CIC Strength & Conditioning Fundamentals 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which periodization model divides training into distinct macrocycle, mesocycle, and microcycle blocks?
- Undulating periodization
- Linear (traditional) periodization (Correct answer)
- Conjugate periodization
- Reverse periodization
Correct answer: Linear (traditional) periodization
Linear periodization organizes training across macro-, meso-, and microcycles with progressively increasing intensity.
Question 2: What is the recommended minimum rest interval between sets when training for maximal strength (>90% 1RM)?
- 30–60 seconds
- 1–2 minutes
- 3–5 minutes (Correct answer)
- 7–10 minutes
Correct answer: 3–5 minutes
Maximal strength training requires 3–5 minutes of rest to allow near-complete phosphagen system recovery.
Question 3: Which of the following BEST describes 'specificity' as it applies to high school strength training?
- Using only free weights rather than machines
- Training movements and energy systems that mirror the sport demands (Correct answer)
- Performing the same workout year-round
- Prioritizing the dominant muscle groups of the sport's strongest players
Correct answer: Training movements and energy systems that mirror the sport demands
Specificity means matching training stimuli—movement patterns, energy systems, muscle actions—to the demands of the sport.
Question 4: An athlete's relative strength is best calculated as:
- 1RM divided by years of training experience
- 1RM multiplied by body mass
- 1RM divided by body mass (Correct answer)
- Body mass divided by 1RM
Correct answer: 1RM divided by body mass
Relative strength = 1RM / body mass, allowing fair comparison of strength across athletes of different sizes.
Question 5: Which muscle action occurs when a muscle lengthens while producing force, as in lowering a barbell during a squat?
- Concentric
- Isometric
- Eccentric (Correct answer)
- Isokinetic
Correct answer: Eccentric
Eccentric muscle action occurs when the muscle produces force while lengthening (e.g., the lowering phase of a squat).
Question 6: For a novice high school athlete beginning a resistance program, which set/rep scheme is MOST appropriate?
- 5×5 at 85% 1RM
- 1×20 at 50% 1RM
- 2–3 sets of 10–15 reps at moderate load (Correct answer)
- 10×3 at 95% 1RM
Correct answer: 2–3 sets of 10–15 reps at moderate load
Beginners benefit from moderate loads and higher repetition ranges to develop technique, motor patterns, and connective tissue integrity.
Question 7: Which of the following is a PRIMARY benefit of incorporating unilateral (single-limb) exercises in an interscholastic program?
- They increase maximal bilateral force output faster than bilateral lifts
- They help identify and address left-right strength imbalances (Correct answer)
- They are safer than all bilateral movements for adolescents
- They require less coach supervision than barbell exercises
Correct answer: They help identify and address left-right strength imbalances
Unilateral exercises expose strength asymmetries between limbs that bilateral exercises can mask.
CIC Strength & Conditioning Fundamentals 3
Which periodization model divides training into distinct macrocycle, mesocycle, and microcycle blocks?