FITCO Physical Endurance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During the FITCO shuttle run (20-metre beep test), what happens when a candidate fails to reach the line before the beep twice in a row?
- They receive a warning and continue
- Their test is terminated and the last completed level is recorded (Correct answer)
- They are given a 30-second rest before resuming
- They must restart the test from level 1
Correct answer: Their test is terminated and the last completed level is recorded
Two consecutive failures to reach the line before the beep ends the shuttle run and the last fully completed level is recorded as the candidate's score.
Question 2: Which physiological system is primarily stressed during the sustained aerobic portion of the FITCO test?
- Anaerobic alactic (phosphocreatine) system
- Cardiovascular and aerobic oxidative system (Correct answer)
- Anaerobic lactic (glycolytic) system
- Neuromuscular reflex system
Correct answer: Cardiovascular and aerobic oxidative system
Sustained moderate-to-high intensity running relies on the cardiovascular and aerobic oxidative system to deliver oxygen to working muscles.
Question 3: A correctional officer candidate has a resting heart rate of 55 bpm. During the beep test their heart rate reaches 185 bpm. What does this wide range indicate?
- Poor cardiovascular fitness
- High cardiovascular fitness and strong cardiac output reserve (Correct answer)
- Dangerous hypertensive response
- Arrhythmia requiring medical review
Correct answer: High cardiovascular fitness and strong cardiac output reserve
A low resting heart rate combined with a high maximal heart rate indicates excellent cardiovascular fitness and a large cardiac output reserve.
Question 4: What training principle explains why a correctional officer candidate must gradually increase weekly running mileage rather than doubling it abruptly?
- Specificity
- Reversibility
- Progressive overload (Correct answer)
- Accommodation
Correct answer: Progressive overload
Progressive overload dictates that training stress should increase incrementally to allow safe adaptation and reduce injury risk.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes VO2 max and its relevance to the FITCO test?
- Maximum volume of CO2 expelled per minute; predicts sprint speed
- Maximum oxygen the body can use per minute; predicts aerobic endurance capacity (Correct answer)
- Resting oxygen saturation; predicts muscular strength
- Blood oxygen level at exhaustion; predicts recovery speed
Correct answer: Maximum oxygen the body can use per minute; predicts aerobic endurance capacity
VO2 max measures the maximum rate of oxygen consumption and is the gold-standard predictor of aerobic endurance, directly related to beep-test performance.
Question 6: A candidate completes the FITCO shuttle run at level 7.5. Approximately what estimated VO2 max does this represent?
- 28–30 mL/kg/min
- 35–37 mL/kg/min
- 42–45 mL/kg/min (Correct answer)
- 50–53 mL/kg/min
Correct answer: 42–45 mL/kg/min
Level 7.5 on the 20-metre multi-stage fitness test corresponds to an estimated VO2 max of approximately 42–45 mL/kg/min.
Question 7: Why is body composition relevant to physical endurance performance on the FITCO test?
- Higher body fat increases lung capacity
- Excess body fat increases the metabolic cost of running without adding aerobic power (Correct answer)
- Lean mass reduces cardiovascular efficiency
- Body composition has no measurable effect on endurance
Correct answer: Excess body fat increases the metabolic cost of running without adding aerobic power
Excess body fat raises the energy cost of running and reduces relative VO2 max (mL/kg/min), directly lowering endurance test performance.
FITCO Physical Endurance 2
During the FITCO shuttle run (20-metre beep test), what happens when a candidate fails to reach the line before the beep twice in a row?