ISSA TRAINER CERTIFICATION EXAM PAPER
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED
A+
◉ Homeostasis. Answer: The automatic tendency to maintain a
relatively constant internal environment.
◉ Metabolism. Answer: The total of all the chemical and physical
processes by which the body builds and maintains itself (anabolism) and
by which it breaks down its substances for the production of energy
(catabolism).
◉ Glucose. Answer: Principal circulating sugar in the blood and the
major energy source of the body.
◉ ketone bodies. Answer: Bodies produced as intermediate products of
fat metabolism.
◉ lactic acid. Answer: A by-product of glucose and glycogen
metabolism in anaerobic muscle energetics.
,◉ Amino acid. Answer: The building blocks of protein. There are 24
amino acids, which form countless number of different proteins.
◉ fatty acids. Answer: Any of a large group of monobasic acids,
especially those found in animal and vegetable fats and oils.
◉ Anabolism. Answer: The building up in the body of complex
chemical compounds from simpler compounds (e.g., proteins from
amino acids).
◉ Catabolism. Answer: The breaking down in the body of complex
chemical compounds into simpler ones (e.g., proteins to amino acids).
◉ Metabolic set point. Answer: The base rate of metabolism that the
body seeks to maintain; resulting in basal metabolic rate.
◉ basal metabolic rate (BMR). Answer: The minimum energy required
to maintain the body's life function at rest; usually expressed in calories
per hour per square meter of the body surface.
◉ thermic effect. Answer: The heat liberated from a particular food; it is
a measure of its energy content and its tendency to be burned as heat.
This process of heat liberation is also commonly referred to as
"thermogenesis"
,◉ Calorie. Answer: A unit of heat; specifically, it is the amount of
energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree
Celsius at 1 atmosphere.
◉ kilocalorie (kcal). Answer: A unit of measurement that equals 1,000
calories, or 1 Calorie. Used in metabolic studies, it is the amount of heat
required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius
at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. The term is used in nutrition to express
the fuel (energy) value of food.
◉ Respiratory Quotient (RQ). Answer: A method of determining the
"fuel mix" being used, giving us a way to measure the relative amounts
of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins being burned for energy.
◉ Oxidation. Answer: The chemical act of combining with oxygen or of
removing hydrogen.
◉ Maximal oxygen uptake (vO2 max). Answer: The highest rate of
oxygen consumption which a person is capable.
◉ Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Answer: The amino acids L-
leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine, which have a particular molecular
structure that gives them their name and comprises 35 percent of muscle
tissue. The BCAAs, particularly L-leucine, help increase work capacity
by stimulating production of insulin, the hormone that opens muscle
cells to glucose. BCAAs are burned as fuel during highly intense
, training and at the end of long-distance events when the body recruits
protein for as much as 20 percent of its energy needs.
◉ Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). Answer: An organic compound found
in muscle which, upon being broken down enzymatically, yields energy
for muscle contraction.
◉ Creatine phosphate (CP). Answer: A high-energy phosphate molecule
that is stored in cells and can be used to immediately resynthesize ATP.
◉ Strength/power. Answer: Energy coming from immediate ATP stores.
Examples include shot put, powerlift, high jump, golf swing, tennis
serve, and a throw. Activities last about 0 to 3 seconds of maximal effort.
◉ Sustained power. Answer: Energy coming from immediate ATP and
CP stores. Examples include sprints, fast breaks, football lineman.
Activities last about 0 to 10 seconds of near-maximal effort.
◉ Anaerobic power/endurance. Answer: Energy coming from ATP, CP,
and lactic acid. Examples include 200- to 400-meter dash and 100-yard
swim. Activities lasting about 1 to 2 minutes.
◉ aerobic endurance. Answer: Energy coming from the oxidative
pathway. Activities last over 2 minutes.
2026 QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED
A+
◉ Homeostasis. Answer: The automatic tendency to maintain a
relatively constant internal environment.
◉ Metabolism. Answer: The total of all the chemical and physical
processes by which the body builds and maintains itself (anabolism) and
by which it breaks down its substances for the production of energy
(catabolism).
◉ Glucose. Answer: Principal circulating sugar in the blood and the
major energy source of the body.
◉ ketone bodies. Answer: Bodies produced as intermediate products of
fat metabolism.
◉ lactic acid. Answer: A by-product of glucose and glycogen
metabolism in anaerobic muscle energetics.
,◉ Amino acid. Answer: The building blocks of protein. There are 24
amino acids, which form countless number of different proteins.
◉ fatty acids. Answer: Any of a large group of monobasic acids,
especially those found in animal and vegetable fats and oils.
◉ Anabolism. Answer: The building up in the body of complex
chemical compounds from simpler compounds (e.g., proteins from
amino acids).
◉ Catabolism. Answer: The breaking down in the body of complex
chemical compounds into simpler ones (e.g., proteins to amino acids).
◉ Metabolic set point. Answer: The base rate of metabolism that the
body seeks to maintain; resulting in basal metabolic rate.
◉ basal metabolic rate (BMR). Answer: The minimum energy required
to maintain the body's life function at rest; usually expressed in calories
per hour per square meter of the body surface.
◉ thermic effect. Answer: The heat liberated from a particular food; it is
a measure of its energy content and its tendency to be burned as heat.
This process of heat liberation is also commonly referred to as
"thermogenesis"
,◉ Calorie. Answer: A unit of heat; specifically, it is the amount of
energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree
Celsius at 1 atmosphere.
◉ kilocalorie (kcal). Answer: A unit of measurement that equals 1,000
calories, or 1 Calorie. Used in metabolic studies, it is the amount of heat
required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius
at a pressure of 1 atmosphere. The term is used in nutrition to express
the fuel (energy) value of food.
◉ Respiratory Quotient (RQ). Answer: A method of determining the
"fuel mix" being used, giving us a way to measure the relative amounts
of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins being burned for energy.
◉ Oxidation. Answer: The chemical act of combining with oxygen or of
removing hydrogen.
◉ Maximal oxygen uptake (vO2 max). Answer: The highest rate of
oxygen consumption which a person is capable.
◉ Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Answer: The amino acids L-
leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine, which have a particular molecular
structure that gives them their name and comprises 35 percent of muscle
tissue. The BCAAs, particularly L-leucine, help increase work capacity
by stimulating production of insulin, the hormone that opens muscle
cells to glucose. BCAAs are burned as fuel during highly intense
, training and at the end of long-distance events when the body recruits
protein for as much as 20 percent of its energy needs.
◉ Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). Answer: An organic compound found
in muscle which, upon being broken down enzymatically, yields energy
for muscle contraction.
◉ Creatine phosphate (CP). Answer: A high-energy phosphate molecule
that is stored in cells and can be used to immediately resynthesize ATP.
◉ Strength/power. Answer: Energy coming from immediate ATP stores.
Examples include shot put, powerlift, high jump, golf swing, tennis
serve, and a throw. Activities last about 0 to 3 seconds of maximal effort.
◉ Sustained power. Answer: Energy coming from immediate ATP and
CP stores. Examples include sprints, fast breaks, football lineman.
Activities last about 0 to 10 seconds of near-maximal effort.
◉ Anaerobic power/endurance. Answer: Energy coming from ATP, CP,
and lactic acid. Examples include 200- to 400-meter dash and 100-yard
swim. Activities lasting about 1 to 2 minutes.
◉ aerobic endurance. Answer: Energy coming from the oxidative
pathway. Activities last over 2 minutes.
