I started working with a new client at CORE who, even before we met, told me two things: he hates techno and he hates squats.
When I email someone for the first time, I keep it simple—introduce myself, say I’m a fan, and maybe add a light compliment, like “your cat’s adorable.” I try not to trash the things the other person enjoys.
Ken, 47, came in for his initial assessment. He used to enjoy squatting more than a decade ago, but now he’s not a fan and wants to rethink how to bring them back into his training. I asked why. He said they hurt, and if there was a version that didn’t hurt his back, he’d be open to trying it. He trained through college and into his early 30s without issues, but life got busy, he became sedentary, and things fell apart.
Ken isn’t the most flexible person, but nothing in the first session looked like a major red flag. He had a few aches, the usual niggles that come with lifting heavy for a long time. He’d worked with trainers who noticed his limited active hip ROM, even though his passive ROM was decent. He’d also been given a long list of hip‑mobility drills and a lot of aggressive soft‑tissue work to do daily.
He’d been told to arch his lower back aggressively when squatting to hit depth, following powerlifting cues. That approach can push the spine into more lumbar flexion at the bottom of the squat and lead to the so‑called butt wink. The problem wasn’t mobility—it was positioning. Cues that work for powerlifters don’t always translate well to non‑powerlifters.
Alignment affects ROM. It’s normal for the pelvis to have a natural slight forward tilt, but excessive anterior tilt can reduce hip flexion and internal rotation and increase impingement risk. More anterior tilt may require more spinal motion during squats than a more neutral or slightly posterior tilt. The visual idea is that as you tilt the pelvis forward, the hip socket gets a different angle, which can bring the bones into contact sooner as you squat deeper.
So I’m not telling everyone to walk around with a big posterior tilt. The goal is closer to neutral, with a better brace and more work on the core and glutes to support the pelvis. It may involve some releasing and some mobilizing, but not as much as people think. The main fix is a better bracing strategy and strengthening the anterior core and glutes to help with that posterior tilt.
I also don’t think cueing someone to arch the back during a squat is always helpful. The need to arch often comes from powerlifting gear and depth requirements, but people who don’t compete don’t wear those suits, and “passable depth” is different for everyone.
Back to Ken: in our first sessions I focused on getting him to recognize proper position rather than forcing an arch. I steered him toward a more neutral pelvis and had him brace and engage, which let him squat with less pain and even go a bit deeper without that butt‑wink posture. He’s starting to seem like he might actually like squats again.
As for the techno, I’ve learned to pick my battles there.
