CPSS Performance and Wellness 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A strength and conditioning coach notices that an athlete's countermovement jump height has dropped 8% over two weeks without a reduction in training load. This is best interpreted as a sign of:
- Normal training adaptation
- Non-functional overreaching (Correct answer)
- Detraining effect
- Acute fatigue from a single session
Correct answer: Non-functional overreaching
A sustained decline in jump performance without load reduction is a key performance marker indicating non-functional overreaching rather than normal transient fatigue.
Question 2: Which dietary strategy is most evidence-based for reducing exercise-induced muscle damage and supporting recovery in the 24 hours post-training?
- High-fat ketogenic intake
- Carbohydrate and protein co-ingestion within 30–60 minutes (Correct answer)
- Fasting for 12 hours post-exercise
- Supplementing only with branched-chain amino acids
Correct answer: Carbohydrate and protein co-ingestion within 30–60 minutes
Co-ingesting carbohydrates and protein (approximately 3:1 ratio) in the early recovery window maximizes glycogen resynthesis and muscle protein synthesis.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of using subjective wellness questionnaires alongside objective performance measures in athlete monitoring?
- To replace laboratory testing entirely
- To detect early warning signs of fatigue that objective tests may miss (Correct answer)
- To satisfy team physician requirements
- To reduce the cost of athlete monitoring programs
Correct answer: To detect early warning signs of fatigue that objective tests may miss
Subjective wellness tools often detect perceptual changes earlier than objective markers, providing a complementary layer for identifying fatigue and overreaching risk.
Question 4: During a congested competition schedule, which of the following recovery strategies has the strongest evidence for attenuating muscle soreness and maintaining performance?
- Active recovery at 30–40% VO2max (Correct answer)
- Static stretching for 30 minutes
- Complete rest for 48 hours
- High-intensity interval training between games
Correct answer: Active recovery at 30–40% VO2max
Low-intensity active recovery enhances blood flow and metabolite clearance without additional mechanical stress, showing the strongest evidence for acute performance maintenance.
Question 5: Which stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model corresponds to a period where performance and tissue adaptation gains are realized?
- Alarm stage
- Resistance stage (Correct answer)
- Exhaustion stage
- Recovery stage
Correct answer: Resistance stage
The resistance stage of GAS is where the body adapts to the training stressor, resulting in improved performance and structural adaptations.
Question 6: A sport scientist is designing a hydration protocol for a team competing in hot and humid conditions. Which hydration status assessment method is most practical for daily field use?
- Plasma osmolality via blood draw
- Urine specific gravity with a refractometer (Correct answer)
- Body mass change over 24 hours
- Serum sodium concentration
Correct answer: Urine specific gravity with a refractometer
Urine specific gravity measured with a refractometer is fast, inexpensive, and minimally invasive, making it the most practical daily field hydration assessment tool.
Question 7: In athlete wellness monitoring, which of the following best describes 'functional overreaching'?
- Permanent hormonal disruption requiring medical intervention
- A short-term performance decrement that resolves within days to weeks with adequate recovery (Correct answer)
- Complete physiological breakdown requiring months of rest
- Normal post-exercise fatigue lasting less than 24 hours
Correct answer: A short-term performance decrement that resolves within days to weeks with adequate recovery
Functional overreaching is a planned short-term training overload that causes temporary performance decrements reversible within days to weeks, often used intentionally to drive supercompensation.
CPSS Performance and Wellness 3
A strength and conditioning coach notices that an athlete's countermovement jump height has dropped 8% over two weeks without a reduction in training load.
This is best interpreted as a sign of: