench press, and deadlift. 

Many lifters have difficulty locking out on a 1RM bench press if they have lagging triceps. You might get stronger at the bottom half of pressing movement by performing chest and shoulder exercises, but you can’t realize your pressing potential until you work on your tris. Instead of vanilla assistance exercises, perform weakness-specific lifts in your training regimen. 

Programming Assistance Exercises

You don’t need to perform assistance exercises in every workout. Save them for when you feel you have hit a rut. For most exercisers, this should be the optimal process of adding accessory lifts into their powerlifting regimen:

1. You have been hitting the big three exercises in your powerlifting workouts for at least 12 weeks and have stagnated.
2. From the 13th week, add a couple of accessory exercises to your training regimen. Ensure that you perform them after the main lifts. Do at most three sets for each lift.
3. Besides the lifts mentioned above, perform biceps exercises like the barbell or dumbbell curl to improve your upper body strength. Also, core exercises like the plank and crunches can boost your stability, translating to better performance on the big three.
4. You could also do an accessory workout once a week to build your supporting muscles.

Sample Powerlifting Program with Assistance Exercises

Check out a sample three-day-a-week powerlifting program:

Day One

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell back squat (80% of 1RM)	5	3
Front squat	3	8
Bulgarian split squat	3	8

Day Two

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench press (80% of 1RM)	5	3
Dumbbell fly	3	8
Close-grip bench press	3	8

Day Three

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Deadlift (80% of 1RM)	5	3
Deficit deadlift	3	8
Bent-over barbell row	3	8

FAQs

Do I need assistance exercises to improve my performance on the big three lifts?

Adding accessory lifts to your training regimen is not mandatory. Many lifters can progress while sticking with the big three. On the flip side, performing accessory lifts can help break through plateaus and keep your workouts interesting. 

Which are the best assistance exercises for powerlifting?

It will depend on your training style, strengths, and weaknesses. For instance, while some find the deficit deadlift more useful as they are weaker off the floor on the deadlift, others prefer the rack pull to improve their lockout. 

Can I do assistance exercises in each workout?

Yes, you could perform accessory lifts in every workout, but it won’t be optimal. Use accessory lifts as a way to bolster your big three lifts and spend most of your time and energy going big on them. 

Wrapping Up

The squat, bench press, and deadlift are the bread-and-butter movements for a powerlifter. But confining yourself to these three lifts can lead you to a plateau. Assistance exercises can keep your workouts interesting by adding variety and can improve your performance on the three lifts. 

Refrain from exhausting yourself with these accessory lifts. Focus on the progressive overload while giving your muscles enough time to rest and recuperate between workouts.

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