im 6ft 4 inches myself and 4yrs ago hurt my back from squats.After doc visit and a mri the doc tells me i have a large protrussion at the l5 s1 disc and that i needed surgery. i stopped lifting and decided not to have the surgery and see what happens.after 9mths of no trainning my lower back wasnt bothering me much so i joinned a gym and started trainning upper body only.i got pretty close with the gym owner and he kept trying to get me to let him train me and said he was convinced he could show me some leg exercises that wouldnt hurt my lower back.after some time i went ahead and gave it a shot.one thing he started me on immediately was hyper extension to help strenthen my lower back spinal erectors and till this day 3yrs later i do these every othr day.the exercise that i do most for legs is 1 leg presses.his theory on this exercise is the leg thats not being used helps keep the spine straight and doesnt let your back curl up of the back rest while lowering the weight.after a few weeks of doin those with leg extensions an body weight step ups then immediately step back into a body weight lounge he added in light smith machine squats then a few weeks after that he added light weight front squat.i stopped having him train me after 9mnths and went out on my own but i kept doin what he showed me.since then ive added 2 more exercises.one being the lounge on the smith machine and the other being the hip belt squat.if youve never heard of it google hip belt squat.its a belt similar to a dip belt made for squatting. no weight on your back.if you have back problems you want to buy this.its awkward at first and you have to be creative to find a way to go into a full buckett squat but it can be done. from my own experience i will tell you that back squats are not worth the risk of hurting your back which may end your lifting days.from the routine i have and had help building by avoiding squats has proven to be pretty effective. my upper legs near the crotch now measure 27.5 inches at 11%bdyfat and im in the middle of a cut.

You could also work on your form by starting with goblet squats, work that into front squats (smith or barbell) then box squats until you are comfortable, finally just with the bar take it ass to grass full back squats before adding weight.

The squat is a beautiful and misunderstood lift. It seems like your issue is ankle flexibility, which is why you need plates under your heels for stability. Every commercial weightlifting shoes ( Nike Romaaleos, Adidas Adipower) has a heel height of 3/4". You should look into increasing your ankle mobility. As to your back pain, it sounds like your lower back is either rounding too much at the bottom of the squat (buttwink), or you lower back is too weak and you lean forward when coming out of the squat. It might do you some good to widen your squat stance ( powerlifting style. Record yourself squatting from a side angle, that will help uncover any flaws in your squat form.

You're unlikely to find it to be an exercise you lift real heavy in as you have to move the weight so much further. Doesn't mean you can't get gains out of lower weight and higher reps though.

As an option...i did bodyweight squats (no weight)last sunday as all the squat racks were taken at the time. Hammered out about 5 sets to close to failure with little rest and good form. Then moved onto heavy hacks, ext, curls, etc.....Holy shit was that rough. Im still sore today (thursday). Very good change of pace and easy to keep good form as the blood rushes to the legs. If i had parked any further, I would have fallen before I got to my truck. Would not be able to pump a clutch if I had a stick shift.

Try it sometime. Give it honest failure sets and you will remember.

I'm 6"4 squats are not my specialty. I may hit 4 sets of 225 really good form then on to heavy leg press and other heavy exercises. Obviously if your feel any discomfort then stay away.

Try leg press.

If squatting is uncomfortable or awkward, be careful. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself. For some people squatting just doesn't seem to work. There are other ways to ensure killer quads if squating is not your forte.

https://www.eroids.com/forum/training-nutrition-diet/workout-exercise/ma...

Squat.

Learn to squat properly. Work on your squat form WITHOUT weights. When I say this I mean without the plates under your heels and without weight on your shoulders. After you have a form that is comfortable using your own body weight, then add in weights slowly. Make sure that you only lift enough to keep proper form. There is no shame in lifting properly with a smaller weight.

Squat.

Im 6'3" and I found squatting with 25 pound plates under heals helped a great deal. I would do 3 sets of 20 with the plates occasionally and it felt great. You can squat at any height, but yes form is everything and takes time to develope. You will likely never have perfect form as shorter squatters, but should practice at least until its good enough to not cause unnecessary injury. Until you are comfortable with the form there is no reason to go heavy on squat, and maybe squat isnt a weekly exercise you do. I often take replace squats with other movements if i cant seem to get my hips loose enough from consistent work.

You dont have to go heavy, in fact many argue that lighter weight and higher rep sets are more beneficial for overall leg growth.

Squat

You are able to squat with good form and without the plates! Its a matter of form not body height... driving the knees out and keeping your posture up. Do some you tube searches on Mobility for squat and Kelly Starret. There is no reason your knees should be tracking over your toes. Once your mobility improves and and you can sit in a full squat position with an upright torso and/or hands over head for a few minutes, you can try some olympic lifting shoes.

You may also find front squats are more desirable for you quad development since inevitably you'll engage lower back on back squats. Here your height will likely require you to use more back than others, but thats not a bad thing per say.