Oh wow, we both injured ourselves with squats. I worked out for a little over 3 years before I was forced to stop. The first 1.5 years I did back squats. It was going well and at the end I had made it to 170kg for 2 pause reps atg. However one day I pulled a lower calf muscle and got pissed off so I quit the gym and bought a squat rack to do it at home (squats were the only exercise I ended up with, that and barbell back extensions/holds for lower back, erectors and hamstrings. I started off with the Big 3 and accessories but whittled them down after a couple months.) I took about 2 months off to heal and then I started back squatting again. I can't remember what happened but I stalled out at 170kg again and got fed up so I switched to front squats after taking another month off. I did that for about 1.5 years and had made it 170kg for a pause which I was happy with. However, I ended up slipping a disc while doing working sets with like 140kg and that was the beginning of the end for me.
I was impatient and took about 2 weeks off to "heal" before I begun doing front squats again. I made it back to 170kg and did that multiple times throughout my journey but I was never able to progress further. I was training too often, too heavy and not eating enough. My back was and still is killing me and I eventually couldn't take it anymore and threw away all my weights. It has been 6 months now since I quit. The hardest part of stopping was seeing my muscular legs shrink back down and the feeling of holding the heavy barbell while standing firm. I started working out because I hated how slim my legs were. I say working out ruined my life because I became addicted to the gym and neglected my A-Level studies (I'm autistic so I tend to hyperfocus on things I like and it never ends well), which meant I had to repeat the year to redo my exams - despite being a straight A student. However, the pandemic hit and colleges over here in the UK gave all the students predicted grades in place of us sitting the exams so I was just given all B's which I hate. I fucked myself up by working out as I gained nothing in the end other than a fucked up lower back and grades which do not represent what I am actually capable of.
The most weight I deadlifted was 170kg. The most weight I front squatted was 170kg. The most weight I backsquatted was 170kg. 170kg has cursed me lol. I'm hoping that cycling will scratch that itch I have of having muscular lean legs and a slim phyisque, which is what I wanted all along but I chose an exercise (squats) that requires you to put on weight and carry around extra fat in order to get stronger. I've been a NEET for almost 4 years now, I've been in the same situation ever since I graduated. I'm hoping to get my life back in order soon. Sorry for the long post lol.
endorphins good 
