NSCA Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning Chapter 1 Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering body systems, muscular contraction, fiber types, cardiorespiratory function, and exercise responses based on Chapter 1 of NSCA Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning (5th ed.).

Axial Skeleton

The division of the skeleton consisting of the skull, vertebral column (C1 through coccyx), ribs, and sternum.

Appendicular Skeleton

The division of the skeleton consisting of the shoulder/pectoral girdle, arms, wrists, hands, pelvic girdle, legs, ankles, and feet.

Epimysium

The connective tissue layer that surrounds the entire skeletal muscle.

Perimysium

The connective tissue layer that surrounds groups of muscle fibers called fasciculi.

Endomysium

The connective tissue layer that surrounds each individual muscle fiber.

Sarcomere

The smallest contractile unit of skeletal muscle, delimited by Z-lines.

Actin

The thin myofilament within a muscle fiber.

Myosin

The thick myofilament within a muscle fiber.

A-band

The dark portion of a sarcomere associated with the alignment of myosin.

I-band

The light region of a sarcomere containing actin only.

H-zone

The central area of a sarcomere containing myosin only.

Z-line

The structural boundary running through the I-band of a sarcomere that is pulled inward during contraction.

Sliding-Filament Theory

The theory stating that actin filaments slide inward over myosin filaments, shortening the muscle fiber.

All-or-None Principle

The principle stating that all fibers in a motor unit contract and develop force together when sufficiently stimulated.

Motor Unit

A unit consisting of one motor neuron plus all the muscle fibers innervated by its axon.

Type I Muscle Fiber

A small, slow-twitch muscle fiber characterized by high fatigue resistance, high endurance, red color, and high aerobic enzyme content.

Type IIa Muscle Fiber

A fast-twitch muscle fiber characterized by intermediate force, endurance, and fatigue resistance, possessing mixed aerobic and anaerobic qualities.

Type IIx Muscle Fiber

A large, fast-twitch muscle fiber characterized by high force and power output, low fatigue resistance, low endurance, and white color.

Muscle Spindle

A proprioceptor that detects muscle stretch and sends sensory signals to the spinal cord to trigger muscle contraction.

Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO)

A proprioceptor located in the tendon near the myotendinous junction that responds to increasing tension by signaling a reduction in muscle tension.

Sinoatrial (SA) Node

The intrinsic pacemaker of the heart where rhythmic electrical impulses normally originate.

Atrioventricular (AV) Node

The structure in the cardiac conduction system that delays the electrical impulse before it passes into the ventricles.

Purkinje Fibers

Conduction fibers that distribute the electrical impulse rapidly throughout the ventricles.

P Wave

The ECG waveform representing atrial depolarization and atrial contraction.

QRS Complex

The ECG waveform complex representing ventricular depolarization.

T Wave

The ECG waveform representing ventricular recovery or repolarization.

Bradycardia

A resting heart rate of less than $60\,\text{BPM}$.

Tachycardia

A resting heart rate of greater than $100\,\text{BPM}$.

Hemoglobin

An iron-protein molecule carried by red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to tissues.

Alveoli

Microscopic structures in the lungs where respiratory gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) are exchanged.

Anatomical Dead Space

Respiratory air-passages (nose, mouth, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles) that hold air but do not participate in gas exchange.

Physiological Dead Space

Alveolar spaces where gas exchange is impaired due to poor ventilation or blood flow problems.

Tidal Volume

The amount of air inhaled or exhaled per breath.

Minute Ventilation

The total volume of air breathed per minute.

Cardiac Output ($Q$)

The volume of blood pumped per minute, calculated as stroke volume times heart rate ($Q = \text{SV} \times \text{HR}$).

Stroke Volume

The amount of blood ejected by a ventricle per beat.

Double Product

An index of myocardial workload calculated as heart rate multiplied by systolic blood pressure ($\text{HR} \times \text{SBP}$).

MET

A measure of metabolic rate where resting oxygen uptake is estimated at $3.5\,\text{mL O}_2/\text{kg/min}$.

Systole

The contraction and blood-ejection phase of the cardiac cycle.

Diastole

The relaxation and blood-filling phase of the cardiac cycle.