ACSM GEI 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which class format best describes a session where participants rotate through pre-set exercise stations for a fixed time interval?
- Cardio dance
- Circuit training (Correct answer)
- Interval training
- Boot camp with linear progression
Correct answer: Circuit training
Circuit training involves participants moving through a series of stations, each targeting different muscle groups or fitness components for set durations.
Question 2: The Pre-Participation Health Screening recommended by ACSM is designed primarily to:
- Determine a participant's maximum aerobic capacity
- Identify individuals who may need medical evaluation before exercise (Correct answer)
- Assign participants to specific class intensity levels
- Screen for nutritional deficiencies
Correct answer: Identify individuals who may need medical evaluation before exercise
Pre-participation screening identifies cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal disease risk factors to determine if medical clearance is needed before exercise.
Question 3: During a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group class, the work-to-rest ratio of 2:1 means:
- Participants rest twice as long as they work
- Participants work twice as long as they rest (Correct answer)
- Equal work and rest with 2 sets total
- Two minutes of work followed by one second of rest
Correct answer: Participants work twice as long as they rest
A 2:1 work-to-rest ratio means the work interval is twice the duration of the rest interval (e.g., 40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest).
Question 4: What is the PRIMARY role of the GEI in preventing rhabdomyolysis in group exercise participants?
- Administering electrolyte supplements during class
- Avoiding extreme eccentric exercise volume, especially with deconditioned participants (Correct answer)
- Ensuring all participants wear compression garments
- Requiring blood tests before the first class
Correct answer: Avoiding extreme eccentric exercise volume, especially with deconditioned participants
Rhabdomyolysis risk is highest with sudden high-volume eccentric exercise in unconditioned individuals, so GEIs must appropriately progress intensity.
Question 5: A GEI observes a participant performing a lateral raise with excessive upper trapezius shrug. The BEST verbal cue is:
- 'Raise your arms as high as possible'
- 'Shrug your shoulders up toward your ears'
- 'Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears as you lift' (Correct answer)
- 'Bend your elbows more to increase the load'
Correct answer: 'Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears as you lift'
Cueing scapular depression prevents upper trapezius dominance and ensures the deltoids are the primary mover during lateral raises.
Question 6: For improving cardiorespiratory fitness, ACSM recommends moderate-intensity exercise for a minimum of how many minutes per week?
- 75 minutes
- 100 minutes
- 150 minutes (Correct answer)
- 200 minutes
Correct answer: 150 minutes
ACSM recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week for health and cardiorespiratory fitness improvement.
Question 7: During a yoga-based group class, the GEI instructs participants to perform a seated forward fold. Which contraindication should prompt an immediate modification?
- Mild muscle tightness in the hamstrings
- Recent lumbar disc herniation (Correct answer)
- Tight hip flexors
- Mild delayed-onset muscle soreness
Correct answer: Recent lumbar disc herniation
Lumbar disc herniation is a contraindication for full spinal flexion exercises like seated forward folds, as they increase intradiscal pressure and risk nerve impingement.
ACSM GEI 4
Which class format best describes a session where participants rotate through pre-set exercise stations for a fixed time interval?