ACSM Personal Training Exam
UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Physical activity (PA) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Defined as any bodily, musculoskeletal,
movement that results in a substantial increase in energy expenditure/caloric requirements
over resting energy expenditure.
Activities of daily living (ADL) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Represents ones ability to
perform basic daily tasks such as self-care, work related tasks and chores. Balance postural
control and flexibility are critical aspects.
Exercise - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- (specific, planned, structured) a type of physical
activity consisting of planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done to improve
and/or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.
Physical Fitness - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Defined as a group of characteristics a person
achieves/possesses related to physical activity and the 5 components of fitness
1. Cardiorespiratory endurance
2. Muscle endurance
3. Muscle strength
4. Flexibility
5. Body composition - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The 5 components of fitness
Cardiorespiratory endurance - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The ability of the circulatory and
respiratory system to supply oxygen during sustained physical activity; also termed aerobic
fitness (1.5 mile walk)
Muscle endurance - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to a muscle's ability to perform
repeated contractions at sub maximal force (push-ups) or hold static contractions
,Muscular strength - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to the amount of force a muscle can
exert in a single all-out effort ( 1 rep max or 1 RM)
Flexibility - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to the range of motion (ROM) of a joint. It is
specific to the joint type. (sit and reach)
Body composition - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to the ratio of lean body mass
compared to fat mass (adipose tissue); (BMI, skin fold, hydrostatic)
Health-related fitness - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Focus is on enhancing quality of daily
life and preventing disease through daily moderate-intensity physical activity
Fitness conditioning - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Focus is on exercise regimens based on
evidence based ACSM recommendations for improving one or more components of fitness.
SAID Principle of Training - Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Indicates that the adaptation will be specific to the demands that the exercise
places upon the individual (ex. high reps will increase muscle endurance)
FITT-VP - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Considers the participant's limitations, needs and
goals
Frequency: how often
Intensity: how hard
Time: duration
Type: mode
Volume: overall amount
Pattern: reoccurring program design
Progression: how to advance - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- FITT-VP acronym
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Provides the energy for every
biological process. The limited stores immediately available in the body are quickly depleted
within approximately 5-10 seconds of high intensity work. In order for the activity to
, continue, it must be replaced by one or more of the body's 3 energy-producing systems.
Energy currency of the cell.
ATP-CP Phosphagen System (Anaerobic) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 0-30 sec of high
intensity work (sprints, weight lifting). Uses the energy released from the breakdown of
creatine-phosphate (CP) bonds to re-synthesize ATP from ADP
Anaerobic Glycolysis / Lactic Acid System Anaerobic) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 30 sec
to 3 minutes of high intensity work such as 400-800m distance sprints. Utilize substrate
carbohydrate / muscle glycogen for ATP production and refers to the 'break down' of glucose.
Oxygen System (aerobic) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Fuels activities lasting more than 3
minutes. Capacity is limited only by oxygen and fuel (calories) available to the cell. Use a
mixture of the substrates carbohydrate, fat and protein minimal for ATP production.
Oxygen deficit - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Occurs in the initial stages of a cardiovascular
bout of training and is referred to as a lag in oxygen consumption relying on anaerobic
metabolism primarily.
Steady state - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Achieved during sustained cardiovascular exercise
once oxygen being supplied equals the oxygen being demanded upon the system.
EPOC - Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- commonly
called oxygen debt, where by oxygen uptake remains elevated above resting levels usually
lasting several minutes post exercise. The effect is to restore CP/ATP in muscles and oxygen
in the blood stream.
Cardiovascular - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The ______ system functions to deliver oxygen
and remove waste from the body's tissues.
Heart - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The _____ acts as the pump and blood vessels as the
conduits
Sino atrial node; right - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The _____ is the 'pacemaker of the heart'
located in the ______ atrium
UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Physical activity (PA) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Defined as any bodily, musculoskeletal,
movement that results in a substantial increase in energy expenditure/caloric requirements
over resting energy expenditure.
Activities of daily living (ADL) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Represents ones ability to
perform basic daily tasks such as self-care, work related tasks and chores. Balance postural
control and flexibility are critical aspects.
Exercise - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- (specific, planned, structured) a type of physical
activity consisting of planned, structured, and repetitive bodily movement done to improve
and/or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.
Physical Fitness - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Defined as a group of characteristics a person
achieves/possesses related to physical activity and the 5 components of fitness
1. Cardiorespiratory endurance
2. Muscle endurance
3. Muscle strength
4. Flexibility
5. Body composition - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The 5 components of fitness
Cardiorespiratory endurance - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The ability of the circulatory and
respiratory system to supply oxygen during sustained physical activity; also termed aerobic
fitness (1.5 mile walk)
Muscle endurance - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to a muscle's ability to perform
repeated contractions at sub maximal force (push-ups) or hold static contractions
,Muscular strength - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to the amount of force a muscle can
exert in a single all-out effort ( 1 rep max or 1 RM)
Flexibility - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to the range of motion (ROM) of a joint. It is
specific to the joint type. (sit and reach)
Body composition - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Refers to the ratio of lean body mass
compared to fat mass (adipose tissue); (BMI, skin fold, hydrostatic)
Health-related fitness - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Focus is on enhancing quality of daily
life and preventing disease through daily moderate-intensity physical activity
Fitness conditioning - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Focus is on exercise regimens based on
evidence based ACSM recommendations for improving one or more components of fitness.
SAID Principle of Training - Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands - CORRECT
ANSWER✔✔- Indicates that the adaptation will be specific to the demands that the exercise
places upon the individual (ex. high reps will increase muscle endurance)
FITT-VP - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Considers the participant's limitations, needs and
goals
Frequency: how often
Intensity: how hard
Time: duration
Type: mode
Volume: overall amount
Pattern: reoccurring program design
Progression: how to advance - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- FITT-VP acronym
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Provides the energy for every
biological process. The limited stores immediately available in the body are quickly depleted
within approximately 5-10 seconds of high intensity work. In order for the activity to
, continue, it must be replaced by one or more of the body's 3 energy-producing systems.
Energy currency of the cell.
ATP-CP Phosphagen System (Anaerobic) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 0-30 sec of high
intensity work (sprints, weight lifting). Uses the energy released from the breakdown of
creatine-phosphate (CP) bonds to re-synthesize ATP from ADP
Anaerobic Glycolysis / Lactic Acid System Anaerobic) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- 30 sec
to 3 minutes of high intensity work such as 400-800m distance sprints. Utilize substrate
carbohydrate / muscle glycogen for ATP production and refers to the 'break down' of glucose.
Oxygen System (aerobic) - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Fuels activities lasting more than 3
minutes. Capacity is limited only by oxygen and fuel (calories) available to the cell. Use a
mixture of the substrates carbohydrate, fat and protein minimal for ATP production.
Oxygen deficit - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Occurs in the initial stages of a cardiovascular
bout of training and is referred to as a lag in oxygen consumption relying on anaerobic
metabolism primarily.
Steady state - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Achieved during sustained cardiovascular exercise
once oxygen being supplied equals the oxygen being demanded upon the system.
EPOC - Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- commonly
called oxygen debt, where by oxygen uptake remains elevated above resting levels usually
lasting several minutes post exercise. The effect is to restore CP/ATP in muscles and oxygen
in the blood stream.
Cardiovascular - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The ______ system functions to deliver oxygen
and remove waste from the body's tissues.
Heart - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The _____ acts as the pump and blood vessels as the
conduits
Sino atrial node; right - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The _____ is the 'pacemaker of the heart'
located in the ______ atrium
