(C) 2011 by Exercise ETC Inc. All rights reserved. 1
Welcome!ACE Personal Trainer
Virtual Exam Prep: Module 1
Laura Abbott, MS, LMT• Master’s Degree, Sports
Medicine • Licensed Massage Therapist • Undergraduate degree in
Exercise Science • Instructor of Kinesiology,
Georgia State University • ACE Certified Personal Trainer• Guest speaker at Atlanta area
massage schools and at the Georgia State University Physical Therapy department.
• Owner of Premier Performance, Atlanta, GA
About the Manual..
• Our program is compatible with BOTH versions of the ACE manual
• Our program is written to sync with the PT exam, not the ACE manual
(C) 2011 by Exercise ETC Inc. All rights reserved. 2
ACE Exam Content Breakdown
Competency Number of
Questions
Percentage
Of Exam
Assessment 25 20%
Program Design 26 20%
Program
Implementation
37 30%
Exercise Science
18 15%
Professional Issues
19 15%
Section 1:Applied Exercise Physiology
What We’ll Cover
• Chapters 1 of your ACE Personal Trainer Manual (3rd ed)
• Chapters 2 & 5 of your ACE Essentials Manual (4th ed)
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What is Fitness?
• Improved Quality of Life
• Improved Quality of Health
• Improved Function
Measures of Fitness
• Cardiorespiratory
• Muscular Strength
• Muscular Endurance
• Flexibility
• Body Composition
Measures of Fitness
• Cardiorespiratory:– The ability of the heart & lungs to deliver
oxygen to the working muscles
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Measures of Fitness
• Muscular Strength• The ability of the
muscles to move a maximal weight one time with perfect form. (1 RM)
Measures of Fitness
• Muscular Endurance– The ability of the
muscle to move a certain weight multiple times with perfect form. (Repetitions)
Measures of Fitness
• Flexibility– The ability of a muscle
to move a joint through full Range of Motion (ROM)
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Measures of Fitness
• Body Composition– The client’s ratio of
lean mass to fat mass.
– Lean body % + Fat body % = 100%
– Example:• Lean mass = 70%
• Fat mass = 30%
• Body weight = 100%
Blood Pressure
• Systolic (top #) Pressure in arteries when heart contracts
• Diastolic (bottom #) Pressure in arteries when heart relaxes
Resting Blood Pressure Ranges
Category Systolic Diastolic
Normal < 130 mm/Hg < 85 mm/Hg
Pre-hypertension
130-139 mm/Hg 85-89 mm/Hg
Hypertension (refer)
140+ mm/Hg 90+ mm/Hg
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Blood Pressure Response to Exercise Aerobic: Systolic pressure
increases, while diastolic remains constant or decreases slightly
Anaerobic: Systolic &
diastolic both increase
Cardiac Output
• How much blood is pumped per minute: SV X HR = Q (cardiac output)
• Stroke VolumeThe amount of blood pumped with each beat of the heart
• Heart Rate: How many times the heart beats per minute (BPM)
Resting Heart Rate Ranges
Heart Rate Range
28-40 Athletic Fitness
<60 Bradycardia
60-100 Average Adult
>100 Tachycardia
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VO2 Max • The maximal amount of oxygen that the blood can transport and the cells can utilize
• Oxygen Extraction: The ability of the cells to remove (extract) oxygen from the bloodstream & utilize it
Energy Production in the Cells
ATP = Chemical Energy
• ATP = Adenosine Tri Phosphate• CP = Creatine Phosphate• ADP = Adenosine Di Phosphate• ATP = CP + ADP
Methods of ATP Production
• Anaerobic Production:Produced using glucose/glycogen withoutoxygen
• Aerobic Production:Produced using stored body fat withoxygen
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Phosphagen System
• Substrates: Stored ATP/CP in the muscles
• Intensity: High
• Time: 10 seconds or less
• Limitation: Depletion of ATP/CP stores
Glycogen (Lactic Acid) System
• Substrates: Glucose & Glycogen
• Intensity: High (85% of MHR)
• Time: 1-3 minutes to fatigue
• Limitation: Lactic acid accumulation
• Byproduct: Lactic acid
Aerobic System
• Substrates: Glucose, Glycogen, Fat
• Intensity: Low to moderate
• Time: Activities lasting longer than 3 min.
• Limitation: Depletion of muscle glycogen;
insufficient oxygen delivery
• Byproduct: Carbon dioxide & water
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Which Pathway is Used?
• Bench press to failure in 12 reps
Which Pathway is Used?
• 40 minute aerobic class
Which Pathway is Used?
• Sprint to cross the finish line at the end of a 2 mile run
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Which Pathway is Used?
• 20 minutes of swimming
Which Pathway is Used?
• Abdominal crunches to failure in 1 minute
Which Pathway is Used?
• 1 RM leg press
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Muscle Tissue Physiology
Muscle Fiber Types
Slow Twitch: Type Ihighly oxidative & fatigue slowly
Fast Twitch Type IIa & Type IIbhighly glycotic & fatigue rapidly
Average person:45% - 55% slow & fast twitch
Role of Genetics: What Type of Fiber?
Olympic Sprinter
Olympic Power Lifter
Distance Cyclist
Basketball Player
Football Player
Winner of the NYC Marathon
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Motor Units
• A group of muscle fibers and the nerve that enervates them
“All or None” Principle
• All muscle fibers in a motor unit contract maximally or not at all
Physics, 101
• Inertia
• Acceleration
• Momentum
• Levers
• Torque
• Static balance
• Dynamic balance
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Training Principles• Overload: Subjecting the
body to new stresses and challenges
• Specificity: Train the client in a manner compatible with their stated goals
• Reversibility: Use it or lose it! (Strength is lost at ½ the rate of gain)
Adaptations to Training
• More efficient cardio system
• Muscular hypertrophy
• Connective tissue strengthening
• Increased neuromuscular function
• Improved sense of well being
• Improved body image
Exercise & Endocrine System
Hormone Secreted by Function
Cortisol Adrenal gland Store fat, convert muscle mass to glycogen
Growth hormone
Pituitary gland Increase strength, metabolize fat
Testosterone Testes, ovaries Increase muscle size & strength; increase libido
Insulin Pancreas Utilize glucose, metabolize fat
Epinephrine Adrenal “Adrenaline” –promotes fight or flight response
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Environmental Concerns
• Heat
• Humidity
• Altitude
• Cold
• Pollution
• General Guidelines: Longer warm up & cool down
Proper dress
Watch HR response
Adaptation in 10-14 days
Ensure proper hydration
For Discussion
• Your client is experiencing a spike in a hormone that causes the body to increase belly fat while decreasing muscle mass. This client’s ___________ level is probably too high:
A) Insulin
B) Testosterone
C) Cortisol
D) Growth hormone
For Discussion
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For Discussion
For Discussion
Muscle tissue is comprised mainly of:
A. Protein
B. Collagen
C. Calcium
D. Water
For Discussion
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For Discussion
For Discussion
• While consulting with a new client she expressed concern over strength training because she does not want to “bulk up” like a man. You explain that physiologically women are not able gain muscle mass like men because they lack sufficient:
A) CortisolB) InsulinC) Parathyroid hormoneD) Testosterone
For Discussion
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For Discussion
For Discussion
Hypertrophy is NOT the result of which
of the following?A. An increase in the cross-sectional areaB. An increase in the number of muscle fibersC. An increase in the size of the muscle fibersD. An increase in the size of actin and myosin filaments
For Discussion
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For Discussion
For Discussion
Your client increased his strength by 50%during the first 8 weeks of training. Thesestrength gains are due primarily to:
A. An increase in the cross sectionalarea of the muscle
B. HyperplasiaC. Neurological improvementsD. Hypertrophy
For Discussion
Which of the following activities would
be BEST suited for a client who has 70%
slow twitch fibers and 30% fast twitch fibers?
A. Power lifting
B. Distance cycling
C. Sprinting
D. Strength training
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For Discussion
For Discussion
Slow twitch muscle fibers are best
suited for:
A. Strength activities
B. Endurance activities
C. Power lifting
D. Plyometrics
For Discussion
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For Discussion