Schexnayder promotes deep squatting for several reasons. "When you go deep, you involve more muscle tissue and the endocrine response that you get from the exercise is more pronounced. You cannot get that from shallow positions. You have to keep blood chemistry in mind when doing these things."

In addition, Boo blames many athletic injuries on a skewed quadriceps-to-hamstring strength ratio, which results from not squatting deep enough.

Boo also believes deep squatting positions emphasize core strength, which the body uses for balance over time.

Begin with the bar resting on your back across your trap muscles. Descend slowly by bending the hips, knees and ankles, keeping the back arched and chest out. Come to a controlled stop about 12 inches from the floor. Accelerate upward by firing the hips, knees and ankles while keeping your torso in the same position as the descent.

Do not allow the knees to extend over your toes; align them with the balls of your feet. Schexnayder focuses on deceleration the entire way down and acceleration the entire way up, although he advises against going from 0 to 60 on the way up. "The higher you are, the faster you are moving and the lower you are, the slower you are moving," he explains.

Once you get to sets of less than 4 reps in the power phase, Schexnayder says not to squat to the full 12-inch depth. "When applying that much muscle tissue, fatigue sets in quicker so the power development becomes difficult," he says.