Question 1

It is possible for blood sugar to drop significantly during a 60 minute class; this effect is particularly noticeable in higher-intensity classes, such as spinning. This drop in glucose happens - in part - because of the effect of exercise on insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. What happens to insulin secretion during exercise?

Accepted Answer

During exercise, insulin secretion by the pancreas is suppressed, as a result of activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Insulin decreases blood glucose levels and facilitates the uptake of glucose, fats, and amino acids by the cells for storage, thus creating a hypoglycemic effect. During exercise, the body needs to utilize the cells' stored fuel, so increasing insulin secretion would be counterproductive.

Question 2

The human body adapts to exercising in the heat by increasing plasma volume, decreasing core temperature, decreasing heart rate, and increasing the rate of sweating. How soon do these changes occur?

Accepted Answer

Adaptations to exercising in the heat can take place as early as 9-14 days after the beginning of acclimation. An increase in the body's plasma volume occurs first, followed by a decrease in both core temperature and heart rate. Lastly, the body "learns" to sweat more. The wise Group Fitness Instructor (GFI) will cue participants to drink more fluids and dress appropriately (loose fitting clothing, no cotton, light colors) especially during the early phase of adaptation.

Question 3

Group Fitness Instructors who suggest use of closed chain exercises during their sessions are taking advantage of WHICH exercise principle?

Accepted Answer

Group Fitness Instructors who choose to use closed chain exercises during their sessions are taking advantage of the fact that a closed-chain exercise tends to produce joint compression instead of shear. Consider the squat versus the (open chain) seated knee extension. In the open chain knee extension exercise, as the foot moves forward in space pulled by the quadriceps, the tibia tends to shear or translate forward on the femur, producing joint stress. In contrast, during a squat, the contraction of the quadriceps is balanced by a protective contraction of the hamstrings and the tibia does translate forward during the movement.

Question 4

The Group Fitness Instructor is responsible for providing the most effective workout in the shortest time. Which three triceps exercises have been shown to elicit the GREATEST muscle activity?

Accepted Answer

The triangle pushup is currently considered the gold standard for generating triceps activity, however, ACE-sponsored research has showed that dips and triceps kickbacks are nearly as effective. "Essentially all three exercises could be used interchangeably," reports ACE researcher Brittany Boehler, B.S. The closed grip bench press, bar push-down, rope push-down and lying barbell triceps extension all produce significantly less muscle activity in the triceps.

Question 5

The term "concussion" BEST describes:

Accepted Answer

In order for the term concussion to be used, the injury must not be immediately life-threatening and there must be some change in mental status. The term concussion is not specific to sports injury, although it has been getting a lot of press lately due to the National Football League's new regulations for the brain-injured athlete. A concussion is also not merely an injury to the brain caused by impact.. Typical signs of mental impairment may include: loss of consciousness, faulty short-term memory (for instance, asking the same questions repeatedly); drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, blurry or double vision, tinnitus, headache and more.

Question 6

Leaving the club, you observe a woman being clipped by a car in the parking lot. The victim is standing and shows no signs of external trauma, but over the next 5 minutes, she turns pale, with clammy skin, and her pulse becomes weak and irregular. Which of the following is NOT a good idea while waiting for the EMS to arrive?

Accepted Answer

If a victim is suffering from internal bleeding, you do not want her head to remain elevated. She should be placed on the ground gently (unless there are signs of neck trauma, in which case, she should not be moved) and covered with a warm blanket to help her thermo regulate. If there are no signs of lower extremity trauma, her legs should be elevated 8"-12" to help return blood flow to the critical regions, the chest and head. It is important to realize that she can go into hypovolemic shock quickly, which can be fatal, even in the absence of external signs of injury.

Question 7

Your facility just launched a new aerobic fitness initiative. For the kick-off, they offered members a standardized method to estimate their VO2max without the risks commonly associated with maximal exercise testing. Which of the following would LEAST likely have been chosen as a test for assessing submaximal aerobic fitness?

Accepted Answer

The timed up and go (TUG) test is a risk assessment test commonly used by physical therapists; it assesses a client's fall potential, not aerobic fitness level. In contrast, both the YMCA and McArdle step tests do test submaximal fitness, each by assessing heart rate after participants step onto a box (15" and 16.5" respectively), at a given pace, for 3 minutes. In the Rockport walking test, participants perform a timed 1 mile walk on a smooth, level surface. A score is then formulated based on the time it took to complete the mile, the heart rate after completion, and the rating of exertion perceived during the walk.

Question 8

Viscosity refers to the property of bodily tissues which allows the tissues to resist loads. Which factors are MOST LIKELY to alter viscosity?

Accepted Answer

Viscosity is dependent on both time and temperature, which is why it is important for the Group Fitness Instructor to observe how well participants warm-up before participating in vigorous physical activity. An adequate warm-up will reduce viscosity, increase tissue extensibility, and decrease the risk of injury. Proper feedback can motivate and encourage the participant to take the time to properly prepare the body for exercise and not to see it as "wasted exercise time."

Question 9

The rotator cuff - often mispronounced as "rotor cuff" -- is comprised of a group of muscles that are BEST known to work in harmony to:

Accepted Answer

The rotator cuff complex - comprised of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis muscles - has as its chief function the job of depressing the humeral "ball" down into the shallow "socket" (known as the glenoid fossa) of the shoulder joint. Without a sufficient rotator cuff, the shoulder girdle loses its capacity for normal kinematics. As the arm is elevated, the humerus rolls upward and rams into the underside of the acromion. This results in a greatly reduced ability to elevate the shoulder without hiking the entire shoulder complex.

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