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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

ACSM-CPT Exam Questions

Page 4 of 50

61.

When a motor unit is triggered, what percentage of that motor unit is utilized when performing exercises with a load half of one's maximum?

  • 100%

  • 50%

  • 75%

  • 25%

Correct answer: 100% 

The sarcomere is the smallest contractile unit of a muscle cell, and it is composed of two types of muscle protein: actin (thin filament) and myosin (thick filament). 

The stimulus for voluntary muscle movement comes from the brain, where the signal is relayed through the brain stem, through the spinal cord, and transformed into a specific motor unit activation pattern. A motor unit consists of the motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates. To perform a specific task, the required motor units meet specific demands for force production by activating associated muscle fibers.

Two major principles describe the mechanism for muscle contraction: the sliding-filament theory and the all-or-none principle. Specifically, the all-or-none principle refers to a sarcomere's contraction. It states that the nerve impulse that applies to the muscle cell, regardless of its strength, causes the sarcomere to contract maximally or not at all. 

62.

All of the following are resistance training guidelines for older adults except:

  • Perform each lift for 6-8 repetitions per exercise

  • Moderate-intensity exercise should be at 5 or 6 on a 10-point scale

  • Perform 8-10 exercises using all the major muscle groups

  • Complete at least one set of each exercise

Correct answer: Perform each lift for 6-8 repetitions per exercise

More often than not, aging is associated with a decrease in muscle mass. This contributes to decreased muscle strength as well as a decline in functional capacity. It is important to prescribe a resistance training program for older adult clients as it will help to slow the loss of muscle mass. Some resistance training guidelines for older adults are as follows:

  • Perform 8-10 exercises using all the major muscle groups
  • Perform each lift for 10-15 repetitions per exercise
  • Moderate-intensity exercise should be at 5 or 6 on a 10-point scale
  • Complete at least one set of each exercise

63.

Which of the following is a specific role of an ACSM-certified personal trainer?

  • Demonstrate safe and effective methods of exercise

  • Implement exercise leadership in each client

  • Develop specific nutritional guidelines for each client

  • Follow published exercise recommendations

Correct answer: Demonstrate safe and effective methods of exercise

The most important role of a personal trainer is to reduce the risk of exercise for every client while helping them obtain the benefits of physical activity. This can be accomplished by demonstrating safe and effective methods of exercise.

64.

Which of the following does not increase the risk of relapse for a client in the maintenance stage of the transtheoretical model of behavior change?

  • Increased social support

  • Holidays

  • Injuries

  • Change in access to exercise opportunities

Correct answer: Increased social support

Relapsing can happen at any stage of change. Increasing social support reduces the likelihood of a client relapsing, and does not increase it.

Holidays, injuries, and a change in access to exercise opportunities put clients in a high-risk state. It is best to preempt this when possible if you are aware that your client may encounter one of these triggers. This will help protect the client from relapse.

65.

Which of the following is within the scope of practice for a trainer?

  • Applying basic first aid techniques

  • Diagnosing a client with hypertension

  • Performing precordial thumps

  • Instructing a client in cough CPR techniques

Correct answer: Applying basic first aid techniques

Basic first aid certification is a required complement with a CPR certification. Applying basic first aid techniques, such as icing and bandaging, falls within a personal trainer's scope of practice. However, any medical treatment that goes beyond basic first aid, such as diagnosing, setting a bone break, or administering medication, is considered outside the scope of practice for a personal trainer.

Diagnosing disease, performing precordial thumps, and instructing a client in cough CPR are all outside a personal trainer's scope.

66.

All of the following are types of cues except:

  • Observational

  • Motivational

  • Educational

  • Alignment

Correct answer: Observational

It is the personal trainer's job to help the client effectively and correctly perform each exercise and segment of the workout. This makes it essential to properly cue during a client's session. There are several types of cues, including the following:

  • Educational
  • Safety
  • Alignment
  • Motivational

"Observational" is not a type of cue. Depending on the type of cue, the personal trainer can give them orally, visually, and through touch.

67.

Which muscle group is a synergist for the gluteus maximus?

  • Hamstrings

  • Quadriceps

  • Gluteus medius

  • Iliopsoas 

Correct answer: Hamstrings

A tight and shortened agonist or prime mover has a lowered activation threshold and is described as hypertonic, from a performance standpoint. This simply means that it will not take much stimulus to activate the muscle. In which case, hypertonic muscles suppress the activity of lengthened antagonists and cause further weakening of those muscles. 

For example, the hypertonicity of the hip flexors contributes to the progressive weakening of the gluteus maximus. The gluteus maximus is an important hip extensor; thus, when forceful hip extension is necessary, the hamstrings (a synergist of the gluteus maximus) will compensate for a weakened gluteus maximus.

68.

In the Health Belief Model, which construct best describes the factors that activate the behavior change process in a client?

  • Cues to action

  • Self-efficacy

  • Perceived benefits

  • Perceived barriers

Correct answer: Cues to action

Cues to action describe the factors that activate the behavior change process. These cues are personalized, so it is important to identify which cues are the best fit for each client on an individual basis.

Self-efficacy refers to a client's confidence in their ability to exercise. Perceived barriers relate to the beliefs the client has about the costs and detriments of the exercise behavior. Perceived benefits relate to the beliefs the client has about the potential gain and positive outcomes associated with the exercise behavior.

69.

All of the following are phases of appreciative inquiry (AI) except:

  • Determine

  • Dream

  • Discover

  • Design

Correct answer: Determine

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is one skill that a personal trainer should develop. The AI framework is based on the idea that individuals are driven by their focus and understanding of core values. In response, goals are pursued and realized as a result of positive outcomes.

Each stage of the AI process is identified by a task and a measurable outcome developed from responses to questions asked of the client. These stages of development are as follows:

  1. Define
  2. Discover
  3. Dream
  4. Design
  5. Deliver

70.

Which of the following calculations for finding an individual's fat mass is correct?

  • Body fat percentage x body weight = fat weight

  • Body fat percentage / body weight = fat weight

  • Body fat percentage + body weight = fat weight

  • Body fat percentage - body weight = fat weight

Correct answer: Body fat percentage x body weight = fat weight

To calculate lean body mass, an individual's body weight should be subtracted from their fat mass, which looks like this: 

body weight - fat weight

In order to find an individual's fat weight, body weight would be multiplied by the percent body weight divided by 100, which looks like this: 

fat weight = body weight (% body fat / 100). 

Lean body mass includes all of the muscles, bones, organs, skin, etc., of the body that does not include adipose tissue. Fat weight specifically refers to the amount of adipose tissue an individual has.

71.

A client moves a 50-pound barbell 1.5 feet during each repetition. How much work has he performed if he does 4 sets of 6 repetitions?

  • 1,800 lb.ft.

  • 75 lb.ft.

  • 450 lb.ft.

  • 1,500 lb.ft.

Correct answer: 1,800 lb.ft.

Mechanical work is the magnitude of a force that creates a change in position, and the linear displacement (straight-line distance) defines the change in position. Total mechanical work can be calculated with the formula W = (F x d) x r x s.

  • F equals force
  • d equals distance
  • r equals repetitions
  • s equals sets

In this example, W = (50 lb. x 1.5 ft). x 6 x 4 = 1,800 lb.ft.

72.

Informational support can be defined as:

  • Advice or information given in regard to exercise

  • Encouragement or acceptance from others

  • Providing an individual with constructive feedback

  • Material aid given to provide an individual the opportunity to exercise

Correct answer: Advice or information given in regard to exercise

When there is a trade of assistance among people within a group, this is called social support. It is a consistent predictor of exercise participation. There are four types of social support: 

  • Emotional
  • Tangible
  • Informational
  • Appraisal

Informational support refers to the information provided in regard to exercise. For example, informational support can be a smartphone app that provides an exercise plan for a client who often travels.

73.

What is the direct purpose of serving size on a food label?

  • To make the food label easier to understand

  • To help each consumer meet their DV of important nutrients

  • To help each consumer meet their daily calorie needs

  • To standardize food labels across products

Correct answer: To make the food label easier to understand

The purpose of the serving size is to make the food label easier to understand. This allows for its nutritional components to be quantified per serving.

Serving sizes are not standardized across products, so they do not standardize the food labels they appear on. Serving sizes do not directly help consumers meet their daily nutrient or calorie needs.

74.

Progression should be individualized based on all of the following except:

  • History of exercise

  • Training response

  • Health status

  • Individual goals

Correct answer: History of exercise

Progression for any client, regardless of their current fitness level, should not be too aggressive. The personal trainer should not focus on achieving target goals quickly, but rather on gradually increasing the overall workload to establish compliance and promote adherence. Progression should be individualized on the basis of the client's initial fitness level, health status, training response, and individual goals.

75.

What is the first step a personal trainer should take in developing a risk management strategy?

  • Obtain any and all required certifications and qualifications

  • Obtain professional liability insurance

  • Develop an emergency action plan

  • Pre-screen all potential clients

Correct answer: Obtain any and all required certifications and qualifications

Although it's important to obtain professional liability insurance, develop an emergency action plan and pre-screen all potential clients, the first step that a personal trainer needs to take is to ensure they are qualified to perform the services offered. Without the necessary qualifications, services performed would not be within their scope of practice.

Obtaining and maintaining certifications helps to ensure that a fitness professional is qualified to perform personal training services and that their education and knowledge is up-to-date with the standards of the industry.

76.

In regard to dietary intake, what is the daily caloric minimum for all individuals?

  • 1,200 kcal

  • 1,500 kcal

  • 800 kcal

  • 1,000 kcal

Correct answer: 1,200 kcal

Individuals looking to lose weight often have unrealistic weight loss expectations. Therefore, as a personal trainer, it is important to provide proper recommendations for weight loss and nutritional strategies. For example, an individual following a weight-loss program should make sure to consume at least 1,200 kcal or total calories each day, unless otherwise instructed by a medical professional.

77.

You separated your client's resistance training plan into three periods that each last one month, with each period focusing on training at a different intensity. Which term best describes this?

  • Periodization

  • Variation

  • Prioritization

  • Progressive overload

Correct answer: Periodization

Periodization is the phasic manipulation of FITT-VP training variables. Due to time and space limitations in a training program, it is not possible to train all things adequately within a single training session or within a single training week. This especially becomes the case as your client becomes more advanced and adaptation-resistant, as they will require greater stimuli to elicit specific adaptations than when they were less advanced. Periodization provides you with a mechanism to vary training variables in a way that allows you to prioritize different types of adaptation for your client during different periods of time. Overall, this leads to much greater fitness outcomes.

Variation refers to adjustment of the specific exercises that are prescribed over time. Prioritization refers to the decision-making related to forsaking some physiologic outcomes in favor of others that are more desirable at a given time. Progressive overload refers to the gradual increase of training stimulus magnitude that occurs throughout the duration of a training program.

78.

Which of the following best describes isotonic resistance training?

  • A muscle contraction in which the muscle exerts a constant tension

  • A muscle contraction that generates force without changing the length of the muscle

  • A muscle contraction that causes the muscle to shorten

  • A muscle contraction that causes the muscle to lengthen

Correct answer: A muscle contraction in which the muscle exerts a constant tension

Dynamic (isotonic) resistance training is a common method of muscular training. The term "dynamic" is used because movement occurs at the joint of action. If force is sufficient to overcome the external resistance and the muscle shortens, the muscle action is called concentric. When the resistance is greater than the force applied by the muscle and the muscle lengthens, it is called an eccentric muscle action. Isotonic is traditionally defined as a muscular contraction in which the muscle exerts a constant tension.

Because there is confusion concerning the term "isotonic," the term "dynamic constant external resistance training" has been adopted.

79.

All of the following are acute program variables except:

  • Duration of stretching

  • Order of exercises

  • Number of sets

  • Amount of resistance and number of repetitions

Correct answer: Duration of stretching

The following makes up the five acute program variables:

  1. Choice of exercises
  2. Order of exercises
  3. Amount of resistance and number of repetitions
  4. Number of sets
  5. Duration of rest periods in between sets and exercises make up

The choices made for each of these variables define the exercise stimuli and ultimately, with repeated exposure, the training adaptations.

80.

At which step of the personal trainer-client sales relationship does "the tease" occur?

  • Step 4

  • Step 3

  • Step 1

  • Step 2

Correct answer: Step 4

The steps of the personal trainer-client sales relationship are:

  1. Making contact: The trainer makes a first impression on the client, which can set the stage for all future interactions.
  2. Building rapport: The trainer attempts to establish a trusting relationship with the client, underscoring the trainer's professionalism.
  3. Assessing need: The trainer evaluates the client's goals, listening to the client's aspirations in their own words.
  4. The tease: The trainer shows the client what they can do by providing them with a partial workout or help resolving an exercise issue the client has.
  5. Presenting a winning proposition and closing: The trainer asks the client to purchase a training session or series of training sessions, making the best case possible.
  6. The fall-back: This step only occurs if the client says no to the training offer. If that occurs, the trainer should add the client's information to a database of potential future training leads that the trainer can follow up with in the future.
  7. Keep in mind: This step occurs outside of the client-trainer relationship, and only if the client does not purchase training in step 5. The trainer should remind themselves that not every client will want to work with them immediately, but that there are always more clients out there. The trainer should remain optimistic, professional, and cautiously persistent.
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