ACSM Cardiovascular Fitness 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client performs a 1.5-mile run in 13 minutes. Using the ACSM 1.5-mile run norms, which fitness category does a 35-year-old female fall into?
- Excellent
- Good
- Fair (Correct answer)
- Poor
Correct answer: Fair
For a 35-year-old female, a 1.5-mile run time of approximately 13 minutes places her in the fair fitness category per ACSM normative data.
Question 2: Which training modality most specifically targets improvements in cardiac stroke volume and left ventricular end-diastolic volume?
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Low-volume resistance training
- Prolonged moderate-intensity continuous training (Correct answer)
- Flexibility training
Correct answer: Prolonged moderate-intensity continuous training
Prolonged aerobic endurance training induces eccentric cardiac hypertrophy, increasing chamber volume and stroke volume through volume loading.
Question 3: During exercise at altitude, which cardiovascular adjustment occurs acutely to maintain oxygen delivery?
- Decreased heart rate
- Increased cardiac output via elevated heart rate (Correct answer)
- Reduced ventilation
- Lower blood pressure
Correct answer: Increased cardiac output via elevated heart rate
At altitude, reduced PaO2 triggers an acute increase in heart rate to boost cardiac output and partially compensate for lower arterial oxygen content.
Question 4: For a client with hypertension exercising at moderate intensity, which blood pressure response would warrant immediate exercise cessation?
- Systolic BP of 180 mmHg
- Systolic BP rising to 220 mmHg or diastolic BP exceeding 115 mmHg (Correct answer)
- Diastolic BP of 85 mmHg
- Systolic BP of 160 mmHg with stable symptoms
Correct answer: Systolic BP rising to 220 mmHg or diastolic BP exceeding 115 mmHg
ACSM recommends stopping exercise if systolic BP exceeds 220 mmHg or diastolic BP exceeds 115 mmHg during aerobic activity.
Question 5: Which fuel source predominates during prolonged low-to-moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise (60–70% VO2max)?
- Phosphocreatine
- Muscle glycogen exclusively
- Fat oxidation with co-contribution from carbohydrate (Correct answer)
- Blood glucose exclusively
Correct answer: Fat oxidation with co-contribution from carbohydrate
At 60–70% VO2max, fat and carbohydrate are both oxidized, with fat providing a significant proportion of energy, especially as duration increases.
Question 6: What does the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) value of 1.0 during steady-state exercise primarily indicate?
- Maximal fat oxidation
- Equal contributions of fat and carbohydrate, with transition toward carbohydrate dominance (Correct answer)
- Pure protein metabolism
- Anaerobic threshold has not been reached
Correct answer: Equal contributions of fat and carbohydrate, with transition toward carbohydrate dominance
An RER of 1.0 indicates that carbohydrate is becoming the predominant fuel source, as carbohydrate oxidation produces equal volumes of CO2 and O2.
Question 7: A fitness professional notices a client's heart rate does not increase appropriately with rising workload during a GXT. This phenomenon is called:
- Cardiac drift
- Chronotropic incompetence (Correct answer)
- Autonomic hyperreflexia
- Valsalva response
Correct answer: Chronotropic incompetence
Chronotropic incompetence is the inability of the heart to increase its rate appropriately in response to exercise, often seen with certain medications or cardiac conditions.
ACSM Cardiovascular Fitness 4
A client performs a 1.5-mile run in 13 minutes.
Using the ACSM 1.5-mile run norms, which fitness category does a 35-year-old female fall into?