Sports Performance Coaching 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 Sports Performance Coaching flashcards as text
Which ACSM-recognized principle states that training adaptations are specific to the type, intensity, and volume of exercise performed?
Answer: Specificity (SAID principle)
The SAID (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) principle holds that the body adapts specifically to the exact stresses placed upon it.
A performance coach is designing a warm-up for explosive athletes. Which sequence is MOST evidence-based according to ACSM?
Answer: General aerobic activity → dynamic warm-up → sport-specific activity
General aerobic activity raises core temperature, dynamic warm-up prepares tissues, and sport-specific activity primes neuromuscular patterns for performance.
During a countermovement jump, the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) enhances power output primarily through:
Answer: Elastic energy storage and myotatic reflex potentiation
The SSC stores elastic energy in tendons and triggers the myotatic reflex, both contributing to enhanced concentric power output.
An athlete's VO2max is 58 mL/kg/min. At what approximate running pace would they be exercising at 70% VO2max during a tempo run?
Answer: At a pace eliciting ~40.6 mL/kg/min oxygen uptake
70% of 58 mL/kg/min = 40.6 mL/kg/min; tempo runs target ~65-75% VO2max to stress the lactate threshold zone.
Which flexibility training method has been shown to produce the GREATEST acute gains in range of motion?
Answer: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)
PNF stretching, which uses isometric contractions followed by passive stretch, consistently produces the largest acute ROM improvements.
A track coach notices an athlete's ground contact time increasing and stride frequency decreasing without changes in stride length. This MOST likely indicates:
Answer: Neuromuscular fatigue affecting force application
Longer ground contact with reduced stride frequency suggests the athlete cannot apply force rapidly, a hallmark of neuromuscular fatigue.
According to ACSM, what is the recommended minimum rest period between maximal-effort plyometric sessions for trained athletes?
Answer: 48-72 hours
ACSM recommends 48-72 hours between high-intensity plyometric sessions to allow adequate neuromuscular recovery.