In swinging the dumbbell, the weight must be placed between the feet. The body then bends over from the waist, and a grip is taken of the bell close to the front sphere or disc. The bell may be rested on its end prior to swinging, and the disengaged hand should be pressed on the corresponding knee.
Learn the style that I have described and you will have a graceful, effortless press that will look like one continuous motion rather than a series of unrelated, jerky movements.
One of the secrets of the late Arthur Saxon’s enormous Bent Presses was that he relaxed his muscles as he leaned away from the bell. One gets so much further down that way, and the contraction of the arm and Latissimus, etc., comes in much later than the beginner ever realises.
“In all annals of Strength, Pride of place must be given to Arthur Saxon, the weightlifter who was always able to lift more than he claimed.”
– W. A. Pullum
The above photograph is the only one which has been published showing me with the bell at the shoulder in the act of pressing. In it I show how to take up a firm position with the feet, and it will be noticed that the right leg is straight contrary to the position generally assumed by the beginner attempting to learn the body press, and even by many a lifter who has had years of experience. In the photograph I show exactly where the elbow should be placed, and it does not require much imagination to gain a correct idea of how the body should fall in the downward direction.