In the world of training, certain exercises or movements sometimes become the "black sheep." Cheating in different lifts, behind-the-neck pull-ups, and even, in recent years, the deadlift, have turned into enemies within the community. The moment they appear on social media, alarms go off, and hundreds or even thousands of people flood the comments to warn of the “sacrilege” happening on screen.

Often, there’s a reason behind these reactions, as certain movements or techniques come with risks that you need to understand. If you decide to perform those exercises, you should be prepared to handle them. For example, with the deadlift, if your back rounds during the lift, you need to understand the risks and the potential for injury.

However, other times, this social alarm is unwarranted, taken out of context, or based on a misunderstanding. That brings us to today’s topic: the butt wink in squats.

A False Enemy: The Butt Wink in Squats

When performing the deepest squat possible, whether with bodyweight or added weight, at the bottom of the movement, you’ll notice that your back transitions from being straight or neutral to having a slight flexion. This is especially noticeable in the lumbar region and is characterized by the hips and glutes tucking inward. That’s why it’s called the "butt wink."

Over the past few years, this movement has been demonized, with many coaches advising against it at all costs. They promote keeping the back straight or even pushing the hips outward while simultaneously insisting that squats should be performed deeply. This approach is flawed and, as we’ll see, potentially dangerous.

Anatomy of the Deep Squat: Why the Butt Wink Happens

When we reach the deepest part of a squat, there’s something called the natural lumbo-pelvic rhythm. This means that your hips can’t achieve their maximum mobility unless this slight posterior pelvic tilt and lumbar flexion occur.

In other words, if you want to achieve maximum depth in a squat, the butt wink is completely natural—it’s an anatomical reality.

The Danger of Avoiding the Butt Wink

If you perform a deep squat and try to avoid the butt wink at all costs by forcing your hips into an anterior tilt—or as your average influencer coach might say, by "sticking your butt out"—you’ll be forcing an unnatural movement. This can lead to lumbar pinching or muscle strain. Additionally, it will reduce your performance in the squat by adding an unnecessary and counterproductive movement.

If, for some reason, you want to completely avoid the butt wink, the only effective and safe way to do so is by limiting your squat depth to no more than 90 degrees of knee flexion.

How to Do It Correctly

None of this means you should exaggerate the butt wink or aim to make it as pronounced as possible.

Performing a heavy deep squat correctly means maintaining a neutral spine throughout most of the movement and allowing a slight wink at the very bottom. This small adjustment enables you to reach that range of motion naturally, without forcing the lumbar region.

It’s that simple: allow for a slight butt wink at the bottom of the squat’s range of motion. There’s no need to exaggerate it, nor should you try to avoid it entirely.

If you’re looking for leg workout programs to practice your squat and deep squat, check out the ones we have available on Calisteniapp.

I hope this helps,

By Yerai Alonso