The investigation stage occurs between the rapport stage and planning stage, and is typically when a trainer will ask a client to fill out a health-history or lifestyle questionnaire.

When you are first meeting a client and verbal and non-verbal communication are extremely important to consider, you are in the rapport stage.

This is an example of gathering information, which you should do before the planning stage. This is part of the investigation stage.

Submax cycle ergometer testing is a form of graded exercise test and not able to assess body composition, height, or weight. It is typically used to predict values of physiological variables at maximal exercise, like VO2max. VO2max is the greatest amount of oxygen an individual can consume per minute.

It is considered best to test a client's static posture after taking resting measures but before getting into training.

A person in the preparation phase may be somewhat sporadic in their activity level, but is ready to make the change to a healthy lifestyle.

In the precontemplation phase people are beginning to understand the implications of being inactive, but are not quite ready to commit to a change yet.

Given the individual has 2 or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but is asymptomatic with no past history of cardiovascular disease, he is placed in the moderate category. If an individual has less than 2 risk factors they will be placed in the low risk category. If they are symptomatic or have a history of cardiovascular disease they are placed in the high category. The very high category does not exist.

Psychological mood is not measured in a physiologic assessment given it is a psychometric variable. However, resting vital signs (such as heart rate and blood pressure) as well as joint flexibility are measured.

Given physiologic assessments consist of measuring vital signs, environmental factors that influence the body's hemodynamics should be taken into account. Time of day would not inherently affect this, however temperature may. If ambient temperature is much higher than core body temperature (96 degrees Fahrenheit) then heart rate among other measures will be affected. 80 degrees Fahrenheit is close enough to core body temperature that it would not meaningfully influence physiology in a way that confounds the assessment.

The pulmonary artery is a deep artery and cannot be palpated manually. The other three are superficial and can thus be felt and measured by the hands.

The only method of feedback listed is the Borg scale. This scale is used to measure the perceived difficulty of exercises and can help gauge relative intensity of movements. This is important to cover with a client during the initial interview because it is an informative feedback tool. The Naughton protocol is designed for GXT performance. The Duke Nomogram is a normative rating scale for physiological parameters that predicts morbidity. The Karvonen method is a method of predicting max heart rate based on age.

Based on study of client-feedback, the most important aspect of a good first impression consisted of a trainer listening and being genuinely interested in what they had to say.

Tone of voice, facial expressions and body language can all effect how a client views and hears you, regardless of what you are saying.

Paraphrasing is a great way to show the client that you are listening as well as to make sure you are hearing what they are saying correctly.

Any question that requires an answer other than "yes" or "no" is an open-ended question and keeps the conversation going.

Adding resistance is the next step in strength increase. This will produce significant results in lower body strength as opposed to increasing repetitions.

Static stretches should not be performed before or during a workout given they inhibit the myotatic reflex and reduce performance. Performing static stretches post workout when muscles are warm will allow flexibility to increase without compromising workout quality.

When sequencing movements in a resistance training program, compound multi joint movements should be performed before single joint movements. Both the barbell biceps curl and barbell lying triceps extension are single joint movements for the upper body, meaning they should not be performed first. The barbell back squat is a lower body movement meaning it should not be performed on this training day. The only listed compound upper body movement is the barbell bench press.

The face pull and barbell bent over row involve training the rhomboids and rear deltoids, among other upper back muscles. The barbell high pull is driven by the upper trapezius, which is a muscle of the upper back. The seated machine back extension is driven by the erector spinae and other lower back muscles, with none of its agonists being anatomically located on the upper back.

Training with heavy or high work-loads and low reps will primarily help increase muscular strength, and not facilitate much change in body composition. Similarly, aerobic training can help increase total daily energy expenditure making fat loss easier, but it is not the best choice given it does not promote an improvement in body composition through increasing fat free mass. Circuit training both promotes hypertrophy and increases total daily energy expenditure, helping improve body composition in multiple ways and making it the best choice.

According to prescription guidelines, this is the ideal range for this type of client to build muscle and is the best of the options listed. The client being female does not impact prescription recommendations.

To increase multiple effort power, 3-5 reps should be performed. 1-2 reps only improve single effort power, and sets of 6 or greater are not associated with increases in power.

According to prescription guidelines, rest periods for muscular endurance training programs should be kept under 30 seconds.

As a trainer you should always explain how to perform the exercise and show your client how it should look before they perform it. You should also allow them to try it immediately after, while you are with them.

A person exercising for the purpose of general fitness should rest for 30-90 seconds in between sets of a resistance exercise.

When training for muscular endurance, a rest interval of less than 30 seconds in between sets of resistance exercise is optimal.

When training for muscular strength or power a person should rest for a good 2-5 minutes between sets of resistance exercise.

A sequence of controlled shoulder movements with one arm raised an inch off the ground is an appropriate beginning exercise for core stability.

An athlete with advanced skill like James should train no less than 4 times a week and can train up to 7 if done properly.

While it is recommended to wait 48 hours in between general resistance training sessions, when training at a workload as high as 80-90% of a client's 1RM it is recommended to wait 72 hours before working the muscle group again.

All of these variables fall within the FITT-VP designation.

According to progression guidelines, 5% is the standard amount. Progressing slower is not necessary and progressing faster will lead to stalling very quickly.

As a trainee adapts, they can expect to encounter diminishing returns. The amount of muscular hypertrophy and overall adaptation that occurs due to training will lessen the more adapted an individual is. Trainees will adapt much more during their first 6 months of training than they will 2-3 years into training.

These are the three levels of a periodized program. The other terms do not exist. A periodized program is an exercise program designed in a systematic way with pre-planned progressive variation to optimally facilitate chronic adaptations to resistance training.

One week is typically the duration of a microcycle, and one month is typically the duration of a mesocycle. A macrocycle, the entire duration of a program, can last several months or longer.

Heart training is not a phase of the ACE integrated training model nor is it a phase in any other well-known reputable training model. Stability and mobility training emphasizes minimizing muscular imbalances and postural deviations. Movement training focuses on dynamic range of motion and familiarization with motor patterns. Load training introduces higher intensity resistance training to stimulate chronic muscular adaptations.

This is the prescription parameter for individuals with type II diabetes. When working with a special population, it is important to prioritize prescription parameters for that specific population over general prescription guidelines.

ACE personal trainers need to stay within their scope of practice, which includes helping a client set goals, in order to keep the client safe and avoid legal issues.

Teaching self-massage is a hands-free way to help a client reduce muscle soreness, thus staying within the ACE personal trainer's scope of practice.

An ACE certified personal trainer must complete 20 hours of continuing education study in a two year time period to keep one's certification active.

A person suffering from inflammation will experience decreased range of motion at that joint due to swelling.

While some conditions may pose slight concern and require extra consideration while stretching, a healing fracture site should never be stretched, no matter what.

An informed Consent form notifies the participant of the risk of injury associated with exercise.

When spotting a dumbell movement, it is important to spot at the joint most proximal to the dumbbell which is the wrist. It is a very common mistake for newer trainers to spot at the elbows, but this is dangerous.

When spotting, it is important to not put hands on the barbell unless the client is about to fail the movement or is at immediate risk. By guiding the barbell with your hands, you interfere with the client's movement pattern and interfere with their proprioception of the movement so this should be avoided.

Even if you are working entirely within your scope of practice and take all of the necessary precautions when working with a client, accidents still do happen. They are rare, but in the case that something does occur, it is best to purchase liability insurance for your own protection. If a client injures themselves during an exercise, they are likely to blame their trainer and liability insurance provides needed security. Most facilities require that trainers purchase their own individual liability insurance before beginning employment. However general insurance will not protect most personal trainers if a client gets hurt in the gym. While health insurance is beneficial in general, it is not as useful as liability insurance.

Incrementing is not a method of managing risk. The other three options are all strategies for managing risk and are appropriate for different situations. Avoiding risk means minimizing or removing it from an environment. This can easily be done by purchasing and maintaining high quality equipment for your facility, and ensuring clients are always supervised when exercising. Risk reduction typically reduces the frequency of losses and having regular safety inspections can facilitate this. Transferring risk means to shift pure risk from one group (typically yourself) to another (typically an insurance company).

This is the definition of an umbrella liability policy. The other options are not the definition. Umbrella policies can cover numerous things, however both body and property insurance are commonly included in umbrella plans for personal trainers. If a client injures themselves performing a heavy barbell back squat by suddenly dropping the bar, they will likely incur bodily damage and potentially damage the barbell, the floor of your facility or the rack.

Both bulimia and anorexia are common eating disorders that certified personal trainers may encounter in their profession. It is not within a personal trainer's scope of practice to treat either disorder. Registered Dieticians, not personal trainers, are trained to prescribe dietary plans to treat and manage medical or health conditions. It is common for trainers to forget this and begin prescribing diets based on the limited amount of nutritional knowledge they possess. Do not make this mistake.