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The fact that they like to ask tricky worded questions means that there are large portions of the
book that you’re free to skim over as questions don’t come from there. This study guide will also
point out those sections to you.
I will highlight key terms in bold that you should understand and give you a quick overview of
that term. This way you can read the book once with the study guide and then just work from the
study guide as you continue studying.
movement, cumulative trauma, poor training technique, lack of core strength, lack of
neuromuscular efficiency
● Obesity and Overweight pg. 4 - Know the difference and specifics. Obesity BMI of 30
or greater or at least 30lbs overweight for their height. Overweight BMI of 25 to 29.9 and
all mechanoreceptors that sense body position and limb movement. When you run your
feet give you proprioceptive feedback on the type of surface you’re running on. Training
environments.
● OPT Model - You will be tested heavily on the OPT model. Many future chapters will go
into more detail about the OPT model. For now understand that it's a systematic
approach that builds upon itself. You start with stabilization, then move to strength, then
move to power(if the client desires power). You'd never start a client in a power phase
without first building their stabilization and strength base for example.
● That’s it for chapter 1. Most of what you read here will be rehashed in later chapters.
● Nervous system – One of the main organ systems of the body. Conglomeration of
human body. The CNS is composed of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous
system(PNS) contains only nerves and connects the brain and spinal cord(the CNS) to
● Sensory function – Ability of the nervous system to sense changes in either internal or
information. I.e. causing muscle contraction when you touch a hot stove so that you jerk
movements, and the functioning of every organ in the human body. Pretty important!
● Proprioception – Cumulative sensory input to the central nervous system from all
mechanoreceptors that sense body position and limb movement. When you run your feet
give you proprioceptive feedback on the type of surface you’re running on. Training
● Neuron – Functional unit of the nervous system. Billions of neurons make up nervous
system, provides it with ability to communicate internally with itself as well as externally
with environment. Transmits impulses through both electrical and chemical signals.
Forms the core of the nervous system which includes the brain, spinal cord, and
peripheral ganglia.
● The cell body of Neuron contains a nucleus, lysosomes, mitochondria, and a Golgi
complex.
● Motor (efferent) neurons – transmit nerve impulses from the brain and spinal cord
● Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System - The CNS consists of
your brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral are the nerves that branch out from your
brain and spine into the rest of your body. Think CNS is brain and spine, peripheral is
everything else.
within tissues and then transmit signals through sensory nerves. Respond to outside
forces such as touch, pressure, stretching, sound waves, and motion. Senses distortions
in body tissues.
● Muscle Spindles – Sensory receptors, run parallel to muscle fibers. Are sensitive to
changes in muscle length and rate of length change. Help regulate the contraction of
muscles via the stretch reflex mechanism. This mechanism is a normal response to the
skeletal muscle fibers attach to the tendons. Sensitive to changes in muscular tension
and rate of tension change. Activating the Gogli tendon organ causes the muscle to relax
which prevents the muscle from excessive stress or injury. There’s almost always a
● Joint receptors – located around joint capsule, respond to pressure, acceleration, and
deceleration of the joint. Signals extreme joint positions and thus helps prevent injury.
● Skeletal System – Body’s framework, composed of bones and joints. Provides shape
and focus for bodies. Produces blood for the body and stores minerals. Growth,
maturation, and functionality of skeletal system are greatly affected by posture, physical
● Bones – Provide a resting ground for muscles and protection of vital organs.
● Axial Skeleton – Portion of skeletal system that consists of skull, rib cage, and
● Appendicular Skeleton – Portion of skeletal system that includes the upper and
lower extremities. Arms, legs. Think appendage, appendicular, arms, legs. 126 bones.
● 206 bones in the skeletal system, 177 used in voluntary movement, more than 300 joints
in the body.
and removed by osteoclasts, new bone is laid down by cells called osteoblasts.
● Remodeling follows lines of stress placed on bone. Exercise and habitual posture
fundamentally influences the health of the skeletal system. Incorrect exercise and
posture will lead to remodeling process that reinforces predominating bad posture.
● Osteoclasts and Osteoblasts - They love to ask you about these mainly because the
names are so familiar and easy to mix up. Osteoclasts remove bone tissue and
Osteoblasts help form bone tissue. I like to think of it as Osteoblasts BLAST the tissue
back into the bone, imagine a cell holding a fire hose that’s spraying bone onto a broken
leg. So osteoBLAST forms bone, then you’ll know that osteoCLAST removes it.
● Epiphysis – End of long bones, mainly composed of cancellous bone and house much
of the red marrow involve din red blood cell production. One of primary sites for bone
growth. End of long bones, red marrow which produces red blood cells. Knobby end
● Diaphysis – Shaft portion of long bone. The shaft. Long part. Compact bone(strong).
● Epiphyseal Plate – Region of long bone connecting the diaphysis to the epiphysis. A
layer of subdividing cartilaginous cells in which growth in length of the diaphysis occurs.
Joints pg. 33
● Formed by one bone that articulates with another bone. Categorized by structure and
function.
● Arthrokinematics and synovial and non synovial joints always appear on the test.
Arthrokinematics basically just describes joint motion, and then synovial joints have a
joint cavity and ligaments while non synovial do not have a joint cavity or ligaments.
● Arthrokinematics – Joint motion. Rolled, slide, and spin. Motions rarely occur in
isolation. Rolling movement – bicycle roll on street. Sliding – tire skidding on street.
● Synovial joints – Held together by a joint capsule and ligaments and are most
associated with movement in the body. 80% of all joints in the body, have greatest
capacity for motion. Produce synovial fluid, resembles egg whites and works like engine
oil.
● Non Synovial joints – do not have a joint cavity, connective tissue, or cartilage.
Exhibit little to no movement, seen in skull, distal joint of tibia and fibula.
● Ligaments – Primary connective tissue that connects bones together and provides
stability, input to the nervous system, guidance, and the limitation of improper joint
movement. Fibrous connective tissues, bone to bone, provide static and dynamic stability
have poor vascularity, blood flow, thus do not heal or repair well.
● Don’t get skeletal muscle confused with the skeletal system. Skeletal muscle is just the
name of our muscles, biceps are skeletal muscles, quads are skeletal muscles.
● Tendons - Connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone. Tendons connect muscle to
made up of repeating sections of actin and myosin. Almost always tested. Question will
be something along the lines of “what is made up of repeating sections of actin and
myosin and produces force in a muscle” or “what is the functional unit of a muscle.”
● Motor unit - A motor neuron and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. Frequently
tested.
● Neurotransmitters - Chemical messengers that cross the neuromuscular
● Study table 2.4 over the sliding filament theory on page 43. Frequently tested.
● Know that motor units either all fire or none will fire. A motor unit is one or more motor
neuron and the muscle fibers that it innervates. A unit cannot partially fire.
● Fiber types vary in chemical and mechanical properties. Two main types, type I
and type II. Expect 2-3 questions over fiber types. Know type I is slow(think weak,
energy from food into ATP), myoglobin(increased delivery of oxygen). Red fibers
● Type II(fast-twitch) subdivided into Type IIa and Type IIx. Contain fewer capillaries,
● Type IIa higher oxidative capacity and fatigue more slowly than IIx. IIa are known as
● Type I are smaller in diameter, slow to produce maximal tension, more resistant to
fatigue. Produce long term contractions. Think marathons. Maintaining posture against
gravity.
● Type II larger in size, quick to produce maximal tension, fatigue more quickly. Sprint
muscles.
● All muscles have combination of slow and fast twitch. Ex. shin has 735 slow twitch type I
● Agonist muscles act as prime movers. They are most responsible for a particular
movement.
● Synergist muscles assist prime movers. Synergist, think synergy. Assists with.
● Stabilizer support and stabilize the body.
● System of glands that secrete hormones into bloodstream to regulate variety of bodily
● Expect 2-4 questions over hormones and the endocrine system. And you really should
● Primary endocrine glands are hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands.
adrenal glands(on top of each kidney). Help prepare body for activity. Fight or flight.
● Epinephrine – increases heart rate and stroke volume, elevates blood glucose levels,
Males produce up to 10x more. Fundamental role in growth and repair of tissue.
by several factors: estrogen, testosterone, deep sleep, vigorous exercise. Primary anabolic
hormone responsible for most of growth and development during childhood until
puberty when primary sex hormones take over. Increases development of bone, muscle
tissue, and protein synthesis. Increases fat burning and strengthens immune system.
● Thyroid gland located at base of the neck below thyroid cartilage(adam's apple). Releases
● Testosterone and growth hormone levels increase after strength training and moderate
Expect 4-6 questions from Chapter 3 on your test. These questions can often be tricky because
they relate to technical definitions and specific formulas so be sure to study and test yourself on
the material listed here.
Know what the SA and AV nodes do and the difference in Atrium(superior/upper chamber) of
the heart and the Ventricle(inferior/lower).
The Heart
● Heart – Hollow, muscular organ that pumps a circulation of blood through the body by
● Mediastinum – Space in the chest between lungs that contains all internal organs of
the chest except lungs. Adult heart size of fist weighs 300g.
● Cardiac muscle one of three major types, involuntary muscle, not consciously controlled.
● Cardiac muscles are shorter and more tightly connected than skeletal muscle. Have
● Sinoatrial (SA) Node – Specialized area of cardiac tissue located in the right atrium of
the heart which initiates electrical impulses that determine the pacemaker for the heart.
Electrical signals are transmitted from the SA, through both atria and down into
located in the wall of the right atrium of the heart, that receives heartbeat impulses from
the sinoatrial node and directs them to the walls of the ventricles. AV node delays
to walls of ventricles.
● Heart composed of four hollow chambers, delineated into two interdependent but
separate pumps on each side. Two pumps are separated by interatrial septum(separates
● Each side of the heart has two chambers, an atrium and a ventricle.
● Right side of the heart is the pulmonic side because it receives blood from the body that
is low in O2 and high in CO2 and pumps it to the lungs then back to the left atria.
● Left side of heart is systemic side, pumps blood high in O2 low in CO2 to rest of the body.
● Blood pumped from right side, pulmonic, to the lungs, then through left side, systemic to
● Atrium – Superior(upper) chamber of the heart that receives blood from veins and
forces it into ventricles. On either side of heart. Gather blood returning to heart. Right
atrium gathers deoxygenated blood, left atrium gathers oxygenated blood from lungs.
corresponding atrium and forces blood into arteries. Larger than atria. Right ventricle
has thin walls and pumps under low pressure. Left ventricle has thicker walls and pumps
under high pressure b/c it pumps blood out to the rest of the body. Right ventricle
receives deoxygenated blood from right atrium, left ventricle receives oxygenated blood
● Each chamber of heart is separated from one another and major veins and arteries by
● Stroke Volume – Amount of blood pumped out of the heart with each contraction.
Difference between ventricular end-diastolic volume(EDV) and end-systolic
volume(ESV). EDV is filled volume of ventricle before contraction, ESV is residual
volume of blood remaining in ventricle after contraction. Typical EDV 120mL and ESV
50mL. Difference, 70mL represents SV. D comes before S EDV is BEFORE contraction,
and ESV come AFTER contraction.
● Heart Rate – Rate at which heart pumps.
heart.
Blood
● Blood – Fluid circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins, carries nutrients
and oxygen to all parts of the body and also rids body of waste products. Blood consists
of cells suspended in watery liquid called plasma, which also contains nutrients such as
● Plasma makes up 55% of volume of blood and 45% are red, white, platelets. 4-6L of
blood in adult.
Blood Vessels
● Blood vessels – network of hollow tubes that circulates blood throughout body.
● Veins – Vessels that transport blood from capillaries toward the heart.
● Largest artery in the body is the aorta, carries blood away from the heart.
● Venules – Very small veins that connect capillaries to the larger veins.
● Respiratory System – Lungs and respiratory passageways that collect oxygen from
● Breathing is the process of moving air in and out of the body and requires optimal
● Respiratory Pump – Bones and soft tissue that work together to allow proper
respiratory mechanics to occur and help pump blood back to heart during inspiration.
● Inspiration – Inhalation, actively contracting the inspiratory muscles to move air into
● Respiratory passages are divided into conducting airways and respiratory airways.
● Conducting airways consists of all structures that air travels through before entering
respiratory airways. Nasal, oral cavities, mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, basically your
collect oxygen and the cardiovascular system’s ability to absorb and transport it.
● Breathing pattern becomes more shallow, uses secondary respiratory muscles more than
trapezius.
● Respiratory muscles also play major postural role in human movement system, all
connecting directly to cervical and cranial portions of the body. Increased activity and
● Excessive breathing(short, shallow) can lead to altered CO2 and Oxygen blood content
● Inadequate oxygen and retention of metabolic waste within muscles can create fatigue,
stiff muscles.
● Inadequate joint motion of the spine and rib cage, as a result of improper breathing,
body. When chemical bonds holding ATP are broken, energy is released for cellular
work(such as muscle contraction), breaking the bond leaves behind molecule called
● Three metabolic pathways cells can use to generate ATP – 1. ATP-PC system, 2. Aerobic
● ATP-PC System – Transfers phosphate group from another high energy molecule
facilitate one cross-bridge cycle. ATP and PC are called phosphagens. Creating new ATP
without presence of oxygen(anaerobic). Only supplies energy for 10-15 secs before
exhausted
Glycolysis pg. 74
● Glucose is broken down through chemical processes and eventually becomes pyruvate.
Oxygen is not required for these steps to take place. As glucose changes into pyruvate
ATP is produced. If enough oxygen is available the pyruvate will become acetyl-CoA -
once the pyruvate becomes acetyl-CoA it can start the Krebs cycle or the TCA cycle. The
krebs cycle requires oxygen and produces lots of ATP. If there is not enough oxygen
lactate is created from the pyruvate - provides some energy but not as much as Krebs
cycle.
● Fats are broken down in a pathway called beta-oxidation. Enzymes break up the carbon
chains that make up fatty acids and converts them into acetyl-CoA(remember from the
last pathway). This is then used to begin the Krebs cycle. Normal function of this system
requires carbs. If carbs are low the body will produce ketone bodies which help use the
● 10-30s you use glycolysis, then ATP-PC to 60s, then aerobic energy systems. You
always use glycolysis, then ATP-PC, then aerobic for every type of activity. So
for sprints you go through that cycle and for marathon running. They like to ask this
question: “What’s the first energy system you use when running a marathon” and the
answer will be glycolysis even though marathon mostly uses aerobic systems.
exercise. High intensity work increases EPOC which is why you see HIIT as a perferred
Expect 5-8 questions from chapter 5. Lots of terms here that are heavily tested. This is a great
chapter to study using flash cards.
Anatomic Locations Pg. 83
● Proximal – Positioned nearest the center of the body, or point of reference. – Knee
● Distal – Positioned farthest from the center of the body, or point of reference Ankle
● Anterior (or Ventral) – On the front of the body On or forward, front of the body,
● Posterior (or Dorsal) – On the back of the body. Hamstring complex is posterior.
● Medial – Positioned near the middle of the body. Close to midline of the body.
Adductors are medial side of thigh, side closest to midline of the body. Sternum more
● Lateral – Positioned on the outside of the body. Ears are on the lateral side of the head.
● Contralateral – Positioned on the opposite side of the body. Right foot is contralateral
● Ipsilateral – Positioned on the same side of the body. Right food is ipsilateral to right
foot.
● Movement is said to occur more commonly on a specific plane if it is actually along the
● Anatomic Position – Position with the body erect, arms at side, palms forward. Anatomic
nomenclature. Anterior, posterior, medial, lateral apply to the body when it is in the
anatomic position.
● Sagittal Plane – Bisects the body into left and right halves. Movements in sagittal
● Flexion – Bending movement in which the relative angle between two adjacent
segments decreases. It helps to think of this with two reference points. Take a knee
flexion - your two reference points would be hamstrings and your calves. As your knee
goes into flexion your calves move closer to your calves, or the relative angle decreases. It
goes into extension when those angles are increasing or the two are moving further
apart.
● Abduction – Movement in frontal plane away from the midline of the body. Similar to
extension, increase in the angle between two adjoining segments in the frontal plane.
● Transverse Plane – Imaginary bisector divides body into top and bottom halves.
● External rotation – Rotation of a joint away from the midline of the body.
● Pronation - Triplanar movement that is associated with force reduction, rotating the
forearm inward.
rotating outward. You can tell the book has a difficult time explaining the nuances of
pronation and supination so it's very unlikely that you'll be tested on it.
Think ADD, more things, so shoulder blades move together thus more shoulder blades.
exercise would be slowly lowering yourself down from a chin-up. Your muscles are
lengthening yet they are still producing force. Muscles can produce more force
same length. Think holding a plank. Your muscles are producing force yet there is no
● Isokinetic - Muscle shortens at a constant speed over full range of motion. Think a slow
muscle can produce at this resting length. Optimal muscle length is where actin and
myosin filaments in the sarcomere have the greatest degree of overlap, this results in
ability of myosin to make maximal amount of connections with actin and thus results in
potential for maximal force production of that muscle. Lengthening a muscle beyond this
optimal length and then stimulating it reduces the amount of actin and myosin overlap,
reducing force production. Shortening muscle too much places actin and myosin in state
around a joint.
information. I.e. causing muscle contraction when you touch a hot stove so that you jerk
● The nervous system is responsible for the recruitment of muscles, learned patterns of
movements, and the functioning of every organ in the human body. Pretty important!
● Motor Behavior - response to internal and external environmental stimuli. The
collective study of motor control, motor learning, and motor development. Again,
basically movement.
● Proprioception – Cumulative sensory input to the central nervous system from all
mechanoreceptors that sense body position and limb movement. When you run your feet
give you proprioceptive feedback on the type of surface you’re running on. Training
This section will be heavily tested. Expect 6-10 questions. Pay special attention to the objective
fitness assessments and table 6.12 on page 144 for the checkpoints on the overhead squat
assessment.
● The subjective assessment section from page 107 to 117 can largely be skimmed. You
will 1-2 questions from this on the test but they’re usually very straightforward and you
can use common sense to answer them.
● Maximal Heart Rate (MHR) Method – Most used formula is 220-Age. Never use
220-Age to calculate max heart rate as absolute.
● Zone one(65-75%), Zone Two(76-85%), zone three(86-95%) Know these zone
boundaries for your test. You’ll likely receive a question like “what zone would you
be training in if you trained at 80% of your maximum heart rate.” The answer would be
zone two.
● Step one – perform 3-minute step test by having client perform 24 steps per minute on
12 inch step for total of 3 minutes, roughly 96 steps total. Important that client performs
● Step two – Within 5 seconds of completing exercise, client’s resting heart rate is
● Step four – determine appropriate starting program using appropriate category. Poor
Zone one(65-75%), Fair Zone one(65-75%), Average Zone Two(76-85%), Good Zone
● Step five – determine client’s maximal heart rate by subtracting client’s age from the
number 208- (.70 X Age), then take maximal heart rate and multiply by zones to
● Designed to estimate cardiovascular starting point. Starting point is then modified based
on ability level.
● Step one – Record client’s weight. Have client walk one mile, as fast as he or she can
control, on treadmill. Record time. Immediately record client’s heart rate at the 1 mile
mark.
● Weight in lbs, gender male = 1, female = 0, time expressed in minutes and 100th of
● There’s a formula on the bottom of page 131. Just recognize it to know that it is part of
foot pronation(flat feet) and adducted and internally rotated knees(knock knees)
head and rounded shoulders. Very important to understand and be able to visualize all
● One should be checking for neutral alignment, symmetry, balanced muscle tone, and
● Kinetic chain checkpoints refer to major joint regions of the body including – Foot and
ankle, knee, lumbo-pelvic-hip complex (LPHC), shoulders, head and cervical spine
● Anterior View:
○ LPHC – Pelvis level with both posterior superior iliac spines in same transverse
plane
● Lateral View:
● Posterior View
○ LPHC – Pelvis is level with both posterior superior iliac spines and in same
transverse plane
● You will see test questions over tables 6.9, 6.10, 6.11. The simplest way is to visualize the
distortion, take a forward head tilt for upper crossed syndrome and then from there
touch your muscle groups to literally feel which groups would be shortened and which
● Overhead Squat Assessment pg. 139 - another very important thing to study,
heavily tested over.
● Designed to assess dynamic flexibility, core strength, balance, and overall neuromuscular
control. Shown to reflect lower extremity movement patterns during jump-landing tasks.
abductor and hip external rotation strength, increased hip adductor activity, and
● 1. Client stands with feet shoulders width apart and pointed straight ahead. Foot and
ankle complex should be in a neutral position. Assessment performed with shoes off to
● 2. Have client raise his or her arms overhead, with elbows fully extended.
● Movement – Instruct client to squat roughly to height of chair seat and return to starting
position. 2. Repeat movement for 5 reps, observe from each position(anterior and
lateral)
● Views – View feet, ankles, and knees from front. Feet should remain straight with knees
tracking in line with foot. View lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, shoulder, and cervical
complex from side. Tibia should remain in line with torso while arms also stay in line
with torso.
● Compensations Anterior View – Feet, do feet flatten and/or turn out? Knees, do knees
● Compensations Lateral View – Lumbo-pelvic-hip complex – does the low back arch?
Does the torso lean forward excessively? Shoulders: do the arms fall forward?
● Memorize the table on page 144. It really really helps to physically mimic every
shortened/lengthened in order for this compensation to occur. It seems like a lot at first
but when you go through a few rounds of mimicking different compensations it becomes
● Reliable and valid measure of lower extremity movement patterns when standard
● Position – Client should stand with hands on hips and eyes focused on object straight
ahead. Foot should be pointed straight ahead, and foot, ankle, and knee and
● Movement – Have client squat to a comfortable level and return to starting position.
● Views – View knee from the front. Knee should track in line with the foot.
● Position – Instruct client to stand with abdominal drawn inward, feet in a split stance
● Movement – Viewing from the side, instruct client to press handles forward and return
● Compensations – Low back – does low back arch? Shoulders – do the shoulders elevate?
movements
● Position – Stand with abdomen drawn inward, feet shoulders-width apart and toes
pointing forward
● Movement – Viewing from side, instruct client to pull handles toward the body and
return to starting position. Like pushing assessment lumbar and cervical spines should
● Compensations – Low back – does low back arch? Shoulders – Do shoulders elevate?
● Push-up test - Keep ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and head in a straight line. Chest
within 3 inches of floor on the bottom. Repeat for 60s or to exhaustion. Record number
● Davies Test pg. 151- Measures upper extremity agility and stabilization. Two pieces of
tape, 36 inches apart. Client assumes push-up position. Alternating touch on each side
for 15 seconds.
● Shark skill test - assess lower extremity agility and control. Nine box grid is taped out
on the floor, 3x3 boxes each measuring 6x6 inches. Client is at the center of the box grid
with hands on hips standing on one leg. Have the client hop in a diagonal pattern always
returning to the center of the box. One practice run then two tests with each foot.
● The bench press, squat, vertical jump, 40 yard dash, pro shuttle, LEFT, and standing
broad jump are self explanatory and rarely tested over. Understand their fundamentals
● Relative Flexibility – The tendency of the body to seek the path of least resistance
during functional movement patterns. Prime example are people who squat with feet
externally rotated, because of tight calf muscles they lack proper dorsiflexion at the ankle
to perform squat with proper mechanics. Another example is overhead press with
excessive lumbar extension(arched lower back). Individuals who possess tight latissimus
dorsi will have decreased sagittal-plane shoulder flexion (inability to lift arms directly
overhead), and as a result they compensate for this lack of ROM at shoulder in lumbar
movement, cumulative trauma, poor training technique, lack of core strength, lack of
neuromuscular efficiency
agonist, which inhibits its functional antagonist. Example tight psoas(hip flexor) would
decrease neural drive of the gluteus maximus (hip extensor). Altered reciprocal
inappropriate muscles take over the function of a weak or inhibited prime mover.
which in turn results in increased force output of synergists for hip extension (hamstring
complex, adductor magnus) to compensate for weakened glutes. The result of synergistic
relationships and causes poor movement efficiency. Basically when you have muscle
groups that are shorter and longer than they’re supposed to be then they create poor
movement patterns.
skeletal muscle fibers attach to the tendons. Sensitive to changes in muscular tension
and rate of tension change. Activating the Gogli tendon organ causes the muscle to relax
which prevents the muscle from excessive stress or injury. Always a question about
● Cumulative Injury Cycle- Poor posture and repetitive movements create dysfunction
within the connective tissue of the body. This dysfunction is treated by body as another
injury, and as a result, body will initiate repair process termed cumulative injury cycle.
Expect 2-3 questions. Pretty self-explanatory chapter. Focus mainly on the difference in training
in zone 1, 2, and 3. That’s what trips most people up.
fitness.
● Peak VO2 Method. Traditional gold standard for measuring cardiorespiratory fitness.
VO2 max. Maximal volume of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. Maximal
amount of oxygen that individual can use during intense exercise. Difficult to measure.
● Maximal Heart Rate (MHR) Method – Most used formula is 220-Age. Never use
220-Age to calculate max heart rate as absolute.
● HR Reserve(HRR) Method – Karvonen method. Establishing training intensity based on
difference between predicted maximal heart rate and resting heart rate. Most common
and universally accepted method of establishing exercise training intensity. THR =
[(HRmax – HRrest) x desired intensity] + HR rest If there’s a question about this on the
test it will likely give this formula and ask you to name it. Try to memorize the formula if
you can but if you can’t just remember what it looks like and remember it’s the heart rate
reserve or Karvonen method.
● Ratings of perceived exertion method – Used to express or validate how hard a client
feels he or she is working during exercise. (RPE) method person is subjectively rating
perceived difficulty of exercise. 6 is no exertion at all, 20 is maximal exertion.
● Talk test method – Informal method used to gauge exercise training intensity.
● Ventilatory threshold – Point during graded exercise in which ventilation increases
disproportionately to oxygen uptake, signifying a switch from predominantly aerobic
energy production to anaerobic energy production.
● Stage 1 you keep the client in zone 1, stage 2 you alternate between zone 1 and zone 2,
stage 3 you do intervals that cycle from zone 1 into zone 3 then back to zone 2.
· Local stabilizers are muscles that attach directly to vertebrae. Consist primarily of slow
twitch type I fibers with high density of muscle spindles. Work to limit excessive compressive,
· Primary muscles that make up local stabilization system include transverse abdominis,
thoracolumbar fascia(connective tissue of low back), increasing spinal stiffness for improved
· Muscles of global stabilization system attach from pelvis to the spine. These transfer
loads between upper extremity and lower extremity, provide stability between pelvis and
spine, and provide stabilization and eccentric control of the core during functional
movements.
· Primary muscles that make up global stabilization system include quadratus
lumborum, psoas major, external obliques, portions of the internal oblique, rectus
● The draw-in maneuver - Draw the navel back toward the spine without spinal flexion.
Like sucking your belly button in to put on a tight pair of pants. Helps activate inner unit
of the core to create stability.
● Abdominal Bracing - Contracting the outer muscle units. It feels like you’re trying to
squeeze everything out of your stomach, take a deep breath, hold, then push out. You
should have clients use bracing when they’re lifting weights.
● Know the exercises you do for each level of training starting page 234. You
will likely receive test questions, for example “Which of these is a core
power exercise: Marching, Floor Bridge, Ball Crunch, Rotation Chest Pass”
The answer is rotation chest pass.
● Core stabilization exercises: Marching, floor bridge, floor prone cobra, prone iso-ab
● Core strength exercises: Ball crunch, back extensions, reverse crunch, cable rotations
● Core power exercises: Rotation chest pass, medicine ball pullover throw, prone MB
oblique throw, soccer throw.
Another simple chapter where your questions will come from identifying which exercise
corresponds to balance stabilization, balance strength, and balance power levels of the OPT
model.
movements. Box jumps, broad jumps, etc. Enhances neuromuscular efficiency and the
phase, and concentric(unloading phase). Reactive movements are produced through the
fancy words to describe the three phases in a jump where you load the muscle, move
from loading to contraction, then explode up and jump. What reactive training does is
shorten the time between your loading and your contraction, or shortening the
amortization period. The longer the delay in between eccentric and concentric the less
● Reactive training enhances muscle spindle activity, desensitizes the Golgi tendon organ,
● Plyo stabilization exercises: squat jump with stabilization, box jump up with
stabilization, box jump-down with stabilization, multiplanar jump with stabilization.
● Plyo strength exercises: squat jump, tuck jump, butt kick, power step-up.
● Plyo power exercises: Ice skaters, single-leg power step-up, proprioceptive
plyometrics.
in a given distance, and stride length is the distance covered with each stride. Higher
● Frontside mechanics - Proper alignment of the lead leg and pelvis during sprinting,
which includes ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion, hip flexion, and neutral pelvis.
● Backside mechanics - Proper alignment of the rear leg and pelvis during sprinting,
which includes ankle plantarflexion, knee extension, hip extension, and neutral pelvis.
● OPT Stabilization - 4-6 drills with limited horizontal inertia - cone shuffles, agility
● OPT Strength - 6-8 drills allowing greater horizontal inertia but limited
unpredictability such as 5-10-5 T-drill, box drill, stand up to figure 8. 3-4 sets, 3-5 reps of
each, 0-60s.
● OPT Power - 6-10 drills maximal horizontal inertia and unpredictability - modified box
drill, partner mirror drill, and timed drills. 3-5 sets, 3-5 reps of each, 0-90s rest.
Pay attention to the general adaptation syndrome. Expect 3-5 questions from chapter 13 on the
test. No need to memorize all the exercises at the end of the chapter but you should have a
working knowledge of how they are performed. You’ll get questions like “during a squat the
knees should track with: a) the hips b) the toes c) the spine d) your eyes.” The answer is the
toes.
responds and adapts to stress. For adaptations to occur, the body must be
confronted with a stressor of some form that creates the need for a response.
● Three stages of response to stress: alarm reaction, adaptation phase, exhaustion phase.
physiological and psychological protective processes within the body. During initial
sessions of resistance training programs, body is forced to try and adapt to increased
amounts of force on bones, joints, muscles, connective tissues, and nervous system.
● During alarm stage numerous physiologic responses occur, including increase in oxygen
● Over time applying principle of progressive overload, body increases its ability to meet
Human movement system will increase its capabilities to efficiently recruit muscle fibers
and distribute oxygen and blood to proper areas of the body. Once adaptation has
occurred, body will require increased stress or overload to produce a new response and a
● When stressor is too much for any one of the physiologic systems to handle, it causes a
breakdown or injury such as: Stress fractures, muscle strains, joint pain, emotional
fatigue.
intensity can result in fatigue. Also caused by lack of proper rest and recovery. Can lead
principle) – Principle that states the body will adapt to the specific demands
that are placed on it. If someone repeatedly lifts heavy weights, that person will
produce higher levels of maximal strength. Conversly if a person repeatedly lifts lighter
weights for many reps, that person will develop higher levels of muscular endurance.
● Type I slow twitch fibers are smaller in diameter, slower to produce maximal tension,
● Type II are larger, fast twitch, quick to produce maximal tension, fatigue more quickly
than type I.
● Degree of adaptation that occurs during training is directly related to the mechanical,
program goals for clients, trainers need to consistently evaluate the need to manipulate
the exercise routine to meet actual training goals. The body can only adapt if it has a
reason to adapt.
develop muscular endurance of legs requires light weights and high repetitions when
selection. To develop higher levels of stability while pushing, chest exercises will need
strength, exercises should be performed in more stable environments with heavier loads
to place more of an emphasis on the prime movers. To develop higher levels of power,
develop endurance, training will require prolonged bouts of exercise, with minimal rest
between sets. Endurance training primarily uses aerobic pathways to supply energy to
the body. To develop maximal strength or power, training will require longer rest
periods, so the intensity of each bout of exercise remains high. Energy will be supplied
● Trainers should remember that a client’s training program should be designed to meet
the specific demands of their daily life and health and wellness goals.
● Mechanically body burns more calories when movements are performed while standing
● From neuromuscular standpoint, body burns more calories when more muscles are
● Metabolically, body burns more calories when rest periods are short to minimize full
recuperation.
● Just read over the next pages. You will be tested on one of these at least but they’re super
easy to understand and most of you will already have a good knowledge of what a multi
● Especially pay attention to peripheral heart action, they like to ask questions over that.
Basically a variation of circuit training where you alternate between upper and lower
body, for example squats then overhead press. The idea is it improves cardiovascular
system along with strength/hypertrophy because you’re forcing blood to move from
lower to upper.
This is an important chapter. It’s vital that you understand how the OPT model is divided up into
segments(stabilization, strength, and power) and how to design programming within each of the
5 specific phases. Much of what you learn here will be touched upon in later chapters.
● Study the key terms. I won’t go over them here as most people are already familiar with
concepts as reps, sets, intensity, and volume.
● Study table 14.1 on page 360. Almost guaranteed to have a couple questions asking you
what rep scheme, how many sets, what tempo, or rest period to use for a certain phase.
For example “What tempo scheme would you use for power level training.” or “What rep
scheme would you use for a client in the stabilization endurance phase of training.” It
looks more daunting then it is and should match with your current training experience -
for example you wouldn’t use 12-20 reps for power training and you wouldn’t use 50%
1RM loads for strength phase.
● Study table 14.2. Know that high volume and low intensity leads to: increased muscle
mass, improved blood lipid serum profile, increased metabolic rate. Low volume high
intensity leads to: increased rate of force production(power), increased motor unit
recruitment(strength), increased motor unit synchronization(power/strength).
● Study table 14.3. Exercise selection for endurance/stabilization - total body; multi joint or
single joint; controlled unstable. Exercise selection for strength - total body; multijoint or
single joint. Exercise selection for power - total body; multijoint(explosive)
● Know that annual plan is macrocycle, monthly plan is meoscycle, and weekly plan is
microcycle.
● Stabilization Endurance Phase 1 - Goals are to increase stability, increase muscular
endurance, increase neuromuscular efficiency, and improve intermuscular coordination.
● Study table 14.7 on page 370. You’ll get questions over reps, sets, tempo, intensity, rest
interval mostly. Remember high reps(12-20), low sets(1-3), 4/2/1 tempo.
● Strength Endurance Phase 2 - Study table 14.8 on page 372. Remember 8-12 reps,
2-3 sets, 0-60s rest.
● Hypertrophy Phase 3 - Study table 14.9 on page 374. Remember 8-12 reps, 2/0/2
tempo, 3-5 sets, 75-85% intensity, and 0-60s rest.
● Maximal Strength Phase 4 - Study table 14.10 on page 376. Remember 1-5 reps, x/x/x
tempo, 4-6 sets, 85-100% intensity, 3-5min rest.
● Power Phase 5 - Study table 14.11 on page 379. Remember 1-5 reps, x/x/x tempo,
85-100% intensity, 3-5 min rest, 1-2min rest between pairs of exercises.
Chapter 17 - Nutrition
Expect 3-5 questions from chapter 17. Most will be pretty easy if you have a decent working
● Personal trainers cannot prescribe meal plans!! You can give general
● Kilocalorie - A unit of energy equal to 1,000 calories. Amount of heat energy required
to raise the temperature of a liter of water by 1 degree Celsius. When we say "one calorie"
● Protein – Amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Build and repair body tissues and
Structure of Protein
● Made up of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. Body uses approx 20 amino
acids to build its many different proteins. Arranging amino acids in different sequences
● Essential amino acids cannot be manufactured in the body – therefore must be obtained
● Nonessential – body can manufacture them from dietary nitrogen and fragments of
calories. 1.2-1.4g for endurance athletes and 1.6-1.7g/kg of bodyweight for strength
training athletes.
● Complete Protein - Provides all of the essential amino acids. Meat products, eggs,
● Incomplete protein - Foods that do not provide all the essential amino acids - beans,
● Polysaccharides are long chains of monosaccharide units linked together and found in
foods that contain starch and fiber. Called complex carbohydrates and include starch
● Dietary fiber is part of plant that cannot be digested by human gut enzymes and passes
● The body stores carbs in the liver and skeletal muscle as glycogen. IIRC between the liver
and our skeletal muscle we store about 400g of glycogen in our body. This is not on the
test but gives you an idea of how little the body actually stores.
● Liver glycogen helps maintain blood glucose - aka blood sugar. Blood glucose must be
restored on a regular basis - the liver's glycogen stores can be depleted overnight or
● When glycogen stores are depleted the liver will break down protein to maintain blood
● High fructose corn syrup - Just know that it's made from cornstarch which is converted
individuals around 3g carbs/kg of body weight per day, athletes as much as 8-12g/kg of
bodyweight per day. There is no set limit, work with your clients to find the optimal
intake.
and sterols.
polyunsaturated.
manufactured by the body but are essential for proper health and functioning).
the book doesn't give what the balance is, you likely won't be tested on this).
● Lipids(or fats) are most concentrated source of energy in the diet. One gram of fat yields
● Fats act as carriers for fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Vitamin D aids in absorption
● Fats are involved in: cellular membrane structure and function, precursors to hormones,
cellular signals, regulation and excretion of nutrients in cells, surrounding protecting and
holding in place organs, insulating body from environmental temp changes, prolonging
digestive process by slowing stomach’s secretion of HCL, longer lasting feeling of satiety,
● 20-35% of total calories from fat. The types of fat consumed rather than the total amount
of an increase in LDL cholsterol. LDL carries lipids throughout the body and can
accumulate on artery walls which can then lead to risk of heart disease.
● Sedentary men and women should consume 3L and 2.2L of water per day. Water intake
Increase by 8 ounces for every 25 pounds they people carry above their ideal weight.
● Fluid loss of 2% of body weight will adversely affect circulatory functions and decrease
performance levels. Thirst alone is poor indicator of how much water is needed.
● Athletes consistently consume inadequate fluid volume, managing to replace only 50% of
sweat losses. Do not being practice session or endurance comp until body is at or slightly
● Drink 1.75 to 2.75 cups 2 hours before exercise. Drink 6 to 12 ounces of fluid every 15 to
● When exercising for less than 60 minutes, water is experts’ choice for fluid replacement
● Ingest 16 to 24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after an exercise bout,
The rest of the chapter is good basic info but not likely to be tested.
Chapter 18 - Supplementation
Expect just 1-2 questions. It is okay to skim the chapter, no need to memorize all of the
supplements inside.
What is a Dietary Supplement? Pg. 502
intake.
● Defined by DSHEA as containing one or more of following: vitamin, mineral, herb, other
gelcap, or liquid form. Labeled as dietary supplement. Cannot be represented for use as a
conventional food or as a sole item of a meal or diet. Cannot include an article that is
● Remember that the FDA does not get involved in dietary supplements until after the
product has been on the market. So if a dietary supplement is found to be dangerous the
FDA will step in - unlike drugs where the FDA first needs to approve safety before
● Creatine is created in the body and consumed from meat and fish. It's part of creatine
phosphate a key component in the energy system for events lasting less than 10 seconds.
Higher intake of creatine results in higher phosphocreatine in the muscles thus giving
strength when paired with appropriate training. Also studies show an acute gain in
fat-free mass with creatine. Typical dosing scheme beings with 5-7 days of 20g followed
short-term high intensity exercise and sports. Pretty simple stuff most of us know all this
· Prohormones like Superdrol, Epistane, etc that you could purchase in 2005-2014 are now
Class 3 narcotics.
Expect 3-5 questions. The questions from this section can be more challenging than you would
think from such an easy chapter. Pay attention to the 5 stages of change especially and goal
setting.
● The stages of change - very important and heavily tested over. You should know how to
tell which stage of change someone is in by their behavior/actions.
● Stage 1: Precontemplation pg. - Individuals in this stage do not intend to change
their high-risk behaviors in the foreseeable future. Not anticipating starting an exercise
Aware of the pros and cons of changing behavior. People often get stuck on this stage as
● Stage 3: Preparation - Intend to take action in the near future, usually in the next
month. They’ve taken some significant action toward making behavior change in the past
year such as joining a gym. Examples are former non-exercisers who may now exercise
● Stage 4: Action - People in this stage exercise regularly but for less than 6 months.
Change in this stage is not stable and you’re at highest risk for relapse here.
● Stage 5: Maintenance pg. 655 - Example someone that has regularly been exercising
for 6 months. Generally it takes regular exercise of 5 years before the risk of reverting to
old behavior is terminated. It’s still possible to revert but unlikely that an exerciser will
revert all the way back to precontemplation. They may revert back to contemplation or
● Nonverbal and Verbal Communication - It’s important that you can recognize the
difference between active listening, passive listening, asking questions, reflecting, and
summarizing. I won’t list it here as they’re really simple concepts but you should read
over each section starting on page 533.
● SMART Goals - Specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Expect at least 2
questions over SMART goals.
● Specific - a goal that is clearly defined in such a way that anyone can determine what the
intended outcome is.
● Measureable - Quantifiable.
● Attainable - Challenging but not extreme, also not too easy.
● Realistic - A goal that a client is both willing and able to work toward.
● Timely - Have a specific date of completion. Realistic but not too distant in the future.