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Metabolic Calculations 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.

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  1. A 75 kg athlete completes a 6-minute walk test and achieves an estimated VO2 of 22 mL/kg/min. How many kilocalories per minute is he expending?

    Answer: 7.9 kcal/min

    Absolute VO2 = 22 × 75 = 1650 mL/min = 1.65 L/min; kcal/min ≈ 1.65 × 5 = 8.25 ≈ closest 7.9 kcal/min using 4.8–5.0 kcal/L.

  2. When prescribing exercise using the VO2 reserve (VO2R) method, which formula is used to calculate target VO2?

    Answer: Target VO2 = %intensity × (VO2max − VO2rest) + VO2rest

    The VO2R method mirrors the Karvonen HRR formula: target VO2 = intensity% × (VO2max − VO2rest) + VO2rest.

  3. Which ACSM metabolic equation is most appropriate for a client walking at 1.5 mph (40.2 m/min)?

    Answer: Walking equation

    The ACSM walking equation is valid for speeds of 50–100 m/min; although 40.2 m/min is slightly below this range, it remains the most appropriate equation for walking-pace activity.

  4. A subject's RER rises from 0.82 at rest to 1.10 during maximal exercise. What does an RER above 1.0 during exercise indicate?

    Answer: Hyperventilation and bicarbonate buffering of lactic acid

    RER > 1.0 reflects CO2 released from bicarbonate buffering of accumulated lactic acid, plus hyperventilation, not from metabolism alone.

  5. A 68 kg person expends 420 kcal during a 60-minute cycling session. What was the average absolute VO2 (L/min) during the session?

    Answer: 1.4 L/min

    420 kcal / 60 min = 7 kcal/min; VO2 (L/min) = 7 / 5 = 1.4 L/min (using ~5 kcal per liter of O2).

  6. In the ACSM running equation, the vertical component coefficient is 0.9 rather than 1.8 (as in walking). Why?

    Answer: Runners are more efficient on inclines than walkers

    Runners are mechanically more efficient going uphill than walkers because of their spring-like gait mechanics, requiring less metabolic energy per unit of vertical displacement.

  7. A client needs to achieve a target VO2 of 28 mL/kg/min on a cycle ergometer. She weighs 65 kg. What work rate (kgm/min) should be set? (Use ACSM leg ergometer equation; assume unloaded VO2 = 3.5 mL/kg/min)

    Answer: 875 kgm/min

    Net VO2 = 28 − 3.5 = 24.5 mL/kg/min; work rate = (24.5 × 65) / 1.8 = 1592.5 / 1.8 ≈ 885 ≈ 875 kgm/min.