NSCA CSCS Aerobic Endurance Program Design 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When using the talk test to gauge exercise intensity, a person who can speak only a few words at a time is likely exercising at approximately what intensity?
- Below ventilatory threshold 1
- At or above ventilatory threshold 2 (Correct answer)
- At 50% VO2max
- Below lactate threshold
Correct answer: At or above ventilatory threshold 2
Inability to speak more than a few words comfortably indicates intensity at or above the second ventilatory threshold (VT2), near maximal effort.
Question 2: Which of the following represents the CORRECT order of aerobic training principles from NSCA guidelines?
- Frequency → Volume → Intensity (Correct answer)
- Intensity → Frequency → Volume
- Volume → Intensity → Frequency
- Frequency → Intensity → Volume
Correct answer: Frequency → Volume → Intensity
NSCA guidelines recommend establishing training frequency first, then building volume, and finally manipulating intensity to minimize injury risk.
Question 3: A distance runner's VO2max is 60 mL/kg/min. If exercising at 75% VO2max, what is the approximate oxygen consumption?
- 30 mL/kg/min
- 45 mL/kg/min (Correct answer)
- 50 mL/kg/min
- 55 mL/kg/min
Correct answer: 45 mL/kg/min
75% of 60 mL/kg/min equals 45 mL/kg/min.
Question 4: Fartlek training differs from traditional interval training primarily because it:
- Uses only treadmill equipment
- Involves unstructured, terrain-based speed variations (Correct answer)
- Requires heart rate monitoring at all times
- Is performed exclusively at lactate threshold
Correct answer: Involves unstructured, terrain-based speed variations
Fartlek ('speed play' in Swedish) uses informal, athlete-directed intensity changes over natural terrain rather than timed work-rest intervals.
Question 5: Which variable should be increased FIRST when progressing an aerobic endurance program for a beginner?
- Intensity
- Frequency
- Duration (Correct answer)
- Mode complexity
Correct answer: Duration
For beginners, increasing session duration before intensity is safer and more effective for building an aerobic base.
Question 6: An athlete's resting heart rate decreases from 68 to 52 bpm after 12 weeks of aerobic training. This change is PRIMARILY due to:
- Increased sympathetic nervous system activity
- Increased parasympathetic tone and greater stroke volume (Correct answer)
- Decreased blood volume
- Reduced cardiac output
Correct answer: Increased parasympathetic tone and greater stroke volume
Aerobic training increases parasympathetic (vagal) tone and stroke volume, allowing adequate cardiac output at a lower heart rate.
Question 7: Which principle states that training adaptations are specific to the muscles used, energy systems stressed, and movement patterns performed?
- Overload principle
- Reversibility principle
- Specificity principle (Correct answer)
- Variation principle
Correct answer: Specificity principle
The specificity (SAID) principle dictates that adaptations are specific to the type of training stimulus applied.
NSCA CSCS Aerobic Endurance Program Design 3
When using the talk test to gauge exercise intensity, a person who can speak only a few words at a time is likely exercising at approximately what intensity?