Ankles pop during squats

[badness]

I did my first squats in about five years today. They weren't much - I started with the bar alone for a warm-up set of 12 reps, then threw on a couple of 25's (for 10 reps). I added a couple of fives to that and managed 9 more reps.

I don't really mind the low weight because I'm concentrating on keeping my form. I constantly focused on keeping my back straight (actually it was arched), and didn't let it round-out. I think I did pretty well.

The one problem I had (other than my now-rubbery legs) is that my ankles popped when I started standing up again. This happened every time I lowered my ass to 90 degrees. It wasn't a problem when I didn't go that low. But that's really a compromised squat, isn't it? I mean, a lot of people don't think it's a REAL squat unless you take it all the way down!

Is this something that will probably work itself out? I'm assuming it's just a lack of flexibility in my ankles. But I'm not discounting the possibility that my form is off. I know it's difficult to diagnose without seeing for yourself, but any tips or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Aetolos]

With the single peice of evidence you gave me (that you're ankles popped), it sounds like your form might be a little off (not out back, keep making sure it stays straight, that's right). When you squat, your knees should not come out far past the tips of your toes. And for that to happen, there would have to be a lot of ankle movement going on, which in this case is what I believe is making your ankles pop. Make sure that most of your movement is coming from your hips when you squat, and only go forward enough to keep yourself balanced. Too much knee bending isn't good for your knees. Now I don't know for sure whether or not this is your problem, just a guess. So check your form.

And yeah, you should squat to atleast parallel for it to be considered a full squat.

[Mack Daddy420]

make sure you look UP at the ceiling when you squat also