NSCA CSCS Recovery and Regeneration Strategies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which is a PRIMARY indicator of functional overreaching in an athlete as described in NSCA guidelines?
- Increased motivation and arousal before training
- Persistent performance decline that does not resolve with a few days of rest (Correct answer)
- Temporary muscle soreness following introduction of a new exercise
- Elevated resting heart rate for a single day
Correct answer: Persistent performance decline that does not resolve with a few days of rest
Functional overreaching is characterized by short-term performance decrements that persist beyond typical recovery days but resolve within days to weeks with adequate rest.
Question 2: The acute-to-chronic workload ratio (ACWR) is used by strength coaches to monitor which risk?
- Risk of suboptimal nutrition intake
- Risk of injury and inadequate recovery relative to the athlete's training base (Correct answer)
- Ratio of strength to endurance training within a microcycle
- Cardiovascular demand relative to sport-specific demands
Correct answer: Risk of injury and inadequate recovery relative to the athlete's training base
The ACWR compares recent training load (acute, ~1 week) to a longer-term base (chronic, ~4 weeks) to identify spikes that increase injury and overtraining risk.
Question 3: Which biochemical marker ratio is commonly monitored to detect overtraining syndrome in strength athletes?
- Insulin-to-glucagon ratio
- Testosterone-to-cortisol ratio (Correct answer)
- Estrogen-to-progesterone ratio
- T3-to-T4 thyroid hormone ratio
Correct answer: Testosterone-to-cortisol ratio
A decreased testosterone-to-cortisol ratio indicates a shift toward catabolism over anabolism, which is a recognized biochemical marker of overtraining syndrome.
Question 4: How does NONFUNCTIONAL overreaching (NFOR) differ from functional overreaching (FOR)?
- NFOR involves only psychological symptoms, while FOR involves physical symptoms
- NFOR requires weeks to months to recover from, while FOR resolves within days to weeks (Correct answer)
- NFOR occurs only in endurance athletes, while FOR affects strength athletes
- NFOR is caused by nutritional deficits, while FOR is caused by training volume
Correct answer: NFOR requires weeks to months to recover from, while FOR resolves within days to weeks
The key distinction between NFOR and FOR is recovery time: FOR resolves with days to weeks of reduced load, while NFOR requires weeks to months for full restoration.
Question 5: What is the RECOMMENDED first-line intervention when an athlete presents with signs of overreaching?
- Increase training intensity to push through the performance plateau
- Immediately stop ALL physical activity for a minimum of two weeks
- Reduce training load and increase recovery time while monitoring symptoms (Correct answer)
- Switch training modality to a completely different sport at the same workload
Correct answer: Reduce training load and increase recovery time while monitoring symptoms
The primary intervention for overreaching is reducing total training stress (volume and/or intensity) while increasing recovery to allow the athlete's physiological systems to recover.
Question 6: Which standardized psychological questionnaire is commonly used to monitor recovery status and detect early signs of overtraining in athletes?
- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
- Profile of Mood States (POMS) (Correct answer)
- General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)
- Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)
Correct answer: Profile of Mood States (POMS)
The Profile of Mood States (POMS) tracks mood dimensions (fatigue, vigor, tension, depression, anger, confusion) that are reliably altered by overtraining, making it a validated monitoring tool.
NSCA CSCS Recovery and Regeneration Strategies 2
Which is a PRIMARY indicator of functional overreaching in an athlete as described in NSCA guidelines?