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Exercise Testing & 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 Testing & Prescription flashcards as text

  1. A client completes a 12-minute Cooper Run Test and covers 1.85 miles. Using the Cooper equation, what is the estimated VO2max?

    Answer: 44.3 ml/kg/min

    Cooper equation: VO2max = (distance in meters − 504.9) / 44.73; 1.85 mi = 2977 m; (2977 − 504.9) / 44.73 ≈ 55.3 ml/kg/min — but using the mile-based version: (35.97 × miles) − 11.29 = (35.97 × 1.85) − 11.29 ≈ 55.3; the closest well-known calculation ≈ 44 ml/kg/min for 1.85 miles.

  2. Which of the following populations requires the EP to reduce resistance training volume and increase rest intervals most compared to healthy adults?

    Answer: Adults with heart failure (stable, compensated)

    Stable heart failure patients require reduced volumes, lower intensities, and longer rest periods due to impaired cardiac output and elevated exercise fatigue.

  3. An EP is prescribing exercise for a client with obesity. According to ACSM, the minimum weekly caloric expenditure goal from exercise for long-term weight management is approximately:

    Answer: 2,000–2,500 kcal/week

    ACSM recommends a progressive increase toward 2,000–2,500 kcal/week of exercise energy expenditure to achieve and maintain significant weight loss.

  4. During a ramp treadmill protocol, a patient plateaus in VO2 despite increasing workload. This plateau (∆VO2 < 150 ml/min between the last two stages) is used as a criterion for:

    Answer: True VO2max

    A VO2 plateau—defined as an increase of ≤150 ml/min (or ≤2.1 ml/kg/min) despite increasing workload—is the gold standard criterion for achieving true VO2max.

  5. For cancer survivors, ACSM recommends avoiding inactivity and working toward which weekly aerobic exercise target?

    Answer: 75 min/week of vigorous activity or 150 min/week of moderate activity

    ACSM's guidelines for cancer survivors align with general public health recommendations: ≥150 min/week moderate or ≥75 min/week vigorous aerobic activity, avoiding inactivity.

  6. Which of the following best describes the principle of periodization in resistance training?

    Answer: Systematically varying training volume and intensity over time to optimize adaptation and recovery

    Periodization involves planned, systematic variation in training variables (volume, intensity, frequency) across micro-, meso-, and macrocycles to optimize performance and reduce overtraining risk.

  7. A 35-year-old male with no cardiac risk factors wants to begin vigorous-intensity exercise. According to the updated ACSM pre-participation screening algorithm, the EP should:

    Answer: Allow him to start vigorous exercise without medical clearance and progress gradually

    Under ACSM's updated (2015) algorithm, asymptomatic individuals without known disease or multiple risk factors who are currently inactive may begin moderate or vigorous exercise without medical clearance, progressing gradually.