Exercise Prescription 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 Prescription flashcards as text
An exercise physiologist prescribes aquatic exercise for a client with severe osteoarthritis. What is the PRIMARY physiological rationale?
Answer: Buoyancy reduces joint loading while providing resistance for cardiovascular and muscular conditioning
Water buoyancy significantly reduces joint compressive forces, making aquatic exercise ideal for clients with joint disease while still providing aerobic and muscular benefits.
What does ACSM's 'Volume' (V) component in FITT-VP represent in aerobic exercise prescription?
Answer: Total amount of exercise, expressed as MET-minutes or total caloric expenditure per week
Volume quantifies the total dose of exercise (e.g., MET-min/week or kcal/week) by integrating frequency, intensity, and duration.
Which of the following best represents a contraindication to initiating a vigorous exercise program without physician clearance?
Answer: Recent myocardial infarction within the past 30 days
A recent MI (within 30 days) is an absolute contraindication to vigorous exercise without medical clearance due to risk of recurrent cardiac events.
When prescribing resistance training for muscular endurance, ACSM recommends which combination?
Answer: Light loads (<50% 1-RM), high repetitions (≥15), short rest intervals (<30 s)
Muscular endurance training uses lighter loads with higher reps and shorter rest periods to stress oxidative metabolic pathways in muscle fibers.
The 'Progression' (P) component of FITT-VP in resistance training typically involves which approach?
Answer: Gradually increasing load, volume, or complexity over time as adaptations occur
Progression involves systematically increasing training stimulus (load, volume, or difficulty) to continue driving adaptations via the overload principle.
A client completing a Bruce Treadmill Protocol achieves a final stage of 5.0 mph at 18% grade. The exercise physiologist uses this data primarily to estimate what?
Answer: Maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max)
The Bruce Protocol is a graded exercise test used to estimate VO2max based on treadmill speed, grade, and exercise duration.
Which energy system primarily fuels exercise lasting 30 seconds to 2 minutes, such as a 400-meter sprint?
Answer: Glycolytic (anaerobic lactic) system
The glycolytic system dominates energy provision for high-intensity efforts lasting approximately 30 seconds to 2 minutes by rapidly breaking down glucose to produce ATP.