Along adiabatic and isentropic processes, such as those theoretically associated with pumping processes in transcritical cycles, the enthalpy difference across both a compression and an expansion is computed as:
Consequently, a working fluid with a lower specific volume (hence higher density) can inevitably be compressed spending a lower mechanical work than one with low density (more gas like). 
In transcritical cycles, the very high maximum pressures and the liquid conditions along the whole compression phase ensure a higher density and a lower specific volume with respect to supercritical counterparts. Considering the different physical phases though which compression processes occur, transcritical and supercritical cycles employ pumps (for liquids) and compressors (for gases), respectively, during the compression step.