Exercise Physiology Flashcards
7 cards from real ACSM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Exercise Physiology flashcards as text
During resistance exercise, which mechanism accounts for the acute increase in strength observed within the first 4–8 weeks of a training program in untrained individuals?
Answer: Neural adaptations and improved motor unit recruitment
Early strength gains (first 4–8 weeks) are primarily due to neural adaptations — improved motor unit recruitment, synchronization, and reduced inhibition.
The phosphocreatine (PCr) system can sustain maximal effort for approximately how long before becoming depleted?
Answer: 8–15 seconds
PCr stores support maximal-intensity exercise for roughly 8–15 seconds before this substrate is largely depleted.
At sea level, arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) in a healthy individual during maximal exercise is typically:
Answer: 95–100%
In healthy individuals at sea level, SaO2 remains at 95–100% even during maximal exercise because pulmonary gas exchange is usually not limiting.
Which cardiovascular variable shows the greatest relative increase from rest to maximal exercise in a trained endurance athlete compared to an untrained individual?
Answer: Stroke volume
Endurance training produces cardiac hypertrophy and expanded plasma volume, resulting in a markedly greater trained stroke volume at maximal exercise.
Which respiratory adjustment primarily drives the increase in ventilation at the onset of exercise?
Answer: Neural feedforward signals from the motor cortex and proprioceptors
The rapid increase in ventilation at exercise onset is driven by central command (motor cortex) and proprioceptive feedback, not by blood gas changes.
An individual's MET (metabolic equivalent of task) during rest is defined as an oxygen uptake of approximately:
Answer: 3.5 mL/kg/min
One MET equals approximately 3.5 mL O2/kg/min, representing resting metabolic rate in a seated adult.
Which of the following best describes the principle of specificity as it applies to exercise training adaptations?
Answer: Adaptations are specific to the muscles, energy systems, and movement patterns stressed during training
The specificity principle (SAID) states that physiological adaptations are specific to the type, intensity, and muscles involved in training.