Oly lifters/Crossfiters.. need help.

shaywallis
shaywallis Posts: 165 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Today while working on my OHS I was told I'm doing something called a "butt tuck"? Supposedly I tuck my butt when I am getting ready to come back up from the squat. Anyone have any tip/tricks on how I can avoid this?

On a side note I got a 1RM 95# OHS PR!! whoop whoop = )

Replies

  • kirabob
    kirabob Posts: 481 Member
    This is also called a butt 'wink', I think. Make sure that your core is strong, and that you have air in there holding everything steady. And you might need to deload and work back up without the wink.
  • shaywallis
    shaywallis Posts: 165 Member
    So should I make sure Im inhaling before I go down into the squat? I usually do 55# when doing OHS but did 65# today since it was a short workout. I'm going to work on going lighter and not doing the tuck/wink. Apparently it can hinder your OHS by like 30#! Or so I hear.
  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
    Do you have a picture or a video?

    In my opinion, the term 'buttwink' is overused, and also overrated. It's pretty natural for the lower spine to lose some extension as you drop below parallel in the squat. The only times I would suggest it needs addressing, are if it happens earlier in the squat, or if you actually go into flexion of the lumbar spine.

    If you're in one of the cases where it needs addressing, I would focus on core strength, particularly the muscles of the back, which extend the spine, and on hip mobility, particularly with relation to the glutes and hamstrings.
  • shaywallis
    shaywallis Posts: 165 Member
    Thanks HelloDan. I dont have a video. Maybe I can get one later on this week. I'm being told it happens at the end of the squat, right before I come back up. I really never noticed it.
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
    Often caused by failure to sit back in the squat, lack of mobility in rear posterior chain, or both.
    It release the tension in the hamstring, and it's bad.
  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
    From what you say it sounds incredibly minor and is probably nothing. In my experience the most common cause of what people refer to as buttwink, is overextending the spine to start with, and then having it go into neutral as it comes under load in the bottom position.

    Most people are taught to fear spinal flexion so much, that they go into hyper extension instead. The thing is being extended just risks herniating discs at the anterior segment, as the posterior segments are squeezed together, and the anterior opened.
    The key here is maintaining a neutral spine, not over extended or flexed.

    Again, this is all without seeing, but the other likely culprit is hip anatomy. At the bottom of the squat, if the hips (referring to all bone and soft tissue around the joint) impinge the femurs, you've run out of hip motion, so you have to flex the spine to keep moving. The solution to this is to make sure you keep your knees shoved out, this changes the angle the femur leaves the hip, and reduces the chance of impingement. If you want to try it, lay on your back, with knees bent, put the knees together, and pull them towards your chest, then try the same again with knees spread apart, the difference should be noticeable.

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