CPSS Foundations of Exercise Science 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which principle of training states that adaptations are specific to the type, intensity, and mode of exercise performed?
- Overload principle
- Reversibility principle
- SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) (Correct answer)
- Progressive overload principle
Correct answer: SAID principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands)
The SAID principle dictates that the body adapts specifically to the demands placed on it, so training must mimic the sport or performance goal.
Question 2: The primary function of the Golgi tendon organ (GTO) is to:
- Detect changes in muscle fiber length
- Sense tension within the tendon and inhibit excessive muscle force (Correct answer)
- Initiate the stretch reflex during rapid elongation
- Store elastic energy during eccentric loading
Correct answer: Sense tension within the tendon and inhibit excessive muscle force
GTOs are mechanoreceptors at the musculotendinous junction that monitor muscle tension and trigger autogenic inhibition to protect against excessive force.
Question 3: What does the term 'ventilatory threshold 2' (VT2) physiologically correspond to?
- The exercise intensity where RER first exceeds 0.85
- The intensity where ventilation increases disproportionately due to excess CO2 buffering of bicarbonate (Correct answer)
- The point where breathing frequency exceeds 40 breaths per minute
- The exercise intensity at which VO2max is first reached
Correct answer: The intensity where ventilation increases disproportionately due to excess CO2 buffering of bicarbonate
VT2 (also called the respiratory compensation point) occurs when hyperventilation accelerates to buffer rising H+ via bicarbonate, producing a second steep rise in VE/VCO2.
Question 4: Which of the following is a primary chronic cardiovascular adaptation to endurance training?
- Increased resting heart rate
- Decreased stroke volume at rest and exercise
- Cardiac hypertrophy (eccentric) with increased left ventricular end-diastolic volume (Correct answer)
- Increased blood viscosity due to elevated hematocrit
Correct answer: Cardiac hypertrophy (eccentric) with increased left ventricular end-diastolic volume
Endurance training induces eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy, increasing chamber volume and stroke volume, which contributes to athlete's bradycardia.
Question 5: In biomechanics, the 'stretch-shortening cycle' (SSC) refers to:
- Alternating concentric and isometric contractions during locomotion
- The sequential eccentric loading followed by rapid concentric contraction that enhances power output (Correct answer)
- A training method that alternates agonist and antagonist stretching
- The elastic recoil of tendons during purely isometric muscle actions
Correct answer: The sequential eccentric loading followed by rapid concentric contraction that enhances power output
The SSC involves a rapid eccentric pre-stretch that stores elastic energy and potentiates muscle activation, enhancing subsequent concentric force and power production.
Question 6: Which of the following statements about muscle hypertrophy is most accurate?
- Hypertrophy results from an increase in muscle fiber number (hyperplasia) in humans
- Hypertrophy is caused solely by increased protein synthesis with no change in protein degradation
- Hypertrophy results from a net positive protein balance where synthesis exceeds degradation over time (Correct answer)
- Hypertrophy only occurs above 85% of one-repetition maximum
Correct answer: Hypertrophy results from a net positive protein balance where synthesis exceeds degradation over time
Muscle hypertrophy occurs when cumulative net protein balance is positive — i.e., synthesis consistently exceeds breakdown over repeated training bouts and recovery.
Question 7: The term 'detraining' refers to:
- Intentional reduction in training volume during a taper phase
- Partial or complete loss of training-induced adaptations due to cessation of exercise (Correct answer)
- The process of switching from one training modality to another
- Overreaching that leads to performance decline despite continued training
Correct answer: Partial or complete loss of training-induced adaptations due to cessation of exercise
Detraining describes the reversal of physiological adaptations when training is reduced or stopped, consistent with the reversibility principle.
CPSS Foundations of Exercise Science 5
Which principle of training states that adaptations are specific to the type, intensity, and mode of exercise performed?