Free Practice Questions for NASM CPT Exam

During an overhead squat assessment, an excessive anterior pelvic tilt often indicates an overactive/shortened hip flexor complex, erector spinae, and latissimus dorsi. The NASM CPT7 Study Guide explains that altered length–tension relationships occur “when a muscle’s resting length is too short or too long, reducing the amount of force it can produce” and that muscle imbalance around the LPHC can affect posture and movement efficiency.

The latissimus dorsi, in particular, crosses the lumbopelvic region and, when shortened, can increase lumbar extension and anterior pelvic tilt during movements like the overhead squat. This happens because the lats attach to the thoracolumbar fascia and pelvis, pulling the pelvis into an anterior rotation when overactive. NASM’s movement assessment guidelines identify the lats as a common overactive muscle contributing to excessive lumbar extension and anterior tilt in squat patterns.

Conversely, muscles like the transverse abdominis act as stabilizers to resist this tilt, while hamstrings (including biceps femoris) often present as lengthened in this compensation pattern. The piriformis is typically associated with hip external rotation issues, not directly anterior tilt. Therefore, among the listed options, the latissimus dorsi is the key shortened muscle contributing to excessive anterior pelvic tilt in the overhead squat assessment.

The NASM CPT7 Study Guide defines a force-couple relationship as the coordinated action of multiple muscles working together to produce movement around a joint. This occurs when muscles pull in different directions to produce the same rotary motion. For example, during an upward rotation of the scapula, the upper trapezius, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior work together in a force couple. This coordination is essential for efficient movement patterns and injury prevention.

The NASM CPT7 Study Guide identifies marching as a suitable core progression from a static plank. Once a client can hold a plank with proper form, progression involves adding dynamic movements that challenge stability further. Marching requires alternately lifting each foot off the ground while maintaining plank alignment, which increases core engagement by adding an anti-rotational component and shifting the center of gravity. This type of progression maintains the isometric trunk stability goal while increasing neuromuscular demand .

When spotting a dumbbell chest press, NASM recommends placing the hands at the client’s wrists to help control the path of the dumbbells without restricting elbow movement.

Spotting at the elbows or forearms offers less stability and could allow the weight to drift into unsafe positions. Holding the dumbbells directly can disrupt the client’s grip and balance. By spotting at the wrists, the trainer can assist only as much as needed while allowing the client to maintain proper form.

The NASM CPT7 Study Guide describes the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) as the body’s three-stage response to stressors such as exercise:

Alarm reaction – The initial response to a new stressor, where the body experiences delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), neural activation changes, and temporary performance reduction.

Resistance development – The body adapts to the stimulus, improving performance and efficiency.

Exhaustion – Overtraining or excessive stress without adequate recovery leads to performance decline and potential injury.

The alarm reaction stage is the immediate physiological response after introducing a new or intense activity, involving increased neural recruitment and tissue stress. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Alarm reaction.

For weight loss and body composition improvements, hydration is a critical nutritional factor. NASM’s nutrition guidelines emphasize that general population fluid recommendations are about 2.7 L/day for women and 3.7 L/day for men. Proper hydration supports metabolic efficiency, appetite regulation, exercise performance, and recovery—all essential for effective weight loss. While some diets focus on carbohydrate or fat manipulation, NASM stresses that weight loss fundamentally depends on energy balance and meeting physiological needs, which include adequate water intake. Extreme restrictions such as only two meals per day are not necessary or recommended for sustainable fat loss. Staying hydrated also helps maintain training intensity, which further supports caloric expenditure and fat loss.

If a client’s lower back arches during the Overhead Squat Assessment, this indicates excessive lumbar extension and an anterior pelvic tilt, often due to overactive hip flexors and erector spinae, and underactive core stabilizers—especially the transverse abdominis. NASM identifies the transverse abdominis, internal obliques, and multifidus as key local stabilization system muscles that contract isometrically to stabilize the LPHC during movement. Weakness in the transverse abdominis allows the pelvis to tilt forward and the lumbar spine to overextend, which appears as an arch in the lower back. Strengthening this deep abdominal muscle helps maintain a neutral spine under load.

The NASM CPT7 Study Guide emphasizes progression and regression strategies to match exercises to a client’s current ability, ensuring proper form, safety, and confidence building. When a client struggles with a push-up on a stability ball, it typically means the instability challenge is too high, making it difficult to maintain core control and upper body strength simultaneously. NASM explains that regression “reduces the complexity or intensity of an exercise to allow the client to perform the movement pattern with proper alignment and control”.

Performing a floor push-up provides a more stable surface, reduces instability demands, and allows the client to focus on proper alignment (neutral spine, controlled tempo, full range of motion). Once they master this, the trainer can gradually progress back to unstable surfaces for additional core activation.

By contrast, elevating the feet increases difficulty, plyometric push-ups add explosive demands, and switching to a medicine ball chest pass changes the exercise entirely from a stability strength movement to a power drill. Therefore, the correct regression in this scenario—aligned with NASM’s progressive training principles—is to move the client to a floor push-up before reintroducing instability.

The Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) method, also called the Karvonen formula, uses both a client’s predicted maximal heart rate and their resting heart rate to determine appropriate training intensities. The NASM CPT7 Study Guide notes that this method accounts for individual differences in resting heart rate, providing a more personalized target zone than the Peak Maximal Heart Rate (MHR) method, which uses only age-predicted maximum. The formula is:

Target HR = [(HRmax − HRrest) × %Intensity] + HRrest.