Performance-Enhancing Nutrition 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 Performance-Enhancing Nutrition flashcards as text
Which form of creatine supplementation has the strongest evidence base for improving high-intensity exercise performance?
Answer: Creatine monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate has the most robust evidence supporting performance improvements and remains the gold standard form.
Beta-alanine supplementation improves performance primarily by increasing muscle concentrations of which compound?
Answer: Carnosine
Beta-alanine is a rate-limiting precursor to carnosine, a dipeptide that buffers H+ ions in muscle during high-intensity exercise.
The NSCA recommends that athletes requiring rapid weight loss for competition consume no less than what percentage of total calories from carbohydrate?
Answer: 45%
Maintaining at least 45% of calories from carbohydrate helps preserve glycogen stores and performance even during caloric restriction.
Which amino acid is considered conditionally essential during periods of intense training stress and is the primary fuel source for enterocytes?
Answer: Glutamine
Glutamine becomes conditionally essential during high-stress training periods and is the preferred oxidative fuel for intestinal cells.
An athlete consumes 70 g of carbohydrate and 20 g of protein immediately post-exercise. According to NSCA guidelines, this timing strategy primarily optimizes which physiological process?
Answer: Muscle protein synthesis and glycogen resynthesis simultaneously
Co-ingesting carbohydrate and protein post-exercise simultaneously stimulates glycogen resynthesis and muscle protein synthesis more effectively than either alone.
Which ergogenic aid has been shown in research to reduce the perception of effort and delay fatigue through adenosine receptor antagonism?
Answer: Caffeine
Caffeine competitively blocks adenosine receptors in the central nervous system, reducing perceived exertion and delaying the onset of fatigue.
A strength athlete on a high-protein diet (2.5 g/kg/day) is concerned about kidney health. According to current evidence, this protein intake level in a healthy athlete is:
Answer: Safe and does not impair kidney function in healthy individuals
Current evidence consistently shows that high protein intakes up to at least 3.0 g/kg/day do not impair renal function in healthy, well-hydrated athletes.