CSC Performance Testing and Monitoring 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary advantage of using force plate technology in athlete testing?
- It measures flexibility only
- It provides objective, precise data on force production, rate of force development, and asymmetries during jumps and dynamic tasks (Correct answer)
- It replaces the need for any other testing
- It only measures body composition
Correct answer: It provides objective, precise data on force production, rate of force development, and asymmetries during jumps and dynamic tasks
Force plates capture ground reaction forces with high resolution, enabling quantification of peak force, RFD, impulse, and bilateral asymmetries invisible to the naked eye.
Question 2: Which of the following is a validated method for estimating training load in team sport athletes?
- Body weight only
- Session RPE (sRPE = RPE × session duration in minutes) (Correct answer)
- Dietary protein intake
- Sleep duration exclusively
Correct answer: Session RPE (sRPE = RPE × session duration in minutes)
Session RPE (Foster et al.) multiplies the athlete's post-session RPE by duration in minutes to yield an arbitrary unit of internal training load that correlates with physiological measures.
Question 3: What does an athlete's acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) help a strength coach manage?
- Nutritional intake balance
- Injury risk by comparing recent training load (acute, ~7 days) to longer-term load (chronic, ~28 days) to identify spikes (Correct answer)
- Body composition changes
- Maximum strength development only
Correct answer: Injury risk by comparing recent training load (acute, ~7 days) to longer-term load (chronic, ~28 days) to identify spikes
ACWR monitors the ratio of recent workload to established workload capacity; values above 1.3–1.5 indicate load spikes associated with significantly elevated injury risk.
Question 4: What does a grip strength test measure and why is it relevant to strength coaches?
- Only forearm muscle size
- Isometric hand and forearm force production — a validated marker of overall muscular strength, injury risk, and general health (Correct answer)
- Cardiovascular fitness
- Lower body power exclusively
Correct answer: Isometric hand and forearm force production — a validated marker of overall muscular strength, injury risk, and general health
Grip strength is a simple, reliable isometric strength test that correlates strongly with total body muscle mass, overall strength capacity, and even long-term health outcomes.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a functional movement screen (FMS) in a strength and conditioning context?
- To test maximum strength capacity
- To identify movement pattern asymmetries and dysfunctions that may predispose athletes to injury before beginning a training program (Correct answer)
- To measure aerobic fitness
- To diagnose medical conditions
Correct answer: To identify movement pattern asymmetries and dysfunctions that may predispose athletes to injury before beginning a training program
The FMS evaluates seven fundamental movement patterns to detect mobility or stability deficits and asymmetries, guiding program design to address these before injury occurs.
Question 6: How is 'training monotony' calculated and what does a high score indicate?
- Total training volume divided by rest days
- Mean daily training load divided by its standard deviation over the week — high monotony indicates insufficient variation and elevated overtraining risk (Correct answer)
- Maximum session load divided by minimum session load
- Body weight change over training block
Correct answer: Mean daily training load divided by its standard deviation over the week — high monotony indicates insufficient variation and elevated overtraining risk
Training monotony (Foster) = mean daily load ÷ SD; high monotony means day-to-day load variation is low, increasing cumulative fatigue and overtraining syndrome risk.
CSC Performance Testing and Monitoring 2
What is the primary advantage of using force plate technology in athlete testing?