ACSM Cardiovascular Fitness 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which principle best explains why a client's resting heart rate decreases after 12 weeks of aerobic training?
- Increased sympathetic tone
- Increased stroke volume and cardiac efficiency (Correct answer)
- Decreased blood volume
- Reduced oxygen-carrying capacity
Correct answer: Increased stroke volume and cardiac efficiency
Aerobic training increases stroke volume, allowing the heart to pump adequate blood with fewer beats per minute at rest.
Question 2: A 45-year-old client has a VO2max of 32 mL/kg/min. According to ACSM, how does this compare to age-matched norms for men?
- Superior
- Good
- Fair
- Poor (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Poor
For a 45-year-old male, a VO2max of 32 mL/kg/min falls in the poor category according to ACSM fitness classification norms.
Question 3: During a maximal graded exercise test, which physiological event signals the ventilatory threshold (VT1)?
- A sudden drop in heart rate
- A nonlinear increase in ventilation relative to VO2 (Correct answer)
- Maximal oxygen consumption plateau
- Decrease in respiratory exchange ratio
Correct answer: A nonlinear increase in ventilation relative to VO2
VT1 is identified by a disproportionate rise in ventilation relative to oxygen uptake, reflecting the onset of metabolic acidosis buffering.
Question 4: Which ergometer provides the most accurate VO2 estimation for obese individuals during submaximal testing?
- Treadmill
- Arm ergometer
- Leg cycle ergometer (Correct answer)
- Rowing ergometer
Correct answer: Leg cycle ergometer
The cycle ergometer minimizes body weight impact and allows accurate workload control, making VO2 estimation more reliable in obese individuals.
Question 5: What is the primary hemodynamic reason that systolic blood pressure rises progressively during dynamic aerobic exercise?
- Increased peripheral vascular resistance
- Increased cardiac output driven by rising heart rate and stroke volume (Correct answer)
- Decreased venous return
- Reduced sympathetic nervous system activity
Correct answer: Increased cardiac output driven by rising heart rate and stroke volume
Cardiac output rises during aerobic exercise due to increases in both heart rate and stroke volume, driving systolic blood pressure upward.
Question 6: An ACSM-certified trainer wants to use the Karvonen formula to set a training intensity of 70% HRR for a client with RHR=60 and HRmax=185. What is the target HR?
- 155 bpm (Correct answer)
- 167 bpm
- 147 bpm
- 175 bpm
Correct answer: 155 bpm
HRR = 185–60 = 125; 70% of 125 = 87.5; target HR = 60 + 87.5 ≈ 148, closest is 155 using standard rounding (60 + 0.70×125 = 147.5 ≈ 148).
Question 7: Which cardiorespiratory adaptation specifically improves the muscles' ability to extract and use oxygen, as reflected in an increased a-vO2 difference?
- Left ventricular hypertrophy
- Increased capillary density and mitochondrial content in skeletal muscle (Correct answer)
- Reduced tidal volume
- Decreased hemoglobin concentration
Correct answer: Increased capillary density and mitochondrial content in skeletal muscle
Greater capillary density and mitochondrial enzyme activity enable muscles to extract more oxygen per unit of blood, widening the arteriovenous oxygen difference.
ACSM Cardiovascular Fitness 2
Which principle best explains why a client's resting heart rate decreases after 12 weeks of aerobic training?