Question 1

With regular cardiovascular endurance training, blood flow to working skeletal muscle is increased by ALL BUT ONE of these means. Which mechanism is NOT USED to increase blood flow?

Accepted Answer

Blood flow to working skeletal muscle is not increased by a decrease in the recruitment of capillaries; the opposite is true. The body works to shunt blood to working muscles by: Increasing both the number and the recruitment of capillaries; creating greater efficiency in blood flow by redistributing blood from inactive to active muscles; and by increasing blood volume. All serve to increase blood flow to the working skeletal muscles during cardiovascular endurance training.

Question 2

Cueing is a vital aspect of group exercise classes. Cues are used to enhance safety, timing, education, motivation, and structure (STEMS). Which of the following is LEAST likely to be an appropriate use of cueing?

Accepted Answer

While exercise class participants may appreciate compliments, they are not cues that enhance participant safety, timing, education, motivation, and/or structure. Cues regarding proper alignment enhance safety, cues regarding exercise progression enhance education, and proper use of encouragement enhances participant motivation.

Question 3

One of the simplest ways to quickly change the nature of an exercise is to change the position or environment of the exerciser. During land-based exercise, gravity insures that the body must work harder to push blood "up the hill" and back towards the heart. During immersion, hydrostatic pressure does the work. Because of this external pressure, there is a fundamental increase in WHICH of the following?

Accepted Answer

Immersion in water produces a massive shift in blood volume towards the chest, producing a larger volume of blood in the ventricles. The Frank-Starling Law describes what occurs next. As the ventricle fills with blood during diastole, the cardiac muscle is stretched, which increases the force of ventricular contraction. This rise in contractility results in a greater amount of blood pumped with each beat.

Question 4

Which of the following Cardiovascular Exercise concepts is strongly supported by the latest ACSM literature?

Accepted Answer

The American College of Sports Medicine's 2011 "Guidance for Prescribing Exercise" states that cardiovascular exercise can be performed in one long sustained session - or broken up throughout the day - as long as each bout of exercise is at least 10 minutes long. The current recommendations state that healthy adults should attempt to perform a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, but that any amount of exercise is beneficial. Of special interest is the fact that a sedentary job or lifestyle creates its own health risks, even if the individual participates in regular exercise.

Question 5

One of the responsibilities of the Group Fitness Instructor is to reduce the potential for injury to class members. Which of the following risk factors would be under the GREATEST control of the instructor?

Accepted Answer

One of the greatest risk factors for injury during group exercise is the incorrect or faulty execution of movements, exercises or activities by class participants. This can occur because the participant is following faulty instructions or mimicking an improper demonstration… or it can occur completely independent of the instructor's realm of responsibility. Certainly, other factors can contribute to a hazardous environment, for example a slippery pool deck, dimly lit weight room, or the participant's own medical history.

Question 6

The Reciprocal teaching strategy involves participants utilizing a partner to provide feedback. This teaching technique works best for:

Accepted Answer

The Reciprocal teaching strategy is most effective for classes involving partner strengthening or flexibility training. Although this style of teaching offers participants social contact and the opportunity to get individualized feedback, it is important to remember that a partner will not substitute for the presence and expertise of a Group Fitness Instructor (GFI). This style of teaching can also create a sense of chaos and loss of control if the instructor does not manage its implementation well.

Question 7

One of the most frustrating categories of pain syndromes for physical therapists to address is patella femoral pain disorders. Individuals who suffer from these disorders are often unable to report exactly where the pain is located or what brings it on. Fortunately, no matter the cause, many of the recommendations for management are the same. All of the following are proper recommendations for participating in group exercise with patella femoral pain EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

When cycling, the seat should be raised as high as feasible to reduce the amount of flexion in the knee during the entire cycle. Individuals who suffer with patella femoral pain disorders have some element of dysfunction in the extensor mechanism of their knee. Whether the dysfunction is due to chondromalacia, patellar tendinitis, anterior knee pain or poor tracking of the patella, the key to management is to reduce the load on the knee, especially when it is flexed. When performing weight training, care should be taken to avoid excessive repetitions of knee extension exercises, especially deep squats or open chain knee extensions.

Question 8

The contract-relax stretching technique applies the principle of reciprocal inhibition. Which of the following BEST defines this principle?

Accepted Answer

Reciprocal inhibition is defined as the principle that activation of a muscle on one side of a joint (i.e., the flexor muscle) will cause inhibition of the muscle on the opposite side of the joint (i.e., the extensor muscle). Typically, when performing a contract-relax stretch, the instructor will cue the participant to maximally contract a muscle for a period of time by pushing against an external force provided by the instructor. After relaxation of that muscle group, the instructor then passively stretches the muscle further than would have been possible prior to the technique (thus the saying, "after a maximal contraction comes maximal relaxation").

Question 9

As relates to maximal and submaximal exercise tests, under which circumstances would a doctor-supervised version be recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine?

Accepted Answer

Any individual who is symptomatic or who has known cardiac, pulmonary or metabolic disease should be medically-supervised for an exercise test, whether the test is maximal or submaximal. Submaximal tests are much less taxing and the supervision of a physician may not be necessary if the person is asymptomatic and/or has no known disease, even if he or she has 2 or more risk factors. In contrast, this same person, wishing to undergo maximal testing, should always be medically supervised.

Question 10

One of the techniques used by fitness instructors to generate a well-loved class is to establish group goals. Group camaraderie and cohesion occurs when people unite around a common task or goal. How does group cohesion relate to fitness?

Accepted Answer

People who feel a strong sense of cohesion within their exercise class will attend more frequently, are less likely to drop out, and are more likely to enjoy exercising. Although it is difficult to determine each person's individual motivation for class, it is possible to use pre and post-class instruction time to inform class members what the goals of the class are currently and to ask for input and ideas from participants.

Question 11

The original Borg Scale runs from 6-20. Which of the following would BEST represent a rating of perceived exertion range that corresponds to the 55-90% maximum heart rate suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)?

Accepted Answer

On the original Borg Scale - also known as the Rating of Perceived Exertion scale - a RPE of 12-16 would correspond with the 55-90% target heart rate range suggested by the ACSM. On this scale a 12 would rate as "somewhat hard" and a 16 as between "hard" and "very hard". On the 10 point Borg scale, this intensity would be rated between a 4 and an 8.

Question 12

The primary purpose of seeking "informed consent" is to:

Accepted Answer

The primary purpose of seeking informed consent is to explain dangers associated with an exercise program or testing procedure prior to participation. By outlining the major risks of participation, the instructor provides the opportunity to make wise and informed choices, including the option to opt-out of an activity. Instructors should always follow their facility's protocol if a participant is injured, including the completion of an incident report, even if the participant consented to the activity. Class participants who consent are not barred from suing if injured.

Question 13

One of the responsibilities of the Group Fitness Instructor (GFI) is to uphold public trust in the health and fitness industry. Which of the following is LEAST likely to help enhance public appreciation for the industry?

Accepted Answer

In an age of hyper-commercialization, the Group Fitness Instructor (GFI) should resist the urge to lend credibility to false or unsubstantiated claims by endorsing commercial products. The GFI who positions his or herself in the role of "spokes model" risks alienating the public trust in the industry at large and in the instructor in particular. Instead, the instructor who values this responsibility should encourage professional behaviors (such as obtaining informed consent), train future generations and refer to other professionals whenever appropriate.

Question 14

Other than the front desk staff, no other department in a facility will have as much face-time with membership as the Group Fitness Instructor (GFI). What percentage of members visiting the facility on any given day will attend a group fitness class?

Accepted Answer

Approximately 15% of club members who walk through the door are seen by a Group Fitness Instructor (GFI). This makes GFIs the facility's chief ambassadors and makes it important that all instructors remain up-to-date on club wide initiatives and promotions. It also makes it helpful for the GFI to be able to communicate with members about information that is outside of the GFI's normal job, for instance, answering questions about hours of operation or membership fees.

Question 15

Every Thanksgiving, we are given a graphic view of the difference between slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers. Those who like to eat the turkey drumsticks, for example, are eating muscles which have plenty of a darkly-colored protein that is necessary for sustained activity. Typically, the dark meat is comprised of slow-twitch muscles, while the lighter meat has a greater percentage of fast twitch fibers. What is this darkly colored protein?

Accepted Answer

The colored protein that makes muscle appear dark is myoglobin. As muscles contract, they expend their oxygen supply. Myoglobin travels -- with oxygen in tow -- through the blood stream to these muscles allowing them to continue to sustain activity for a longer period of time. In contrast, ATP or adenosine tri phosphate is an enzyme that releases energy. When ATP cleaves off a phosphate, it becomes ADP (or adenosine diphosphate). This loss releases energy.

Question 16

The average adult body contains about 5 liters of blood. This means that all of our blood is rotated through our body once every minute or so. The idea of "cardiac output" is an important concept in understanding this phenomenon. It is possible to calculate cardiac output by knowing which two values?

Accepted Answer

Cardiac output can be calculated by knowing two numbers: heart rate and stroke volume. In order to determine the total volume of blood pushed through the system in a minute, you would multiple heart rate (how many times the heart compresses each minute) times stroke volume (how much blood is pushed). The concept of ejection fraction is related to cardiac output, but not directly. Ejection fraction is basically a measure of how much blood is pushed… and how much is left lingering in the heart

Question 17

The benefits of using a stability ball as an exercise tool include strength, flexibility, and balance. What is an added benefit of this type of exercise?

Accepted Answer

Because exercisers must engage their postural muscles to maintain stability while exercising on a ball, they demonstrate improved posture as a result. This improved posture can help ease back pain and help people better react to postural perturbations in the environment.

Question 18

The body requires large amounts of energy to perform vigorous physical activity. Which of these is NOT an energy system that helps contribute to the body's total energy needs during exercise?

Accepted Answer

Photosynthesis is the means of energy production used by plants, NOT humans; photosynthesis uses sunlight as its primary substrate. In humans, the aerobic system slowly produces ATP from blood glucose, glycogen, fatty acids, and proteins. Anaerobic glycolysis quickly produces ATP from glucose found in blood and muscle and from glycogen. The phosphagen system very quickly produces ATP from creatine phosphate and ATP.

Question 19

During maximal exercise, blood flow decreases to all the following organs EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

During intense physical activity, blood is diverted to the active skeletal muscle, increasing its distribution from 15-20% to 84%. Cardiac output to the brain, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skin (during maximal exercise) decreases during exercise. The percentage of cardiac output to the coronary arteries at rest and during maximal exercise remains the same.

Question 20

If a victim is found unconscious and not breathing, it is no longer standard procedure to "look, listen and feel for breathing". Instead, the responder should FIRST assess if:

Accepted Answer

When a responder finds a victim unconscious and not breathing, the rescuer should determine if breathing is absent or - and this is a new recommendation - not normal. If the victim is not breathing or if the breathing is irregular or abnormal - for instance, gasping - the responder should begin immediate chest compressions. If the victim is bleeding, control of this blood loss, although important, must take a secondary seat to addressing cardiovascular distress.

Quiz 15: The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Group Exercise Instructor Practice Test