- Dips. I love doing dips, although I'm 100% convinced they didn't help my bench press. I do think they helped my press, though.
- Ab wheel. This is a great exercise for the abs and upper back. These two areas need to be strong and stabilized when pressing big.
- Face pulls. Pull these for high volume. Pull the shoulder blades together.
- Pressing with football bar or log. This is technically not an assistance
exercise; this is a supplemental movement. But the neutral grip may help you in the long run, especially if your supplemental volume is fairly high.
- Rows. When is this ever a bad thing? You should be rowing anyway.
- Chins. See "rows."
- Curls. Barbell, dumbbells, EZ curl bar, hammer – whichever you want. Strong arms are never a disadvantage.
And now patience; The unspoken, generally unaccounted for and hardest exercise of them all.