Everyone knows that a big squat can equal big gains in the leg department.  You have to squat in order to truly get the size that most bodybuilders today are after.  Without squats, you simply cannot build a full, quality physique.  Deep, slow squats are usually best for building muscle mass.  You really stimulate the muscles to grow with this style of lifting.   But that's not what we're going to talk about today.  Today, the subject of conversation is all about power - explosive power. 

Explosive power is what all athletes are after.  Being explosive allows you to run faster, jump higher, move quicker, and beat the competition.  That's what being an athlete is all about - winning.  Well, with a good squat program, one that builds both strength and explosiveness, you can achieve improved results in all of the areas mentioned above. 

The difference of using squats to build strength and using squats to build size all comes down to the weight you use and the speed at which you perform your repetitions.  If you want to be explosive, you have to train explosive.  The key here is to consistently accelerate your momentum throughout the entire range of motion.  In other words, don't slow down as you come to the top. 

With explosive training, the weight you use is going to be far less than weight you'd use for building muscle - approx. 60% of your one rep max.  The lighter weight gives your muscles the ability to accelerate.  If you were to use 80-90% of your one rep max, you could accelerate upwards at the speed necessary to improve upon explosiveness.  Just because you got only 60% on the bar doesn't mean your workout is an less intense, quite the opposite.  Even though only a fraction of what your max is on the bar,  you still want to push 100%.  That means if you max is 300 and you only have 200 on the bar, push with 300 lbs worth of force.  It's this acceleration under load that creates the adaptive response which becomes more speed and power.  You have to push with 100% - that's the key. 

Another factor that can determine how much explosive power you have has to do with how you come out of the bottom position in the squat.  You must have a quick turnaround - this activates what's known as the myo-tactic reflex.  It's this reflex, a nervous response to stress by your muscles that causes large amounts of muscle fibers to be recruited, that you want to take place.  With a large amount of muscle fibers recruited, you're able to develop greater size and strength.  The quick turnaround teaches your nervous system to act quicker, faster, and more efficient than it otherwise normally would. 

One thing that definitely needs to be mentioned here is the fact that since your moving quickly extra caution and care needs to be taken in regards to your form in technique.  Explosive training is just that - explosive - it can very quickly turn a positive training experience into one that requires medical care!  This is not what you want.   Take the time to learn the movement properly, this can save you years of agony and quite possibly lifetime injury, especially to joints and bones. 

Now that we have an idea of what constitutes explosive training, it's time to go over the nuts and bolts of workout routine.  The first rule of thumb with explosive training is that you do NOT train to failure.  Think about it, as you progress through a set of squats, you get tired.  As you get tired the speed at which you move lessens with each additional rep.  So the max you're ever going to do will fall between 3 and 5.  You do not train to failure.  That cannot be emphasized enough.  Come down with the weight at a rapid, yet controlled pace.  As you hit the bottom immediately fire back up to the top trying to accelerate throughout the entire range of movement.  Do quick 3-5 repetitions then rack the bar - you're done.  Complete at least 5 sets.  This is how you train to be explosive with weights.