NASM GUIDE TO BODYBUILDING EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2024

Three Types of Muscle 1. Skeletal 2. Cardiac 3. Smooth 2 forms of Hypertrophy 1. In series 2. In parallel Primary mechanism for hypertrophy associated with resistance training Increase in number of sarcomeres in parallel How is in series hypertrophy achieved Increasing the number of sarcomeres- basic functional unit of muscle- along length of fiber Though in series hypertrophy does take place in humans, it only occurs in extreme cases such as Following immobilization of a joint by a cast or By performing very long duration incline treadmill walking How is in parallel hypertrophy achieved? When sarcomeres (basic functional unit of muscle) are added next to each other (Muscle cross-sectional area is increased) (Produces thicker/fuller muscle) Maximal muscular strength v Hypertrophy Maximal muscular strength: Ability to lift heavy loads Substantial neurological component (By enhancing various neurological factors, an individual is better able to produce optimal force... the nervous system sends faster and stronger electrical signals to muscles to increase strength) Hypertrophy is regulated by a number of intracellular factors (factors within the cell) Sarcomere Contractile unit of muscle Muscle hypertrophy is ultimately a function of what? Protein balance - synthesize more muscle proteins than you break down and you will pack on size Three mechanisms involved in exercise-induced muscle hypertrophy 1. Mechanical tension 2. Muscle damage 3. Metabolic stress Mechanical Tension The amount of force developed by muscle fibers in response to a stimulus How can mechanical tension be developed? Either by static (no movement) or dynamic (traditional resistance training involving concentric and eccentric actions) muscle activity How does mechanical tension work? When resistance is applied to a muscle, the associated forces are sensed by the fibers and converted into chemical signals that ultimately result in increased production of muscle proteins Fibers recruited in accordance with the size principle: Smaller Type 1 fibers (slow-twitch, endurance-based, + fatigue-resistant) activated first. Then Type 2 fibers (fast-twitch, high force-producing capacity, + easily fatigued) brought into play as demand on muscles increase Which fiber type has the most impact on muscular gains? Type 2 Damage to muscle fibers is fundamentally caused by which type of exercise? Eccentric Concentric Muscle shortening Eccentric Muscle lengthens Contractile elements Actin and mysoin Exercise-induced muscle damage promotes hypertrophy in several ways Increased activation of satellite cells Inflammatory response associated with exercise-induced muscle damage (acute inflammation is good) Cell swelling Limiting factor for protein synthesis Number of nuclei in a muscle Satellite cells Muscle stem cells Reside adjacent to muscle fibers Remain dormant until "awoken" by adaptive stimulus (muscle damage) Have ability to donate nuclei to existing fibers (muscle proteins produced by cell's nucleus) Various metabolites lactic acid and inorganic phosphate Lactate accumulation in muscle Increases acute release of various anabolic hormones (testosterone, insulin-like growth factor, and growth hormone) What does metabolic stress result from? The buildup of various metabolites Production of metabolic stress during resistance exercise causes what? An increase in fiber recruitment (Metabolically-induced fatigue forces the activation of Type II (fast-twitch) fibers to sustain activity (The acidic environment associated with lactic acid buildup inhibits muscle contractility, thereby promoting fast-twitch fibers to be called into play) Two ways to promote cell swelling (although two different mechanisms are involved) 1. Muscle Damage 2. Metabolic stress How cell swelling works in the context of metabolic stress Muscular contractions compress veins, taking blood out of working muscles Arteries continue to deliver blood to these muscles, creating increased intramuscular blood plasma Plasma seeps out of capillaries into spaces between muscle cells and blood vessels (interstitial spaces) The buildup of fluid in the interstitial space + osmolytic properties of lactate creates an extracellular pressure gradient that causes plasma to rush back into muscle Blood pools in the muscles, causing them to swell Swelling increases protein synthesis and decreases protein breakdown Resulting in increased muscle development Somatotyping A general classification system for identifying a person by body structure Three broad categorizations of somatotypes 1. Ectomorph 2. Mesomorph 3. Endomorph Ectomorph Lean + lanky Do not gain weight easily Have a difficult time adding muscle "Hard-gainer" Examples: Marathon runners + runway models Mesomorph Muscular with fairly low levels of body fat Athletic physique Typically have few problems gaining or losing weight Classic bodybuilding structure Often seen in sprinters + swimmers Endomorph Large-framed Propensity to gain both fat and muscle Example: Football linemen From a muscle-building standpoint, a primary factor that distinguishes between somatotypes is The ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch fibers (Note: the fiber-type ratio is specific to a given muscle)