In this post, I will show you exactly how to fix butt wink in the squat and the common overlooked cause.
In fact, this method has been shared and recommended over 340,000 times on Tik Tok.
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It’s not always your femur length or ankle mobility that are the limiting factors, so if you suffering from “butt wink” in your squat, you’ll love this easy fix.
Let’s Begin…
What is Butt Wink?
Butt wink is a posterior tilt of the pelvis at the bottom of a squat.
“Posterior pelvic tilt” is a fancy way of saying your lower back rounds when you reach full depth.
This rounded position is dangerous for your spine when you begin the ascent and can lead to back pain.
Consequently, you may notice back pain after a session of squats.
Why does Butt Wink happen?
Butt wink can occur because of limited ankle mobility, long femurs, and more importantly: adductor tightness.
Limited Ankle Mobility
One of the most popular beliefs for the cause of butt wink is tight ankles. When you descend into the squat, your knees should be able to travel over your toes.
If your ankles are tight it will prevent your knees from traveling forward and consequently, round your lower back to compensate as you reach depth.
Long femurs
Another cause is long femurs. Lengthy femurs make it harder for the athlete to stay upright in the squat.
The figure with the short femurs can stay more upright in the deepest portion of the squat. The figure with long femurs has to lean farther forward to achieve depth.
Many people with long femurs end up rounding the lower back to get deeper into the bottom of the squat.
Overlooked Muscle: Adductor Tightness
Many attribute the cause of butt wink to the ankles and femurs, but overlook adductor mobility.
Adductors are muscles on the interior portion of your thighs that bring your legs closer to the midline of your body.
If these muscles are tight, they will keep your hips from opening up and throw off the alignment of your squat.
When you squat into the deep portion of a squat, if you do not have adequate mobility in your adductors you will end up with what I like to call, “sitting behind your hips.”
Look at the figure above. Do you notice how the alignment in my squat is thrown off?
This is a closed hip position.
Instead of an up and down motion, my butt pushes back and out of the center of gravity line that originates from my mid foot.
To balance at the bottom with this incorrect form, my lower back enters into dangerous loaded flexion.
Conversely, look at the image below. Notice what happens when I squat with an open hip position?
I am now aligned with the center of gravity over my mid-foot.
Additionally, my torso and lower back are in a much stronger position to lift weight during the ascent.
How To Actually Fix Butt Wink
The countless ankle mobility exercises performed will not help, when the root of the problem is elsewhere.
To fix butt wink, you have to stretch with your adductors.
In my opinion, it is the most neglected muscle to stretch and strengthen when it comes to squat mobility.
When was the last time you stretched your adductors?
To stretch, you must bring your thighs away from the midline of your body. I recommend warming up with cassock squats and practice opening up your hips with your arms at the deepest portion of a squat.
The more you can open up your hips, the more you can practice “sitting in your hips.”
Get to working that mobility!
Final Word
Hopefully, you now understand what butt wink is, the most overlooked cause, and how to fix it.
Now that you know this, you can improve your squat stability and hit those PR’s!
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Until next time!