If you’re looking to fix your butt wink, you’re not alone. You’ve spotted it in your squat — now what?

This is the follow-up to my previous post on what butt wink is, what causes it, and why it matters. If you haven’t read that one yet, start here: What Is Butt Wink?

I’m Annie Miller, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and I help you learn as you train without having to figure it all out yourself. If you want to fix your butt wink without fear-mongering or vague “mobility” advice, you’re in the right place.

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Step 1: Assess Where the Wink Happens

Fixing your butt wink starts with knowing where it shows up. Get a video from the side while squatting. Then look for the exact moment your pelvis starts tucking and your spine begins to flex. Is it before parallel? Just at the bottom? After a certain number of reps?

That moment tells you how much control you currently have and what needs to be addressed first. If you’re losing position well before parallel, that’s more problematic than a tiny wink right below depth.

Step 2: Improve Core Bracing

Your core isn’t just your abs — it includes your entire trunk. To reduce butt wink, you need to learn how to create and maintain pressure through the full range of motion.

One of my favorite drills is a 360-degree breathing wall press. Here’s how to do it:

• Stand with your back against a wall, heels just a few inches out
• Press your low back gently into the wall
• Inhale through your nose, expanding through your ribs and low back
• Exhale and press your forearms into the wall while bracing your core
• Repeat for 3–5 breaths, then apply that tension to a bodyweight squat

This teaches you how to find spinal neutrality, expand your rib cage, and connect breath to movement. If you’ve never practiced bracing intentionally, this will change everything.

Step 3: Strengthen Your Low Back

If you only ever train your core from the front — think planks, dead bugs, or crunches — but ignore your backside, you’re likely missing a major piece of the puzzle.

The erector spinae and quadratus lumborum need to be strong to hold your pelvis and spine in position under load.

Add in:

• Banded good mornings
• Reverse hypers
• 45-degree back extensions
• Barbell RDLs

Don’t be afraid to load these movements. Keep your spine in a neutral range, brace, and build up over time.

Step 4: Train Through the Pattern, Not Just the Pieces

Accessory work is important, but it needs to transfer to the squat pattern itself. That’s where most people fall short.

Try tempo squats with a box — stopping just before the depth where your butt wink normally kicks in. This allows you to train your new bracing and positioning with control.

You can also use:

• Paused squats at the bottom (before the wink begins)
• Wall squats with a plate in front to cue spinal positioning
• Goblet squats using a band or box for feedback

Choose variations that let you feel and control the position. Don’t chase depth until you’ve earned it.

Step 5: Mobilize the Ankles if Needed

Sometimes butt wink is a result of compensation — usually from limited ankle dorsiflexion. If your knees can’t travel forward over your toes, your body may round the spine to keep the squat moving.

You can test your ankle mobility by kneeling in front of a wall and trying to touch your knee to the wall without your heel lifting. Most people do well with 4–5 inches of range.

To improve this:

• Do slow, loaded knee-over-toe stretches
• Use elevated heels on plates or wedges
• Perform calf eccentrics with control

The key is: do what allows you to stay neutral through the spine. If heel elevation fixes the wink, use it while you keep working on ankle range.

Step 6: Understand That Progress Is Gradual

Fixing your butt wink won’t happen in a day. It’s a combination of awareness, strength, mobility, and motor control. But the great news is: it’s trainable. And it will improve if you stay consistent.

Just like any other technical lift, your squat is a skill. And the better you get at owning each rep, the less likely you are to rely on compensations that create issues down the road.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to fear butt wink. But you also don’t want to ignore it. The fix lies in improving core pressure, bracing, movement control, and joint mobility — especially through the hips and ankles.

If you’re willing to get specific and train with intention, you can absolutely fix your butt wink and squat confidently again.

For more guidance, revisit: What Is Butt Wink?

Or explore more on movement and form in: How Neutral Spine Did Me Wrong