AEA CERTIFICATION EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2026
QUESTIONS WITH FULL SOLUTIONS
◉ During the cardiac cycle, ____ is the active contraction of the heart
muscle and ___ is the relaxation of the heart muscle. Answer: Systole,
Diastole
◉ Which characteristic of muscle allows it to shorten and thicken.
Answer: Contractility
◉ The ____ muscle group flexes the leg at the knee. Answer:
Hamstrings
◉ What is a motor neuron. Answer: Efferent neurons that relay
outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscle
cells
◉ Describe the valsalva maneuver. Answer: Holding one's breath
while exerting. Creates unequal pressure in the chest, causing blood
pressure to drop and decreasing blood flow to the heart. Resuming
normal breathing creates a surge of blood flow to the heart, causing
a sharp increase in blood pressure.
,◉ Name the 5 systems of the body most actively involved in
movement and exercise. Answer: Skeletal, muscular, nervous,
respiratory, and cardiovascular systems
◉ In a muscle pair, the muscle that is actively contracting is referred
to as the ____, or prime mover. Answer: Agonist
◉ List the three types of muscle tissues in the human body. Answer:
Visceral, cardiac, and skeletal
◉ The process by which bones grow in the body is called ____.
Answer: Ossification
◉ ____ states that you train only that part of the system or body that
is overloaded. Answer: Specificity
◉ Muscle balance should be considered for the front and back, left
and right sides, and ____ parts of the body. Answer: Upper and Lower
◉ Which metabolic system yields the highest amount of ATP for the
working muscles?. Answer: Oxidative system
◉ Recovery pertains to two segments of training: recovery ____
exercise and recovery ____ an exercise session.. Answer: During; after
, ◉ List 5 physical and psychological symptoms that commonly
accompany overtraining. Answer: Reduction in performance and
coordination, elevated resting heart rate and blood pressure, loss of
appetite, soreness, increased illness or infection, as well as issues
with sleep, depression, and a reduced self-esteem
◉ Which type of muscle tissue is best suited for endurance
activities?. Answer: slow twitch
◉ Concentric and eccentric muscle actions are part of a(n) _____
muscle contraction. Answer: Isotonic
◉ When initiating exercise, the time of inadequate oxygen supply is
called ____. Answer: Oxygen deficit
◉ A given overload must be exceeded in order to see improvements
in fitness. This is referred to as ______. Answer: Threshold of training
◉ Name the three types of muscle actions that skeletal muscle can
generate. Answer: Isotonic, isometric, isokinetic
◉ ______ is moving away from the midline of the body. Answer:
Abduction
QUESTIONS WITH FULL SOLUTIONS
◉ During the cardiac cycle, ____ is the active contraction of the heart
muscle and ___ is the relaxation of the heart muscle. Answer: Systole,
Diastole
◉ Which characteristic of muscle allows it to shorten and thicken.
Answer: Contractility
◉ The ____ muscle group flexes the leg at the knee. Answer:
Hamstrings
◉ What is a motor neuron. Answer: Efferent neurons that relay
outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscle
cells
◉ Describe the valsalva maneuver. Answer: Holding one's breath
while exerting. Creates unequal pressure in the chest, causing blood
pressure to drop and decreasing blood flow to the heart. Resuming
normal breathing creates a surge of blood flow to the heart, causing
a sharp increase in blood pressure.
,◉ Name the 5 systems of the body most actively involved in
movement and exercise. Answer: Skeletal, muscular, nervous,
respiratory, and cardiovascular systems
◉ In a muscle pair, the muscle that is actively contracting is referred
to as the ____, or prime mover. Answer: Agonist
◉ List the three types of muscle tissues in the human body. Answer:
Visceral, cardiac, and skeletal
◉ The process by which bones grow in the body is called ____.
Answer: Ossification
◉ ____ states that you train only that part of the system or body that
is overloaded. Answer: Specificity
◉ Muscle balance should be considered for the front and back, left
and right sides, and ____ parts of the body. Answer: Upper and Lower
◉ Which metabolic system yields the highest amount of ATP for the
working muscles?. Answer: Oxidative system
◉ Recovery pertains to two segments of training: recovery ____
exercise and recovery ____ an exercise session.. Answer: During; after
, ◉ List 5 physical and psychological symptoms that commonly
accompany overtraining. Answer: Reduction in performance and
coordination, elevated resting heart rate and blood pressure, loss of
appetite, soreness, increased illness or infection, as well as issues
with sleep, depression, and a reduced self-esteem
◉ Which type of muscle tissue is best suited for endurance
activities?. Answer: slow twitch
◉ Concentric and eccentric muscle actions are part of a(n) _____
muscle contraction. Answer: Isotonic
◉ When initiating exercise, the time of inadequate oxygen supply is
called ____. Answer: Oxygen deficit
◉ A given overload must be exceeded in order to see improvements
in fitness. This is referred to as ______. Answer: Threshold of training
◉ Name the three types of muscle actions that skeletal muscle can
generate. Answer: Isotonic, isometric, isokinetic
◉ ______ is moving away from the midline of the body. Answer:
Abduction
