Strategies for Improving Squat Tail Tuck

Hey, it’s Jennifer, and today I want to talk to you about the number one correction I make with clients here Peak Endurance physical therapy in Madison, who are working on squats. In particular, people who have back pain when they squat.

So when somebody is showing me how they do a squat, I really look to see if the lower spine is moving at all. Often, what will happen is when you’re squatting, squatting, squatting, squatting, and then when you get to the bottom, the low back kind of curves under. This is called a tail tuck, or a butt wink. And then on your way back up, it curves back to the original starting position.

We really want the spine to stay perfectly straight the whole way through the squat. Your spine should not be moving. The hips and the knees should be moving. So when you have a load or you’re squatting some weight, and you get that movement at the bottom of your squat, that’s a setup for pain or injury.

It could be happening because the range of motion you’re trying to squat to isn’t available to you right now. So maybe if you have ankle limitations or hip range of motion limitations, that could be limiting you. But a lot of times it’s really just core stability and our ability to use our core to lock in that spine position.

One way to work on that is to use a light load in front of you on a really long lever. And then squat to a target. You’re going to try to, tap it, but not sit on it. And I find that these two things together really help people keep their spine much straighter at the bottom of a squat.

Most people are much more successful keeping that back nice and straight, instead of letting it curve under at the bottom of a squat when they use those strategies. And then you can work on making that an automatic movement pattern for you. Then you can load back up with weight. Usually people are a lot more comfortable with their squat when they’ve eliminated that lower spine movement.

So if you have problems with the butt wink or the tail tuck, give that a try. And if you think you need a little more analysis in terms of, is it my hips? Is it my ankles? Is there something else going on that makes a squat, not a great movement for me right now? Come see us at Peak Endurance. We’d be happy to check it out for you.