ACSM-CPT ACSM-CPT Cardiorespiratory Fitness 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does VO2 max represent?
- Maximum heart rate during exercise
- Maximum volume of oxygen the body can use during intense exercise (Correct answer)
- Maximum carbon dioxide produced at rest
- Maximum blood lactate concentration
Correct answer: Maximum volume of oxygen the body can use during intense exercise
VO2 max is the maximal rate at which the body can consume oxygen during exhaustive aerobic exercise and is the gold standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Question 2: According to ACSM guidelines, what is the recommended moderate-intensity aerobic exercise duration per week for healthy adults?
- 75 minutes
- 100 minutes
- 150 minutes (Correct answer)
- 200 minutes
Correct answer: 150 minutes
ACSM recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week for health maintenance in adults.
Question 3: Which heart rate method estimates exercise intensity as a percentage of heart rate reserve (HRR)?
- Borg Scale method
- Karvonen method (Correct answer)
- Fick equation
- RPE method
Correct answer: Karvonen method
The Karvonen method calculates target heart rate using HRR = (max HR – resting HR), then adds resting HR back after multiplying by the desired intensity percentage.
Question 4: What is cardiac output?
- Volume of blood ejected per beat
- Heart rate multiplied by stroke volume (Correct answer)
- Maximum oxygen consumed per minute
- Diastolic minus systolic pressure
Correct answer: Heart rate multiplied by stroke volume
Cardiac output (Q) equals heart rate multiplied by stroke volume and represents the total volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute.
Question 5: Which rating on the Borg 6–20 RPE scale corresponds to moderate-intensity exercise?
- 7–8
- 9–10
- 12–13 (Correct answer)
- 17–18
Correct answer: 12–13
An RPE of 12–13 on the Borg scale corresponds to 'somewhat hard' and is associated with moderate-intensity exercise.
Question 6: Which energy system is the primary fuel source during prolonged aerobic exercise lasting longer than 2 minutes?
- ATP-PCr system
- Glycolytic system
- Oxidative (aerobic) system (Correct answer)
- Phosphocreatine system
Correct answer: Oxidative (aerobic) system
The oxidative system uses oxygen to metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins and is the dominant energy pathway for exercise lasting more than 2 minutes.
ACSM-CPT ACSM-CPT Cardiorespiratory Fitness 1
What does VO2 max represent?