A lot of us don't have a ton of time to spend in the gym and we are always looking for ways to optimize our time in the gym so we can get in and get out but still perform at a high level. I've been doing a lot of full body training now to do just that as my time has become exceedingly more sparse to train. This means a lot of supersets which can be really taxing if you have ever done them. While trying to keep performance high it is important to understand how to set-up your program to get the most out of it. A recent study by Weakley et al 2020 compared supersets of DB BP/BP, Row/BP, and Squat/BP and found that the DB BP/BP superset reduced bench press velocity the most thus making it a less effective means to superset if bench press performance is your goal. The other two had little effect on the bench press velocity but the row ultimately showed the least amount of fatigue. This goes along with some of the previous literature published on the subject. In another study by Ciccone et al 2014 found that when supersetting rows and bench with squat reduced reps with a load of 80% and taking them to failure. This tells us that heavier compound movements that elicit a high amount of fatigue may not be the best to superset when performance is the main goal, but if you wanted to do lower load speed squats with bench press it will be fine.
When it comes to programming context and selection is everything. These two studies along with plenty more will guide you to proper exercise selection to get the most out of your training. To recap movements that are similar in nature will create the most fatigue and decrease in performance so maybe a superset like this would be good as a finisher type with something like a leg extension followed by lunges to really fry your legs. Antagonist supersets work great and should not show an extreme reduction in performance if any, but the devil is in the details so choose your exercises wisely. Lastly, upper/lower supersets can work as long as the load is not too high and the movements themselves are not too taxing. I hope this gives you a better understanding of supersets and how to implement them into your program to save time and still get the most out of your training.
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