Explosive
Explosive movements generate high force and/or power quickly. The intent is to move with urgency, which drives central motor output and motor unit recruitment regardless of how fast the action occurs.
The person remains in control throughout the movement. There’s a high rate of force development, or RFD, but the motion is typically constrained either by load, movement intent, or the requirement to decelerate or reverse direction.
Explosive doesn’t always mean light or fast; it means sharp, decisive and high output within the task constraints.
Think: A rapid concentric squat or bench press rep, or a clean pull loaded heavy enough that the bar never reaches a float, forcing the system to generate high force and velocity without transitioning into ballistic projection.
Explosive also applies to isometric training, where the goal may be to contract explosively against an immovable object. Even though there’s no movement, the individual is still training RFD and initial impulse. It’s the internal effort and speed of recruitment that matter.
All ballistic movements are explosive, but not all explosive intents are ballistic.
A similar distinction shows up in upper body patterns. An explosive push-up, like a hand-release push-up, removes the stretch-shortening cycle by requiring an unloaded pause/release at the bottom. This forces the individual to produce force rapidly from a dead stop, training upper-body RFD and concentric intent. In contrast, a ballistic push-up, such as a clap push-up, demands enough acceleration to project the body off the ground. One is explosive from stillness; the other is ballistic through release.
