AFAA PERSONAL TRAINER CERTIFICATION STUDY
GUIDE
Myocardial Infarction - Answers - Hear attack occurs due to lack of blood flow through
the coronary arteries to the heart muscle
Ischemia - Answers - lack of blood flow
Stroke Volume - Answers - the amount of blood pumped with each beat or systole
Cardiac Output - Answers - heart rate x stroke volume. usually measured in liters (or
milileters) of blood pumped per minute
Venous Return - Answers - The amount of blood returned to the heart by the veins
Valsalva Maneuver - Answers - occurs when a person holds his or her breath during a
strenuous activity, such as lifting weights or shoveling snow
Minute Ventilation - Answers - total amount of air breathed per minute
Residual lung volume - Answers - amount of air remaining in the lungs after a complete
and total forced exhale
Forced vital capacity - Answers - amount of air that can be forcefully exhaled after a
maximal inahle
Total lung capacity - Answers - sum of the residual volume and the forced vital capacity
Glucose - Answers - body's usable form of carbohydrate
Lactic Acid - Answers - produced in muscles during rapid exercise when the body
cannot supply enough oxygen to the tissues
Glycolysis - Answers - a metabolic process that breaks down carbohydrates and sugars
through a series of reactions to either pyruvic acid or lactic acid and release energy for
the body in the form of ATP
Mitochondria - Answers - a subcellular structure where oxidation takes place
Beta oxidation - Answers - A metabolic sequence that breaks fatty acids down to two-
carbon fragments that enter the citric acid cycle as acetyl CoA.
Krebs cycle - Answers - the acetyl CoA formed in the first component of aerobic
metabolism enters into the citric acid cycle
,Electron transport system - Answers - the final sequence of reactions in the aerobic
production of ATP
Maximal oxygen uptake - Answers - the maximum amount of oxygen consumed and
utilized by the body during an all-out effort to exhaustion
Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption - Answers - additional oxygen consumed
immediately after an exercise bout when the body is no longer exercising
Sarcomere - Answers - each section of a myofibril in muscle
Actin - Answers - structural protein that makes up the thin filaments of myofibrils;
functions in muscle contraction
Anatomical Position - Answers - standing position with hands down and palms facing
forward
Supine - Answers - lying on the spine
Prone - Answers - lying face down
Axial Skeleton - Answers - part of the skeleton that contains skull, vertebral column,
ribs, and sternum
Synovial joints - Answers - have a small space between the articulating bones that
allows for a greater range of motion
Cartilage - Answers - a white, semi-opaque, fibrous connective tissue that cushions the
joints and prevents wear on the joint surfaces
Synovial membrane - Answers - secretes synovial fluid which provides nourishment,
lubrication, and hydrotastic cushioning for the joint
Bursae - Answers - liquid-filled membranes that protect soft tissues as they pass by
bony projections
Ligament - Answers - band of fibrous tissue that connects bone to bone and provides
joint stability.
Tendon - Answers - dense, fibrous connective tissue that forms the end of a muscle and
attaches muscle to bone
Fascia - Answers - fibrous connective tissue that forms sheaths for individual muscles.
Circuit Weight Training - Answers - resistance exercises performed one after the other
without rest for approximately 20 minutes
, Muscular Strength - Answers - maximum force a muscle or muscle group can generate
at one time
Muscle Endurance - Answers - capacity to sustain repeated muscle actions, as in push-
ups or sit ups, or sustain fixed, static muscle actions for an extended period of time
Muscle Power - Answers - explosive aspect of strength, is the product of strength and
speed of movement
Muscle Stability - Answers - ability of a muscle or muscle group to stabilize a joint and
maintain its position without movement. (to perform a sustained isometric contraction)
Muscle hypertrophy - Answers - an increase in the muscle fiber size, specifically an
increased cross-sectional area resulting from increased myofibrilis
Overload Principle - Answers - increasing the intensity (resistance), frequency, or
duration of the training above the levels normally expected
Specificity - Answers - specific adaptions in the metabolic and neuromuscular systems
depending on the type of program or exercises that are performed
Volume - Answers - total number of repetitions performed multiplied by the total amount
of weight, or resistance, used during a single training session. (Reps x Weight =
Volume)
Progressive resistance exercise - Answers - resistance must be gradually, progressively
increased as the muscles adapt to a given exercise
Periodization - Answers - variations in the training program over the course of several
months or a year, that help to improve performance and prevent injury, staleness, and
burnout
Plateau - Answers - a point where further increases in strength become difficult and
progress seems to stop
Single-Set System - Answers - basic system ( one set 8-12 reps for each muscle group)
that is widely recommended and used for beginners and those interested in an effective,
time efficient workout
Multiple-Set system - Answers - consists of 3 to 6 sets of an exercise, usually the same
weight load throughout
Super-Set System - Answers - any combination of 2 different exercises immediately
following one another without a rest
GUIDE
Myocardial Infarction - Answers - Hear attack occurs due to lack of blood flow through
the coronary arteries to the heart muscle
Ischemia - Answers - lack of blood flow
Stroke Volume - Answers - the amount of blood pumped with each beat or systole
Cardiac Output - Answers - heart rate x stroke volume. usually measured in liters (or
milileters) of blood pumped per minute
Venous Return - Answers - The amount of blood returned to the heart by the veins
Valsalva Maneuver - Answers - occurs when a person holds his or her breath during a
strenuous activity, such as lifting weights or shoveling snow
Minute Ventilation - Answers - total amount of air breathed per minute
Residual lung volume - Answers - amount of air remaining in the lungs after a complete
and total forced exhale
Forced vital capacity - Answers - amount of air that can be forcefully exhaled after a
maximal inahle
Total lung capacity - Answers - sum of the residual volume and the forced vital capacity
Glucose - Answers - body's usable form of carbohydrate
Lactic Acid - Answers - produced in muscles during rapid exercise when the body
cannot supply enough oxygen to the tissues
Glycolysis - Answers - a metabolic process that breaks down carbohydrates and sugars
through a series of reactions to either pyruvic acid or lactic acid and release energy for
the body in the form of ATP
Mitochondria - Answers - a subcellular structure where oxidation takes place
Beta oxidation - Answers - A metabolic sequence that breaks fatty acids down to two-
carbon fragments that enter the citric acid cycle as acetyl CoA.
Krebs cycle - Answers - the acetyl CoA formed in the first component of aerobic
metabolism enters into the citric acid cycle
,Electron transport system - Answers - the final sequence of reactions in the aerobic
production of ATP
Maximal oxygen uptake - Answers - the maximum amount of oxygen consumed and
utilized by the body during an all-out effort to exhaustion
Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption - Answers - additional oxygen consumed
immediately after an exercise bout when the body is no longer exercising
Sarcomere - Answers - each section of a myofibril in muscle
Actin - Answers - structural protein that makes up the thin filaments of myofibrils;
functions in muscle contraction
Anatomical Position - Answers - standing position with hands down and palms facing
forward
Supine - Answers - lying on the spine
Prone - Answers - lying face down
Axial Skeleton - Answers - part of the skeleton that contains skull, vertebral column,
ribs, and sternum
Synovial joints - Answers - have a small space between the articulating bones that
allows for a greater range of motion
Cartilage - Answers - a white, semi-opaque, fibrous connective tissue that cushions the
joints and prevents wear on the joint surfaces
Synovial membrane - Answers - secretes synovial fluid which provides nourishment,
lubrication, and hydrotastic cushioning for the joint
Bursae - Answers - liquid-filled membranes that protect soft tissues as they pass by
bony projections
Ligament - Answers - band of fibrous tissue that connects bone to bone and provides
joint stability.
Tendon - Answers - dense, fibrous connective tissue that forms the end of a muscle and
attaches muscle to bone
Fascia - Answers - fibrous connective tissue that forms sheaths for individual muscles.
Circuit Weight Training - Answers - resistance exercises performed one after the other
without rest for approximately 20 minutes
, Muscular Strength - Answers - maximum force a muscle or muscle group can generate
at one time
Muscle Endurance - Answers - capacity to sustain repeated muscle actions, as in push-
ups or sit ups, or sustain fixed, static muscle actions for an extended period of time
Muscle Power - Answers - explosive aspect of strength, is the product of strength and
speed of movement
Muscle Stability - Answers - ability of a muscle or muscle group to stabilize a joint and
maintain its position without movement. (to perform a sustained isometric contraction)
Muscle hypertrophy - Answers - an increase in the muscle fiber size, specifically an
increased cross-sectional area resulting from increased myofibrilis
Overload Principle - Answers - increasing the intensity (resistance), frequency, or
duration of the training above the levels normally expected
Specificity - Answers - specific adaptions in the metabolic and neuromuscular systems
depending on the type of program or exercises that are performed
Volume - Answers - total number of repetitions performed multiplied by the total amount
of weight, or resistance, used during a single training session. (Reps x Weight =
Volume)
Progressive resistance exercise - Answers - resistance must be gradually, progressively
increased as the muscles adapt to a given exercise
Periodization - Answers - variations in the training program over the course of several
months or a year, that help to improve performance and prevent injury, staleness, and
burnout
Plateau - Answers - a point where further increases in strength become difficult and
progress seems to stop
Single-Set System - Answers - basic system ( one set 8-12 reps for each muscle group)
that is widely recommended and used for beginners and those interested in an effective,
time efficient workout
Multiple-Set system - Answers - consists of 3 to 6 sets of an exercise, usually the same
weight load throughout
Super-Set System - Answers - any combination of 2 different exercises immediately
following one another without a rest
