Taylor Asks: I love weightlifting and my whole life revolves around it. However recently I injured my lower back (strained a muscle) due to a "butt wink". My pelvis turns in at the bottom of my squat and since I was squatting under loads, which were really getting heavier, this put major stress on those muscles in my lower back. I've been told a butt wink can be caused by not so flexible hamstrings but when I got it checked out I was told my hamstring flexibility is just fine. In fact the chiropractor said it was an anatomical issue so we are currently working to see if that's the case.
 
So, I guess my question is to you, what if it is a problem with the way my body is built? Could this be caused by something else? Do I have to stop squatting or is my future as a weightlifter not going to work out because of this? I don't know if I'm over reacting but I just really would like to get back to training and want my butt wink to go away. I thought maybe you could write an article for the website for any other athletes who may have this problem or you could just email me if you get the chance. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I really hope your advice can help!
 
Greg Says: I don’t think hamstrings really have anything to do with it unless someone is extremely inflexible—but if someone is that inflexible, he or she isn’t even getting near the bottom of a squat. More likely it’s related to adductor inflexibility if it’s a flexibility problem.
 
Regarding anatomy, the shape of your hips and femurs will have an effect on how the pelvis is able to move as you squat—that is, how freely the femur moves in the hip will depend somewhat on the shapes of all the parts and how they can consequently interact. However, your stance—the width of your feet and the degree to which they’re turned out (and the consequent angle the femurs move relative to the hips)—will affect how this anatomy influences movement and position.
 
The first thing I would try is turning your feet out a bit more—not going wider necessarily, but setting up so that your thigh, when parallel with the corresponding foot in the bottom of the squat is moving out a bit more toward the side. You may find that you have a bit more “space” in the hip here to sit into a low squat without the femur being blocked by the pelvis.
 
For flexibility, try the Russian Baby Maker, the spiderman lunge, the straddle, the butterfly and pushing the knees out to the sides while sitting in a deep squat.
 
Glen Asks: I am on week 4 of your Double-Day Squat program and I seem to be adding weight to BS and FS every time I look at the bar... it's been crazy and awesome. So first of all thank for these programs.
 
My question though is relating to guidance around adding technique work. I like doing a morning session in addition to my regular training because I have the time and love to start my day by 'moving'.  
 
I decided (for once) to actually listen to your direction and not add conditioning or anything else so as to not take away from the program. So, I have only been doing some light rowing and stretching / mobility in the morning session. But, it is boring.
 
I am wondering if (and what) you would recommend dedicating some of my morning session to technique work. For example:
 
- what percentages / volume ranges would you stay in so as not to undermine the main program but still enough to transfer to bigger weights
- what exercises would you focus one - i.e. basic lifts vs. pulls etc.
 
Thanks in advance...
 
Greg Says: First, forget basic lifts and pulls. The program has more than enough of those, and they’re not going to be the best to work on technique really in this case.
 
Focus less on volume and more on how you feel. That is, the goal should be to keep the work in terms of volume and intensity below the threshold of creating any genuine fatigue, both in the immediate and long term periods. Whatever you do should have no negative effect on your energy or enthusiasm for the subsequent primary workout, or the workouts of subsequent days. It also shouldn’t make you feel tired as you’re performing it or when you finish—it should be energizing.
 
Make a list of technical problems you need to work on, and then choose 1-3 exercises that will best address each problems. These should be drills done with the empty bar to maybe 40% of snatch or clean or jerk—very light. Give yourself a time limit for the workout—maybe 30 minutes—and do what you can in that time, again observing the no fatigue rule. For minimal monotony, change the exercises you’re doing each day, and for maximal effectiveness, employ exercises in your morning session that address the exercises you’ll be doing in that afternoon’s training session.