ISSA CPT Module 2: anatomy, physiology and energy

Module 2 quiz: 3 free questions

Answer these first, then read what the module covers. No sign-up.

What this module is about

Module 2 is the body's owner's manual. It begins with the shared vocabulary every trainer needs to describe where something is and which way it moves, then works through the systems that make a workout possible: nerves that send the signal, muscles and bones that do the work, the energy systems that fuel it and the recovery that turns it into progress.

It is one of the most vocabulary-heavy modules in the course, and many of its terms come in opposite pairs: up and down, near and far, speed up and slow down, build and break. That makes it easy to recognize a word and still pick its twin. The fix is to learn each pair together and anchor it to something you can see in a client, like the walk to the car that counts toward NEAT.

The energy lessons reward a little arithmetic thinking. Know which system covers a ten-second effort, which covers a hard minute and which runs a long, easy session, and the scenario questions get much easier.

The five lessons

1. Anatomy basics. The language of anatomy: the standing reference position, directions like proximal and distal, the three planes, and how cells build up to a whole person.
2. Nervous system. How the brain, spinal cord and nerves carry signals, and the two automatic branches that speed the body up or calm it down.
3. Muscles & bones. What muscle and bone are made of, how a muscle fiber shortens, and how the body calls on more fibers as a load gets heavier.
4. Energy & metabolism. Where the energy for a sprint, a hard minute and a long walk comes from, and the parts that add up to the calories a client burns in a day.
5. Recovery. What happens between sessions: rest, sleep, stress, the signs of doing too much, and how the body rebuilds stronger.

82 terms in this module

Directions, planes, tissues, nerves, muscle structure, energy and recovery. The full list of Module 2 term names is in the glossary.

Look-alikes to keep apart

Module 2 is built from opposites. These are the pairs that cost the most points:

• Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or Exercise Activity Thermogenesis

  NEAT is the movement of daily life that isn't a workout: walking the dog, housework, fidgeting. EAT is what a planned workout burns.

• Sympathetic Nervous System or Parasympathetic Nervous System

  Sympathetic revs the body up for effort or threat; parasympathetic settles it down to rest, digest and recover.

• Anabolism or Catabolism

  Anabolism builds things up, like repairing muscle after training; catabolism breaks things down, like turning stored fuel into energy.

• Ligament or Tendon

  A ligament ties bone to bone, which is why an ankle sprain is a ligament injury; a tendon ties muscle to bone.

On the exam

In our reading, Module 2 feeds the NCCPT outline's Applied Science area, one of its three largest at 25 percent. Expect anatomy direction terms and energy systems to show up in scenarios. See how the exam works.