Muscle Gain Forum

Good question. Small butt wink is fine, but if lumbar rounding happens early, it’s risky. Fix with hip mobility + bracing.

I used to butt wink badly — solved it by raising heels with weightlifting shoes. Game changer.

Yes! Heeled shoes or small plates under heels help. Also lets you keep torso more upright.

I prefer barefoot for stability though. Heels up feel weird to me.

Same here, Michelle. I go flat shoes or barefoot. Just feels more “grounded.”

That’s fine for some, but heeled shoes are literally designed for squats. Olympic lifters use them for a reason.

Speaking of Olympic lifters, they go ATG every time, right?

Yep, because catching cleans/snatches requires it. That’s why I like training deep — more functional crossover.

Meanwhile powerlifters argue “parallel is enough.” Different sports = different standards.

Exactly. I don’t need ATG to hit white lights in a meet. Parallel is all that matters in competition.