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
A 90 kg male athlete competing in a sport requiring multiple sprint bouts seeks to maximize phosphocreatine (PCr) resynthesis. Which loading protocol is most commonly studied for creatine?
Answer: 20 g/day for 5–7 days, then 3–5 g/day maintenance
The classic creatine loading protocol of 20 g/day for 5–7 days rapidly saturates muscle stores, followed by a 3–5 g/day maintenance dose.
Glycerol hyperhydration before exercise in the heat is used primarily to:
Answer: Expand plasma volume and delay dehydration
Glycerol acts as an osmotic agent that increases total body water retention and expands plasma volume, helping maintain hydration during prolonged exercise in heat.
Which vitamin is most commonly deficient in athletes who train predominantly indoors and may impair immune function and bone health?
Answer: Vitamin D
Indoor athletes frequently have low vitamin D status due to limited sun exposure, which can impair immune function, muscle function, and bone metabolism.
HMB (beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate) is a metabolite of which amino acid?
Answer: Leucine
HMB is produced from leucine metabolism in the liver and is proposed to reduce muscle protein breakdown and enhance recovery.
An athlete asks about tart cherry juice for recovery. The primary proposed mechanism for its anti-inflammatory effects is its high content of:
Answer: Anthocyanins and other polyphenols
Tart cherries are rich in anthocyanins and polyphenols that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, potentially accelerating muscle recovery.
Carbohydrate mouth rinsing (without swallowing) has been shown to improve performance in exercise lasting approximately how long?
Answer: 30–75 minutes
Carbohydrate mouth rinsing appears most beneficial for exercise lasting roughly 30–75 minutes by activating central reward pathways without requiring gut absorption.
What is the primary reason that fasted aerobic training is NOT generally recommended as a strategy for improving competition performance?
Answer: It impairs high-intensity exercise capacity and may increase muscle protein catabolism
Fasted training compromises the ability to perform high-intensity efforts and can increase muscle protein breakdown, undermining both performance and adaptation.