Exercise Physiology FINAL EXAM #Uark

EXSC 31503-002 - EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY (2026_SPRING_EXSC_31503_SEC002) --- Megan Rosa-Caldwell

Which byproduct of glycolysis enters mitochondria for aerobic metabolism?

Pyruvate

As exercise intensity increases circulating catecholamine levels:

Increase

How many NADH are produced per glucose during glycolysis?

2

How many ATP are produced per glucose during glycolysis?

2

Which population most clearly requires a positive nitrogen balance?

Growing children & pregnant women

Which process determines aerobic vs anaerobic glycolysis?

Oxygen availability

Insulin is primarily secreted by which cells?

Beta cells of the pancreas

Gluconeogenesis is best described as the process of:

Creating glucose from other carbon sources not glycogen

Which phase of glycolysis requires ATP input?

Investment phase

Where is ATP synthase located?

Inner mitochondrial membrane

Ghrelin release serves which primary physiological function?

Stimulating hunger

Glycogenolysis primarily serves which physiological purpose?

Glucose formation from glycogen (glycogen → glucose)

Lactate production increases primarily due to:

Insufficient oxygen at the ETC (electron transport chain)

Ghrelin differs from leptin in that it is primarily produced by the:

Stomach

Leptin is produced by the:

Adipose tissue

Recovery is essential because:

Exercise is catabolic

First adaptation to resistance training?

Neural efficiency

Muscle hypertrophy occurs via:

Fiber enlargement

Satellite cells contribute by:

Donating nuclei

Myonuclear domain refers to:

Cytoplasm per nucleus

mTOR activation requires

Insulin & amino acids & resistance exercise

Essential amino acids:

Must be consumed

Resistance training benefits bone by:

Improving BMD (bone mineral density)

Progressive overload means:

Continually increasing demand

Which fascial layer surrounds individual muscle fibers?

Endomysium

Which proteins are directly responsible for generating muscle force?

Actin and myosin

Which protein is primarily responsible for covering the myosin‑binding site on actin at rest?

Tropomyosin

A defining feature of muscle contraction is the movement of:

Z-lines moving closer together

The sarcoplasmic reticulum is critically important because it:

Stores and releases calcium

A muscle “triad” consists of:

2 terminal cisternae and 1 T-tubule

Which protein helps maintain sarcomere structure and contributes to passive tension and eccentric force?

Titin

ATP is required during muscle contraction primarily to:

Release myosin from actin

What neurotransmitter initiates the muscle action potential at the neuromuscular junction?

Acetylcholine

Increasing muscle force during a voluntary contraction can be achieved by:

Increasing motor unit firing frequency or recruiting more motor units

According to the length–tension relationship maximal force is produced when a muscle:

Has optimal actin-myosin overlap

A muscle primarily responsible for maintaining posture is most likely rich in:

Slow fatigue resistant fibers

Tidal volume during rest typically represents approximately what percentage of vital capacity?

40-50%

Residual lung volume is important because it:

Prevents alveolar collapse at rest

Vital capacity (FVC) represents:

The maximum air that can be forcefully inhaled and exhaled

Why does tidal volume increase with the onset of exercise?

To meet increased metabolic demand

Anatomical and physiological dead space refers to air that:

Does not participate in gas exchange

Minute ventilation (V̇E) is calculated as:

Tidal volume x breathing frequency

During moderate to heavy exercise maximal tidal volume typically reaches:

About 40-60% vital capacity

FEV₁ measures:

Amount of air forcefully exhaled in one second

In a healthy individual approximately what percentage of FVC should be exhaled in the first second (FEV₁/FVC)?

80%

Obstructive pulmonary diseases are characterized primarily by:

Difficulty moving air through the conducting airways

In obstructive pulmonary disease FEV₁ relative to FVC is typically:

Decreased

Restrictive pulmonary diseases primarily impair

Lung expansion and volume

A restrictive pulmonary disease pattern typically shows:

Reduced FVC with normal or high FEV₁/FVC ratio

Height is a strong predictor of MVV because it relates to:

Chest cavity size

Over long-term endurance training pulmonary function in healthy individuals:

Remains largely unchanged

The primary driving force for oxygen movement from the alveoli into the blood is:

Partial pressure gradients

Which statement best describes venous blood returning to the lungs?

Low oxygen

Why does breathing additional oxygen usually NOT enhance performance in healthy individuals?

Hemoglobin is already nearly fully saturated

Oxygen binds to hemoglobin specifically through:

Iron

Which condition would most strongly reduce oxyhemoglobin binding during exercise?

Increased blood acidity

Increasing body temperature during exercise generally causes hemoglobin to:

Bind oxygen LESS tightly

Prolonged mechanical ventilation can impair breathing after removal because it causes:

Diaphragm muscle atrophy

The Valsalva maneuver involves:

Bearing down with a closed glottis

The cardiovascular system is best described functionally as:

A high pressure distribution system

Arterial blood is generally characterized by:

High pressure high oxygen content

Stroke volume is defined as the:

Blood volume ejected per heartbeat

Which heart chambers actively generate the pressure needed to move blood out of the heart?

The ventricles

Cardiac muscle differs from skeletal muscle because it:

Contains intercalated discs

Orthostatic hypotension (fainting) occurs due to:

Sudden reduced cerebral blood flow

During systole

the heart is primarily:

Diastole is characterized by:

Passive filling of the ventricles

The skeletal muscle pump helps venous return primarily by:

Compressing veins during muscle contraction

Which cardiovascular variable increases early during exercise and then plateaus around ~50% VO₂max?

Stroke volume

After stroke volume has plateaued further increases in cardiac output are driven mainly by:

Increased heart rate

Maximum heart rate is most strongly determined by:

Age

The Frank–Starling mechanism describes:

Greater ventricular stretch leading to greater force of contraction

With endurance training

A‑vO₂ difference at a given intensity typically:

Blood flow is redistributed during exercise primarily toward:

Skeletal muscle

Which branch of the autonomic nervous system primarily drives the cardiovascular response at the onset of exercise?

Sympathetic

Which is a common criterion for determining VO₂max has been achieved?

RER ≥ 1.15

Why can beta‑blocker medications reduce the accuracy of submaximal VO₂ tests?

Artificially lower heart rate (blunt heart rate response)

The QRS complex on an ECG represents:

Ventricular depolarization

Cardiac output (CO) is defined as:

Heart rate x stroke volume

The primary control center for body temperature regulation is the:

Hypothalamus

Which mode of heat transfer is MOST influenced by wind speed?

Convection

Which mode of heat transfer involves heat exchange between objects that are not directly touching?

Radiation (like the sun)

Convection refers to heat transfer via:

A moving fluid such as air or water

Which heat loss mechanism is the MOST important for preventing excessive heat during exercise?

Evaporation

High humidity impairs thermoregulation during exercise primarily because it:

Decreases evaporation of sweat

Why does exercise performance decline as environmental temperature increases?

Blood is shunted toward the skin instead of muscles

Older adults are more susceptible to heat illness because they generally:

Initiate sweating later and less effectively

Hydration alone is sufficient to completely prevent heat stroke true or false?

False

Which condition BEST distinguishes heat stroke from heat exhaustion?

Core body temperature ≥ 40.5°C with cognitive symptoms

Heat exhaustion is characterized by:

Decreased performance without cognitive dysfunction

The FIRST‑LINE treatment for suspected exertional heat stroke is:

Cold-water immersion

Heat acclimatization typically occurs over approximately:

10-14 days

A key physiological adaptation that occurs with heat acclimatization is:

Earlier onset of sweating with less salty sweat

Why are football athletes at especially high risk for heat illness?

Equipment that restricts evaporative heat loss

Wet‑bulb globe temperature (WBGT) incorporates which of the following:

Air temperature & Humidity & Wind speed

Dehydration negatively affects endurance performance primarily by:

Reducing blood volume and stroke volume

Compared to heat

the human body’s ability to adapt to cold environments is:

“Cool first transport second” is recommended during exertional heat stroke because:

Rapid cooling improves survival

Which mode of heat transfer requires direct physical contact between two surfaces?

Conduction