Scientific Core Conditioning Exam

Which region of the abdominals is generally strongest in most individuals ?

A positive (as used by the medical community) Forward Flexion Activation Test would be_______.

During the Lower Abdominal Strength Test, if the low back rises when the legs form a 15 angle to the floor, this indicates a strength grade of_______.

The Wall Standing Test for determining lumbar curvature is positive (as used by the medical community) when the thickest part of the client’s hand_______.

When performing the Squat Test with little or no weight, you can determine whether or not the stabilizer mechanism is weak if the_______is activated.

When performing the Lower Abdominal Coordination Test, if your client’s spine begins to arch before the feet touch the floor, this indicates that_______.

With posterior rotation of the pelvis, what trunk muscles are the prime movers?

During the Cervical Flexion Activation Test, which muscle(s) will you see activated if the tester overpowers the cranium causing the head to posteriorly rotate?

How much of their respiratory volume do chest breathers get?

During the Forward Flexion Activation Test, why are the fingers placed above and below the spinous process of L3?

What muscles are postural antagonists to the sternocleidomastoid (SCM)?

When administering the Lower Abdominal Coordination Test, the psoas muscle will be dominant if the lower abdominal musculature cannot stabilize the pelvis.

TVA activation can be assessed with a Blood Pressure cuff placed under the lumbar spine.

Core deficiencies increase an individual’s risk for lower extremity injuries.

Janda’s Upper Abdominal Strength Test is more accurate than the Kendall Sit-up Test because_______.

What test would you use first to assess the strength of the Transversus Abdominis?

Which exercise should you or your client start off with when learning how to activate the TVA?

A safe and effective way to double the range of motion of the crunch exercise and maintain extension in the thoracic spine is to_______.

The “stabilization threshold” is defined as_______.

Why is it important to test lower abdominal strength and coordination?

Why is it important to have the tongue in the physiological rest position?

Why is it important to keep the spine in neutral during the four point kneeling tummy vacuum?

Why is it important to breathe through pursed lips, while lifting a weight through the sticking point of any lift?

What is a negative effect of supporting one’s head during crunches?

Assume you are performing the Oblique Muscle Balance Test and your client is lying over a Swiss ball on his right side. When the client side flexes, he rotates to his right. What type of imbalance does this indicate?

Which actions indicate a negative finding (as used by the medical community) for the Forward Flexion Activation Test ?

When should the Lower Abdominal Strength Test not be performed and instead be replaced by the Lower Abdominal Coordination Test?

Which of the following are typical ways a client can cheat during the Blood Pressure TVA Strength Test?

Why is it important to test both the eccentric and concentric movements during the Lower Abdominal Strength and Coordination Tests?

During the TVA Strength Test, what constitutes normal TVA strength?

The sooner a client reaches the “stabilization threshold” the better they are able to stabilize.

When the umbilicus pushes out during the Forward Flexion Activation Test, this indicates that _______.

The abdominal muscles are _______.

Strength development of the abdominal muscles can be done daily because the abdominal musculature repairs itself faster than any other muscle in the body.

At what level should a Blood Pressure cuff be placed when performing any of the lower abdominal exercises?

When doing lower abdominal #4, use of the psoas will cause_______.

Fully flexing the hips has what kind of effect on the psoas?

A full contraction of the abdominal musculature during the crunch exercise performed from the floor will flex the torso to approximately_______.

When performing the reverse crunch, the concentric movement cycle of the abdominal muscles involved is completed when_______.

Which of the following muscles are parts of the Inner Unit?

When walking up stairs, the Lateral System stabilizes the spine in which plane?

Exercises for the internal and external oblique musculature commonly require a rotary component of trunk motion. This has been shown to increase the likelihood of _______.
NOTE: This is most common in the standing and/or seated positions, with the likelihood of injury increasing in proportion to the load on the spine.

Pulling hard on the neck while doing abdominal crunch exercises or sit-ups can_______.

The end of the concentric phase of the cross-crunch exercise is when_______.

If you are sore when you begin your next abdominal workout and you feel you cannot complete your required number of reps and or sets, you should_______.

When setting up an abdominal program for yourself or someone else, it is not advisable to recommend an exact number of repetitions because_______.

What is the main fault with the Ab Roller device?

Which exercise(s) must a client master before attempting hanging leg raises?

What technique modification is most likely to eliminate pulling on the head during safe and effective crunch and sit-up type exercises?

At what point in a workout do you recommend performing abdominal exercises?

If you were developing an abdominal conditioning class or segment of a class, what region of the abdominal wall would you exercise first, second and last?

What are common postural changes in people who regularly perform crunch or sit-up type exercises without properly balancing these flexion exercises with extension exercises?

Traditional abdominal exercises that target the rectus abdominis, external obliques and psoas are effective in improving back stabilization.

Phasic muscles react to faulty loading by becoming_______ and_______.

The Anterior Oblique System is comprised of a working relationship between_______and _______.

A Trendelenburg Sign is best defined as_______.

What muscles make up the lateral system?

What role does the Posterior Oblique System play in the propulsion phase of gait?

The main function of the Outer Unit is to provide joint stiffness.

Which of the following exercises are effective for training Inner Unit muscles?

The best exercise to train the Anterior Oblique System is the_______.

Acceleration, deceleration and multi-directional changes put demands on primarily which system?

The Superman exercise targets the muscles of primarily which system?

There are_______muscular layers in the abdominal wall.

The most superficial abdominal muscles are the_______and the_______.

The rectus abdominis can flex the trunk and_______.

The_______ is the largest muscle in the abdominal region.

Left rotation of the trunk with the lower body anchored, such as throwing a ball with the right arm, is accomplished by the synergistic function of the_______.

The psoas muscles are _______.

The quadratus lumborum is the _______ and is_______.

Side sit-ups may aggravate any pre-existing condition in the quadratus lumborum.

Poor tongue positioning during abdominal exercises may lead to strain of the deep cervical flexors and/or over development of the sternocleidomastoid muscles.

A common result of shortened cervical flexors is _______.

When assessing posture from the side, what point is used as the primary reference?

Anterior pelvic tilt causes _______.

Improper strength and conditioning techniques for the abdominal musculature can cause_______.

A long term postural change associated with increased postural curvatures is_______.

A loss of agility, spinal mobility and a decreased sense of balance may be associated with_______.

Which of the following are short term (hours to weeks) implications of poor training technique with abdominal exercise?

Which of the following are long term (months) implications of abdominal training with poor technique?

Aside from respiration, what is the main function of the transversus abdominis?

The external oblique is a contralateral rotator_______.

When performing trunk flexion exercises against gravity, it is best to_______to protect the neck.

At 90% of lumbar flexion, the body switches from_______support to_______support.

What force-couple relationship is involved in supporting the sacroiliac joints?

Sacroiliac joint pain is often the result of_______.

What is the long term effect on the abdominal wall from wearing a weight belt?

The external oblique is an ipsilateral rotator when_______.

The intra-abdominal pressure mechanism alleviates between_______and_______of the load in the lumbar spine at the L4 and L5 levels.

Which back muscle may be a flexor of the spine?

The Fitter™ helps to develop_______.

Most Fitter™ exercises are performed_______.

Surfing uses primarily which reflex?

What modification could be made to a Swiss ball exercise to make it one that trains righting reflexes?

When should a client discontinue performing a high-performance core exercise?

Chop pattern exercises_______.

All of the following variables increase core demand except_______.

What abilities does Paul recommend you or your client possess prior to attempting the exercises in High Performance Core Conditioning ?

Which exercises are predominantly transverse plane exercises?

_______ plane dominant exercises are ideal for training a swimmer.

Sit-ups are the ideal abdominal exercise to train baseball pitchers.

What sport would sit-ups be well suited for?

Kneeling on a Swiss ball is an example of_______reflexes.

Training on a Swiss ball primarily trains the righting reflexes.

Which of the following increases core demand for a firefighter?

The difference between skill and ability is that skill is something you are born with and ability is something you develop.

What must someone be able to do in order to perform the reverse wood chop properly?

According to the DVD, what weight distribution shift is recommended during the explosive wood chop exercise?

The prone ball roll works in which plane(s)?

While performing the integrated hanging leg raise, what does an excess lumbar lordosis indicate prior to hip flexion?

What sport would the drop and recover be best for?

What muscles aid in flexion when the tongue is placed on the roof of the mouth during exercises where the head is being pulled posteriorly against gravity?

Which exercise best trains the hip flexors for quick movement?

When setting up for the Swiss ball crunch, which two parts of the body should be touching the ball?

While performing the weighted Swiss ball crunch, how much weight should be anchoring the feet to the floor?

To isloate the lower abdominals when performing the hanging leg raise, you must_______.

How can the bilateral push be made into a transverse plane movement?