Even more important than mobility in the back is knee stability. Also people think that injuries happen at the gym, this is very rarely the case. Usually you do

Even more important than mobility in the back is knee stability. Also people think that injuries happen at the gym, this is very rarely the case. Usually you do the small amount of damage at the gym that then cascades later on due to your improper seating posture, your slouching, then bending over to lift something at home doing yardwork, then bam all of a sudden you are in the shower and your back locks up. In the case of improper squating without proper knee stability -- you won't notice a microscopic tear immediately, but it's very possible. You'll tweak something and say "hm, that felt weird." Then a week later you get out of bed to check on the kids, step on a lego and bam -- blown knee. Don't read pseudo-science lifter articles folks -- you can't rush into this. Do your stretches, and build your stabilizer muscles. Squatting builds your glutes, but you need stable hips and knees.