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
According to NSCA guidelines, what is the recommended carbohydrate intake (g/kg body weight/day) for an athlete engaged in moderate-intensity exercise lasting 1 hour per day?
Answer: 5–7 g/kg/day
Moderate-intensity exercise lasting approximately 1 hour daily requires 5–7 g/kg/day of carbohydrate to maintain glycogen stores.
Sodium bicarbonate is used as an ergogenic aid primarily because it acts as an:
Answer: Extracellular buffer that enhances efflux of H+ from muscle cells
Sodium bicarbonate increases blood bicarbonate levels, augmenting extracellular buffering capacity and facilitating H+ efflux from working muscle.
Which branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is most strongly associated with stimulating the mTOR signaling pathway and muscle protein synthesis?
Answer: Leucine
Leucine is the primary BCAA responsible for activating mTOR signaling and initiating muscle protein synthesis.
An endurance athlete wants to use nitrate supplementation to improve performance. Which food source is richest in inorganic nitrate?
Answer: Beetroot juice
Beetroot juice has among the highest concentrations of inorganic nitrate of commonly studied foods, typically providing 300–500 mg per 500 mL.
What is the primary mechanism by which dietary nitrate improves exercise efficiency?
Answer: Reduced oxygen cost of submaximal exercise through enhanced mitochondrial efficiency
Dietary nitrate is converted to nitric oxide, which improves mitochondrial efficiency and reduces the oxygen cost of a given power output.
Which of the following statements about iron supplementation in athletes is most accurate?
Answer: Iron supplementation is only warranted when blood ferritin confirms deficiency
Iron supplementation is recommended only when laboratory markers confirm iron deficiency, as excess iron can be harmful and does not enhance performance in replete athletes.
The 'anabolic window' concept suggests that protein consumed immediately after resistance training is superior to delayed intake. Current research indicates this window is:
Answer: Broader than initially believed, extending up to several hours post-exercise
More recent evidence suggests the post-exercise anabolic window is several hours wide, especially when pre-exercise protein was consumed, making precise timing less critical than total daily intake.