NSCA CSCS EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
sliding filament theory in the correct order: - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -1. The
muscle cell is activated
2. Calcium is released from the SR into the sarcoplasm
3. Calcium binds to troponin
4. Troponin shifts its position, pulling tropomyosin away from the active site on the actin.
5. The active site on actin is exposed
6. ATP binds to myosin and is hydrolyzed by ATPase, thereby releasing energy. This
process activates the myosin heads and cocks it into a high-energy, extended position.
7. The head of myosin binds to an exposed active site on actin, generating a cross-
bridge between actin and myosin.
8. The head of myosin pulls on the actin filament (called the POWER stroke) to slide the
action along the myosin.
9. A new ATP molecule binds to the emptied ATP binding site on the myosin head,
causing the release of the actin myosin bond.
10. If there's an open active site on actin aligned with the released myosin head, the
preceding 4 steps are repeated as long as the muscle fiber remains activated.
11. If the cell is no longer activated, everything returns to its resting state.
When the muscle is too short, the thin filaments overlap, and active sites on actin get
covered. If the active sites are covered, myosin can't bind. What happens to the force
when the myosin can't bind to actin? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -The forces
decreases
Movement can be manipulated to increase force output by muscles. For example, let's
say a ski racer is at the top of the course. She gets ready to start by rocking back and
forth. When the start signal sounds, she pulls back and catapults herself out of the gate.
At the start of her second race, she doesn't pull back, but just pushes forward out the
gate. In which case will the skier leave the gate more quickly? - CORRECT ANSWERS
✅✅ -The first, with a pull-back
Which substance regulates muscle actions? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Calcium
Which substances acts at the neuromuscular junction to excite the muscle fibers of the
motor unit? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Acetylcholine
,When throwing a baseball, an athlete's arm is rapidly stretched just before throwing the
ball. Which of the following structures detects and responds to that stretch by reflexively
increasing muscle activity? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Muscle spindle
From which is the the heart's electrical impulse normally initiated? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -SA node
What occurs during the QRS complex of a typical ECG? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅
-Repolarization of the atrium & depolarization of the ventricle ONLY
The pelvis is located ______ to the patella. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -superior
What is the smallest contractile unit of skeletal muscle? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅
-sarcomere
What describes type 1 muscle fibers? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -fatigue resistant
with high aerobic energy supply
What describes the flow of blood? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -1. RA
2. RV
3. lungs
4. LA
5. LV
6. Body
On average, how many times per minute does the SA node discharge at rest? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -60-80
Which of the following are the 2 main divisions of the skeletal system? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -Appendicular and Axial
Some of the highest mineral densities have been seen in which of the following types of
athletes? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Gymnasts
Which joint comprises the ankle and wrist joints? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -
Biaxial
What is the order of the phase of a muscle contraction? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅
-1. Resting
2. Excitation-contraction coupling
3. contraction
4. recharge
5. relaxation
,The chronotropic effect is caused by stimulation of the ____ nervous system and
causes the heart rate to _____. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -sympathetic; increase
The insertion of the tendon from the triceps brachia is 5.0 cm from the center of the
elbow for person A and 7.0 cm for person B. Everything else about their bodies is the
exact same. Person A and B are asked to perform a tricep extension exercise against a
50-lb weight stack. Who will generate more muscle force to perform the left? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -person A
A baseball player who is not very strong has to choose among several bats of the same
weight? the player would have a mechanical advantage by using which bat? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -a shorter bat
Tony is a golfer who came to you to ask how he can improve his distance off the tee.
You know that he's already on a great strength training program that you developed, so
you have to look elsewhere for an advantage. Which suggestion would you offer to help
him improve his driving distance? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Hold your arms near
full extensions you contact the ball (you've noticed that Tonys elbows are bent quite a
bit when he contacts the ball)
Dipping the chin to the chest and then back up to the upright position is neck movement
in which plane? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -sagittal (flexion and extension)
The biceps curl exercises involves movement in which plane? - CORRECT ANSWERS
✅✅ -sagittal
When a player performs a sideward soccer kick in which the ball moves in a direction
perpendicular to the direction the player is facing, the thigh and hip movement takes
place in which plane? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -frontal (hip = adduction)
Punting a football involves leg and hip movement in which plane? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -sagittal
When an athlete is punting a football, the action just before contact with the ball involves
which specific movement at the hip? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Flexion
A muscle that is most directly involves in bringing about a movement; the prime mover.
During the throwing motion, the triceps brachia acts in this role = - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -Agonist
A muscle that can slow down or stop a movement. As the elbow approaches full
extension during the throwing motion, the biceps brachia actin in this role = - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -Antagonist
, A muscle that assists indirectly in a movement. The muscle that stabilize the scapula
act in this role during upper-arm movement = - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -
Synergist
A muscle that prevents unwanted action of another muscle. TO produce pure plantar
flexion, the eversion action of one muscle would act in this role to cancel out the
inversion action of another muscle that might act as both plantar flexion and invertor = -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Neutralizer
A muscle that prevents movement near a joint when another muscle is acting.
Abdominal musculature acts in this role to stabilize pelvis and prevent movement while
the hip flexors move the femur in flexion = - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Stabilizer
What is the definition of power? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -force x velocity
To compare performances of Olympic weightlifters of different body weights, the classic
formula divides the load by the athletes: - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Body weight
to the 2/3 power
During a free weight exercise, muscle force varies with which of the following? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Perpendicular distance from the weight to body joint
AND joint angle
An athlete is performing a concentric isokinetic elbow flexion and extension exercise.
Which of the following type(s) of levers occur(s) at the elbow during this exercise?
I. first class.
II. second class.
III. third class.
a. I only.
b. II only.
c. I and III only.
d. II and III only. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -First class and third class
2 individuals of same body mass are lifting weights. Assuming all other factors to be
equal, the person with tendons inserted on the bone _________ the joint center should
be able to lift _________ weight. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Farther from; a
heavier
Which anatomical plane divides the body into left and right sections? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -sagittal
ANSWERS
sliding filament theory in the correct order: - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -1. The
muscle cell is activated
2. Calcium is released from the SR into the sarcoplasm
3. Calcium binds to troponin
4. Troponin shifts its position, pulling tropomyosin away from the active site on the actin.
5. The active site on actin is exposed
6. ATP binds to myosin and is hydrolyzed by ATPase, thereby releasing energy. This
process activates the myosin heads and cocks it into a high-energy, extended position.
7. The head of myosin binds to an exposed active site on actin, generating a cross-
bridge between actin and myosin.
8. The head of myosin pulls on the actin filament (called the POWER stroke) to slide the
action along the myosin.
9. A new ATP molecule binds to the emptied ATP binding site on the myosin head,
causing the release of the actin myosin bond.
10. If there's an open active site on actin aligned with the released myosin head, the
preceding 4 steps are repeated as long as the muscle fiber remains activated.
11. If the cell is no longer activated, everything returns to its resting state.
When the muscle is too short, the thin filaments overlap, and active sites on actin get
covered. If the active sites are covered, myosin can't bind. What happens to the force
when the myosin can't bind to actin? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -The forces
decreases
Movement can be manipulated to increase force output by muscles. For example, let's
say a ski racer is at the top of the course. She gets ready to start by rocking back and
forth. When the start signal sounds, she pulls back and catapults herself out of the gate.
At the start of her second race, she doesn't pull back, but just pushes forward out the
gate. In which case will the skier leave the gate more quickly? - CORRECT ANSWERS
✅✅ -The first, with a pull-back
Which substance regulates muscle actions? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Calcium
Which substances acts at the neuromuscular junction to excite the muscle fibers of the
motor unit? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Acetylcholine
,When throwing a baseball, an athlete's arm is rapidly stretched just before throwing the
ball. Which of the following structures detects and responds to that stretch by reflexively
increasing muscle activity? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Muscle spindle
From which is the the heart's electrical impulse normally initiated? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -SA node
What occurs during the QRS complex of a typical ECG? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅
-Repolarization of the atrium & depolarization of the ventricle ONLY
The pelvis is located ______ to the patella. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -superior
What is the smallest contractile unit of skeletal muscle? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅
-sarcomere
What describes type 1 muscle fibers? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -fatigue resistant
with high aerobic energy supply
What describes the flow of blood? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -1. RA
2. RV
3. lungs
4. LA
5. LV
6. Body
On average, how many times per minute does the SA node discharge at rest? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -60-80
Which of the following are the 2 main divisions of the skeletal system? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -Appendicular and Axial
Some of the highest mineral densities have been seen in which of the following types of
athletes? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Gymnasts
Which joint comprises the ankle and wrist joints? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -
Biaxial
What is the order of the phase of a muscle contraction? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅
-1. Resting
2. Excitation-contraction coupling
3. contraction
4. recharge
5. relaxation
,The chronotropic effect is caused by stimulation of the ____ nervous system and
causes the heart rate to _____. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -sympathetic; increase
The insertion of the tendon from the triceps brachia is 5.0 cm from the center of the
elbow for person A and 7.0 cm for person B. Everything else about their bodies is the
exact same. Person A and B are asked to perform a tricep extension exercise against a
50-lb weight stack. Who will generate more muscle force to perform the left? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -person A
A baseball player who is not very strong has to choose among several bats of the same
weight? the player would have a mechanical advantage by using which bat? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -a shorter bat
Tony is a golfer who came to you to ask how he can improve his distance off the tee.
You know that he's already on a great strength training program that you developed, so
you have to look elsewhere for an advantage. Which suggestion would you offer to help
him improve his driving distance? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Hold your arms near
full extensions you contact the ball (you've noticed that Tonys elbows are bent quite a
bit when he contacts the ball)
Dipping the chin to the chest and then back up to the upright position is neck movement
in which plane? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -sagittal (flexion and extension)
The biceps curl exercises involves movement in which plane? - CORRECT ANSWERS
✅✅ -sagittal
When a player performs a sideward soccer kick in which the ball moves in a direction
perpendicular to the direction the player is facing, the thigh and hip movement takes
place in which plane? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -frontal (hip = adduction)
Punting a football involves leg and hip movement in which plane? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -sagittal
When an athlete is punting a football, the action just before contact with the ball involves
which specific movement at the hip? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Flexion
A muscle that is most directly involves in bringing about a movement; the prime mover.
During the throwing motion, the triceps brachia acts in this role = - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -Agonist
A muscle that can slow down or stop a movement. As the elbow approaches full
extension during the throwing motion, the biceps brachia actin in this role = - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -Antagonist
, A muscle that assists indirectly in a movement. The muscle that stabilize the scapula
act in this role during upper-arm movement = - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -
Synergist
A muscle that prevents unwanted action of another muscle. TO produce pure plantar
flexion, the eversion action of one muscle would act in this role to cancel out the
inversion action of another muscle that might act as both plantar flexion and invertor = -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Neutralizer
A muscle that prevents movement near a joint when another muscle is acting.
Abdominal musculature acts in this role to stabilize pelvis and prevent movement while
the hip flexors move the femur in flexion = - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Stabilizer
What is the definition of power? - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -force x velocity
To compare performances of Olympic weightlifters of different body weights, the classic
formula divides the load by the athletes: - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Body weight
to the 2/3 power
During a free weight exercise, muscle force varies with which of the following? -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Perpendicular distance from the weight to body joint
AND joint angle
An athlete is performing a concentric isokinetic elbow flexion and extension exercise.
Which of the following type(s) of levers occur(s) at the elbow during this exercise?
I. first class.
II. second class.
III. third class.
a. I only.
b. II only.
c. I and III only.
d. II and III only. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -First class and third class
2 individuals of same body mass are lifting weights. Assuming all other factors to be
equal, the person with tendons inserted on the bone _________ the joint center should
be able to lift _________ weight. - CORRECT ANSWERS ✅✅ -Farther from; a
heavier
Which anatomical plane divides the body into left and right sections? - CORRECT
ANSWERS ✅✅ -sagittal
