[chrishynes]

Puts down bro-science. Then proceeds to bro-science. Classic.

"a back injury from freeweight squatting is maybe 10% annually, but the odds of injury on the machines is approximately zero"

Got a cite for this? My pure N=1 experience is that I've only ever been injured on machines forcing the body into unnatural movement patterns, while I've been squatting for 10 years with no issues. Sure I only squat a few hundred pounds, not like the 1000+ lb monsters.

[jschwartzi]

Yeah, I've never injured myself doing squats either. I don't squat more than a few-hundred pounds and I warm up and stretch before lifting. The only injuries I've ever sustained were from lifting heavy without a warm-up set and some stretches first.

Squats actually require a lot of hamstring flexibility to perform correctly, and most people don't have that. The basic compound lifts are generally very technically challenging and can take years to master. If you approach it like a meathead, don't be surprised when you get meathead injuries.