![Thomas Inch, Heavy Weight Lifting: The Bent Press Tutorial [1947]](https://simplexstrong.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/tomas-inch-manual-of-physical-training-barbell-dumbbell-bent-press-tutorial.jpg)
Three positions are shown: 7A — The commencement, with elbow well upon the hip, right leg straight, left hand ready to cross over. 7B- The arm straight, right leg still straight, left leg bent, left hand on left knee instead of crossing over to the other knee. If the left hand crosses over it allows the left shoulder to rest upon the left knee and so gives a very firm position. The style shown is similar to that of the late Arthur Saxon, the cross over style was used by myself and the late W. Carquest. 7c shows a back view, the weight (a disc dumb-bell) half way up. It is put in to show you how the elbow leaves the side and works round slightly to the back.
Having raised 304 1/2 Ibs. with my right hand in this style I may perhaps claim the right to speak as an authority. The movement needs constant practice with a light weight at first, always adding a little as time goes on. There are three starting points:
A. With the elbow on the body, at the front. Which generally means allowing the bar bell to spin or turn, and the champions don’t usually favour this style.
B. With the elbow on the hip, at the side, thus bending a good deal sideways.
C. With the elbow well round to the back, when it is usual to bend a little forwards as well as sideways.
The idea is to get as low down as possible without allowing the elbow to leave the side, get the shoulder of the opposite arm near to or even pressing upon the knee of the other leg away from lifting arm. Get the pressing arm straight or nearly so without using much strength, make it a balancing feat as it were. Then, having kept the right leg straight (lifting with the right arm) but the left one bent a little, bend the right ieg and come up with a hollowed back beneath the bell, all the time keeping the wrist well turned over so that the bar can’t roll in the hand and so that the arm will “lock” comfortably and not unlock.
The lift does need a tremendous amount of practice; you should have “catchers” handy to look after the bell if you shout out through failure.
- Thomas Inch, Manual of Physical Training, 1947, pp. 109-111.
Thank you for sharing this, Pavel! After reading another post on this site by Arthur Saxon in Inch’s manual, I tried the “leg straight” technique for the first time yesterday with the 32kg KB at a BW of about 68kg. It will take some time to get used to the straight leg after practicing in the traditional two legs bent hinge position. It is interesting to hear about “cross over” style vs the “same side” style. It sounds like Inch liked the “cross over” while Saxon liked the “same side” style shown here in the diagram. I find the “cross over” style with the shoulder laid on the knee more comfortable. But after reading Saxon’s article, I believed I was wrong or going too low. It sounds like some experimentation is in order to find what works for me. Fascinating read!
Ricky, “leg straight” is a crucial aspect – most people do squat, which means the upper arm leaves the lat too soon. Keep the leg straight as long as possible, preferably until you lock your elbow, and only then bend the straight leg to unlock your shoulder, to get more vertical, and to use the strength of both legs to rise. As for the “same side” or “cross over”, both options are valid. In the “cross over” method, return the free hand to the same side of the thigh after the semi-squat to assist you in rising. Check out all the other articles about the bent press on this website – there’s a lot of helpful information. Keep me updated with your progress.