Reply With QuoteNo. Butt wink is not a useful term. But if you are referring to lumbar flexion in the bottom of the squat, then that decreases the tension on the hamstrings.
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Stretch reflex and butt wink
I was wondering if it's possible to get a stretch reflex if at the same time you have a butt wink. I can get the "bounce" if my back is hyperextended and in a half squat position, but once my arch goes and I get deeper, I seem to lose it.
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No. Butt wink is not a useful term. But if you are referring to lumbar flexion in the bottom of the squat, then that decreases the tension on the hamstrings.
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From that I take it that most of the people on this website aren't getting the full stretch reflex then. I must admit that when I go into a full squat, I can't feel it.
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I'd disagree.Originally Posted by MrTambourineMan
Stay tight, don't relax/go into flexion and you'll feel it.
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You how you know when you've done it correctly?
The bar feels like it flies up on the ascent. It's almost as if the load was lighter, but it wasn't; you had just prepared the system to engage more muscle to lift the weight. That's what the stretch reflex is all about; a muscle under tension will want to contract harder.
Try this: slow down just a touch. Because you have to consciously use your muscles to lower the bar, as opposed to letting gravity do the work, you'll prime the springs to engage.
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I would also throw in that a lack of stretch reflex is probably more of a lack of enough isometric contraction of the spinal erectors when there are no obvious form issues that would point to the hamstrings. Satch makes a good point, too: slow down. Something must relax to descend quickly in the squat, and there is nothing about that relaxation that is desirable/good for the squat or lifter.
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