Practice Test GeeksNSCA CSCS - NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Practice Test
← All NSCA CSCS Flashcard Decks

Exercise Science Principles Flashcards

7 cards from real NSCA CSCS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Exercise Science Principles flashcards as text

  1. Cardiac hypertrophy induced by endurance training is primarily characterized by:

    Answer: Increased left ventricular chamber volume with proportional wall thickness (eccentric hypertrophy)

    Chronic endurance training produces eccentric (volume-load) hypertrophy — an enlarged LV cavity with a proportionally larger stroke volume.

  2. Which hormone is primarily responsible for acute increases in blood glucose during high-intensity exercise?

    Answer: Epinephrine

    Epinephrine (adrenaline) released from the adrenal medulla stimulates hepatic glycogenolysis to rapidly elevate blood glucose during intense exercise.

  3. The primary role of calcium (Ca²⁺) in muscle contraction is to:

    Answer: Bind to troponin C, moving tropomyosin to expose actin binding sites

    Ca²⁺ released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum binds troponin C, causing a conformational shift in tropomyosin that exposes myosin-binding sites on actin.

  4. The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) value of 0.70 indicates that the primary fuel source is:

    Answer: Fat

    An RER of 0.70 reflects complete fat oxidation (CO2 produced / O2 consumed = 0.70), consistent with lipid metabolism.

  5. Which principle explains why a heavier object requires greater muscular force to accelerate at the same rate as a lighter object?

    Answer: Newton's Second Law (F = ma)

    Newton's Second Law (F = ma) states force equals mass times acceleration, so greater mass requires proportionally greater force for the same acceleration.

  6. During prolonged moderate-intensity exercise, which metabolic shift occurs after approximately 2 hours?

    Answer: Shift toward greater fat oxidation as glycogen stores deplete

    As muscle and liver glycogen deplete during prolonged exercise, fat oxidation (free fatty acid mobilization) increases to supply a greater proportion of ATP.

  7. The Golgi tendon organ (GTO) responds primarily to:

    Answer: Muscle tension/force development

    GTOs are tension-sensitive mechanoreceptors located at the muscle-tendon junction that fire in response to active force production by the muscle.