What Is a Butt Wink and How to Fix It
Published: Oct 1st, 2020
1st Revision: Feb 18th, 2023
Table of Contents
What Is Butt Wink
Butt Wink is a playful term used to call out a breakdown in form during the squat. Butt Wink specifically refers to when the hips go into a posterior pelvic tilt, usually at the bottom of your squat. Butt Wink is something that many people try to avoid due to the risk of injury and harm to the lumbar spine. If you have been told you have Butt Wink or are displaying signs of Butt Wink don’t worry, it can be corrected!
Example Of Butt Wink
Butt Wink occurs when the pelvis moves backwards into a posterior pelvic tilt at the bottom of a squat.
Butt Wink Squat
A Butt Wink Squat will look like a rounded spine that has gone into flexion. The pelvis will rotate backwards instead of forwards, which causes the butt to wink. A Butt Wink Squat can occur in any squat variation, such as the overhead squat, goblet squat, front squat or back squat. Upon initial review, you may not believe that a Butt Wink Squat is a big deal, but a Butt Wink indeed has many consequences.
The impact of a Butt Wink includes injury to the lumbar spine, damage to the vertebrae and low back pain. As well, a Butt Wink Squat will reduce the overall effectiveness of the squat, and will not transfer to increased strength in the glutes and legs.
How To Fix Butt Wink
There are multiple methods you can try to fix Butt Wink. Sometimes is will be as simple as using a verbal cue to correct Butt Wink, and other times it will take great practice to break this habit. To fix Butt Wink, begin with going back to a basic squat and examining your form. This can include:
Looking straight ahead as you squat
Keeping your feet hip-width apart, or trying a different foot position
Ensure you are following proper squat mechanics (i.e knee is travelling over the toe, feet are flat on the floor etc.)
Once you have perfected the squat form, look further into your hip mobility and core strength. Consistently practice squatting with proper form and then re-introducing squatting with a load to test your progress.
Fixing Butt Wink
Remember that practice makes perfect! If you are having trouble correcting your Butt Wink, do not be discouraged! For some people it will take time to correct your form, and this correction will come from consistent practice. Once you have corrected your Butt Wink, you will notice a big change in your squats, and also notice an increase in effectiveness with your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings achieving proper activation.
What Causes Butt Wink
There is not one main reason for what causes Butt Wink, although some people have their own speculations. The truth is, because each body is different, Butt Wink will have a number of different sources. We can break Butt Wink down into having two broad sources, mobility issues or stability issues.
Mobility issues mean that you need to increase the range of motion in the joints or muscles. For instance, many people have poor hip flexibility which can cause Butt Wink during the squat. Stability issues can include weak core strength or improper foot positioning
Sometimes, there can also be a structural issue in the body that causes Butt Wink to occur. If this is the case, visit your Doctor or Physical Therapist to complete an assessment and discuss your options.
How To Stop Butt Wink
To increase hip mobility, try goblet squats or overhead squats. When these squat variations are performed correctly, they can teach you to keep a neutral spine during the squat and reduce the backwards tilt of the pelvis. General daily stretching and performing a proper warm-up before movement can also help to increase mobility in the hips.
To address stability issues, perform exercises to increase core strength. A great way to do this is by trying out our 10 plank variations to increase core strength. As well, since the structure of the body varies for each individual, try a different foot position during your squat. This can include performing a narrow, sumo or regular stance squat and observing if Butt Wink is eliminated.
Do not be discouraged if your Butt Wink does not immediately go away! Keep practicing as asking a friend or exercise therapist for feedback and tips. A helpful tip to identify if your Butt Wink has been eliminated or not is to record yourself performing a squat, and then watch the video. Recording videos of your squat overtime is a great way to monitor your progress.
3 Tips That Might Help Solve Your Butt Wink
You're squatting too low for your flexibility. This is something that should be dealt with outside your squats. One example is to work on the mobility and flexibility of the hips. Add these mobility exercises before squatting. Also, try out exercises such as the world's greatest stretch in your day-to-day routine, to increase mobility.
Another example is to learn how to properly brace your core. This is often overlooked during the execution of a squat and especially once the user begins to add weight to the load.
Finally, this could mean that the user is not correctly activated their glute. Just because someone is doing squats, it doesn't mean their glutes are being utilized to the best of their ability.
When this occurs, it means that the quadriceps and lower back have more activation than the glute muscles. To avoid this, add to your mobility and warm-up routine exercises such as the glute bridge. Add glute bands (also known as Booty Band), so that we can maximize glute engagement before executing any type of squat.