- SMR – Excessive pressure may cause varicose veins to rupture – don’t put direct pressure on varicose veins. SMR may be problematic for those with high blood pressure. Poor circulation with diabetes may lead to inability of the body to break up waste flushed from adhesions and knots. Pressure points in the calf and adductor may induce contractions in pregnancy. For the test know which muscle groups are inhibited by each exercise. It’s really quite obvious – quadriceps are inhibited by SMR quadriceps, adductors by SMR adductors, etc. Look over all the SMR exercises.
- Static Stretching pg. 539 – Hold for 20-60 seconds. Only perform on muscles that have been identified as overactive in the overhead squat assessment. Do not perform with joint instability. Do not perform if disease is affecting the tissues being stretched. Do not perform in an area of acute injury. Do not take a joint beyond its normal range of motion. Take precautions with conditions such as osteoporosis. Avoid aggressive stretching. Do not stretch muscles that have swelling and inflammation. Again take a look at the stretching exercises. Know which muscle groups each one stretches and the general idea of how to perform it.
- Active-Isolated Stretching pg. 546 – Take the stretch to the first point of tension, hold for 1-2 seconds, repeat for 5-10 reps per set. They’re good for warm-up, as long as no postural distortions are present. If movement compensations are present use active isolated stretching after SMR and static stretching the overactive muscles. Do not perform with joint instability. Do not perform with diseases affecting the tissues being stretched. Do not perform in an area of acute injury. Do not take a joint beyond its normal range of motion. Take precautions with conditions such as osteoporosis. Avoid aggressive stretching. Do not stretch muscles that have swelling and inflammation. Again take a look at the stretching exercises. Know which muscle groups each one stretches and the general idea of how to perform it.
- Dynamic Stretching pg. 553 – smooth controlled speed to simulate normal movement. Up to 10 reps per set. If imbalances are present perform SMR and static stretching prior to dynamic stretching. Chosen exercise should complement the daily training session. No movement dysfunction should be apparent when using dynamic flexibility. Read over the dynamic stretching exercises, pay special attention to the kinetic chain checkpoints – they like to test over these. Most should be familiar and easy to remember.
- Resistance Training pg. 564 – In general the areas NASM likes to test over here are: progressions and regressions, common form mistakes, and kinetic chain checkpoints. I’ll highlight the main exercises that most commonly appear on the test. It’s good to read through this whole section as it’s good practical knowledge for training and will better prepare you for the test. For almost every movement you’ll want: feet pointing straight ahead, knees aligned with feet, no rounding of the lower back, cervical spine in line, and for many prone exercises you’ll want alignment in ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders.
- Prone Iso Abs pg. 565 – Progression: single-leg front plank. Regression: Quadruped drawing in, quadruped arm and opposite leg raise. Mistakes: arching or rounding of the back, elevating shoulders, head falling or cervical spine extension. Kinetic chain checkpoints: ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders aligned. Elbows bent, but static.
- Floor Bridge pg. 568 – Progression: single-leg floor bridge. Regression: supine marching. Mistakes: raising hips too far off the floor and hyperextending the lower back. Performing the movement too quickly and not holding to stabilize. Checkpoints: feet pointed straight ahead and flat on the floor, knees hip to shoulder width apart and above heels. Shoulder flat and relaxed on the floor. Head rested on the floor with chin tucked to maintain cervical alignment.
- Push-Up with Plus pg. 576 – Progressions: stability ball push-up with plus. Suspension push-up with plus. Regressions: cable chest press with plus. Quadruped push-up with plus. Mistakes: dropping head or shrugging the shoulders toward the ears. Arching or rounding the back. Not keeping the knees fully extended. Kinetic chain checkpoints: feet in dorsiflexion with toes on the ground. Knees and legs are straight in line with the back. Head down and shoulders neutral – neck, back, hips, and legs form straight line. Shoulders should not elevate toward the ears.
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- The different hops and jumps starting on pg. 582 – For all the jumping motions the kinetic chain checkpoints are: feet pointed straight ahead, knees in line with feet, hips in neutral position, and chin tucked so that neck, shoulders, back, and hips are aligned.
- Barbell Russian Deadlift pg. 593 – Progression: increase resistance, perform standing on elevated blocks. Regression: decrease resistance, single-leg floor bridge, floor bridge. Mistakes: arching of lower back, not squeezing glutes at the top of the movement, looking up at the bottom of the movement into cervical extension. Kinetic chain checkpoints: feet pointed straight ahead, knees in line with feet and slightly bent, LPHC in neutral position to ensure a straight back, shoulders in line with neck and hips, chin tucked so the head and neck are in proper cervical spine alignment.
- Barbell Squat pg. 597 – Progression: Performing standing on a balance board(note: DON’T EVER DO THIS with a loaded barbell. Jesus christ. Just asking to hurt somebody.) Regression: hanging arm dumbbell squat. Kinetic chain checkpoints: feet shoulder-width apart pointed straight ahead. Knees in line with feet. LPHC in neutral position with back parallel to shins throughout movement. Shoulders pulled back and elbows in line with neck and trunk. Chin tucked to keep head and neck in neutral alignment.
- Ball Dumbbell Chest Press pg. 598 – Progression: alternating arm stability ball chest press. Regression: Bench dumbbell chest press. Common mistakes: arching lower back, moving the head forward, elevating the shoulders. Kinetic chain checkpoints: feet flat on floor, pointed straight ahead and hip-width apart. Knees in line with toes. LPHC in neutral position, straight line from knees to shoulders. Shoulder blades flat against the ball in neutral position. Chin tucked so head is in neutral alignment with cervical spine.
- You notice how the kinetic chain checkpoints and common mistakes are very similar through all the different exercises. As you study fix in your mind the kinetic chain checkpoint for the squat, the push-up, and the floor bridge. From those three exercises you should be able to figure out common mistakes and kinetic chain checkpoints for other exercises that are similar in movement. Be familiar with how to perform each exercise. I found it very helpful to visualize myself performing each exercise. If it was simple to visualize I moved on to the next exercise. If it wasn’t I read the technique in more detail. Don’t feel pressured to memorize everything here. A general knowledge will ensure you get about 80% of the questions right in this section.