SESKStuff Everyone Should Know

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Stuff Every Lifter Should Know

Form, spotting, sets and reps, progressive overload, recovery, and gym etiquette.

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⏱ Timed practice exam

SESK practice exam: 50 questions, 50 minutes, pass with 40 right (80%).

Take it like the real thing: a countdown, no hints until you finish, then your score by topic, every miss explained, and a readiness score from your last 3 exams.

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  1. How many days a week should adults do muscle-strengthening activity, per the US Physical Activity Guidelines?
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    At least 2 days a week. The US Physical Activity Guidelines say adults need muscle-strengthening activity, like lifting weights or push-ups, at least 2 days each week. That is in addition to 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity.

  2. Which muscles should your strength workouts cover, according to the US Physical Activity Guidelines?
    Show the answer

    All major muscle groups. The guidelines say strength work should involve all major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. Training only your favorite muscles leaves the rest weak and out of balance.

  3. Kids and teens ages 6 to 17 should do muscle-strengthening activity on how many days a week?
    Show the answer

    At least 3 days a week. The US guidelines ask youth 6 to 17 for at least 60 minutes of activity every day. Muscle-strengthening activity should be part of that on at least 3 days a week.

All 59 practice questions

The first 50 are free, with the answer, why it's right and the official sources. The other 9 (🔒) are for SESK members. Or play them as a game and track what you've learned.

Show all 59 questions
  1. How many days a week should adults do muscle-strengthening activity, per the US Physical Activity Guidelines?
  2. Which muscles should your strength workouts cover, according to the US Physical Activity Guidelines?
  3. Kids and teens ages 6 to 17 should do muscle-strengthening activity on how many days a week?
  4. In weight training, what is one rep?
  5. The US guidelines say one set of how many reps per exercise is effective for building strength?
  6. How hard should a strength set feel by the end, per the US guidelines?
  7. Using the NSCA load chart, someone squats 160 pounds for 8 reps. What is their estimated one-rep max?
  8. What does progressive overload mean in strength training?
  9. In ACSM's 2009 position stand, when should someone add 2% to 10% more weight?
  10. In a progressive overload plan, about how often does Cleveland Clinic suggest a lighter deload week?
  11. For building strength, what does ACSM's 2026 position stand favor?
  12. What does ACSM's 2026 review say resistance training can improve?
  13. For a beginner lifter, how many training days a week does the ACSM 2009 position stand recommend?
  14. For strength gains, when should your most important exercise come in a workout?
  15. Why is the bench press called a compound movement?
  16. Which muscle group at the front of your thigh has more mass than any other muscle group in your body?
  17. Where are your hamstring muscles?
  18. You have three glute muscles. Which one is the biggest?
  19. The lats are the largest muscles in your upper body. Where are they?
  20. Which muscles cover the top of your shoulder and help lift your arm to the front, side and back?
  21. When lifters talk about their pecs, which muscles do they mean?
  22. DOMS means delayed onset muscle soreness. When does it usually show up?
  23. Which part of a biceps curl is more likely to cause next-day muscle soreness (DOMS)?
  24. What is the main training stimulus for muscle growth?
  25. How much rest does Mayo Clinic suggest between strength workouts for the same muscle group?
  26. How many hours of sleep a night does a Cleveland Clinic athletic trainer say most people need to recover and rebuild muscle?
  27. What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein for an average adult?
  28. Which kind of stretching does a Cleveland Clinic doctor call a great addition to a pre-exercise warm-up?
  29. What is the NSCA's position on strength training for kids and teens?
  30. Is supervised strength training with light weights harmful to a kid's growth plates?
  31. What does the current AAP report say about one-rep max testing for young athletes?
  32. Will doing lots of sit-ups burn the fat on your belly specifically?
  33. According to the NSCA, the toned look most people want mainly comes from what?
  34. Why don't most women get bulky from lifting weights?
  35. In a basic squat, how low should you lower your hips?
  36. For most healthy lifters, is it OK for the knees to move past the toes in a squat?
  37. In a squat, where should your knees point as you lower down?
  38. How should you hold your back during a deadlift?
  39. Where should the bar travel during a deadlift?
  40. Which lift is the classic one to do with a spotter?
  41. What is the usual breathing pattern when lifting weights?
  42. Why is straining while holding your breath a concern during exercise?
  43. How should you move the weight during a lift?
  44. If you cannot keep good form on an exercise, what should you do?
  45. Which feeling during a set is a signal to stop?
  46. For new low back pain with no serious warning signs, what is usually best?
  47. After extreme exercise, which sign can point to rhabdomyolysis?
  48. When should you drink water around a workout?
  49. For a workout lasting less than an hour, what drink is usually all you need?
  50. What should you do with weights when you finish using them?
  51. Why should you wipe down a bench after using it? 🔒
  52. You are waiting for a machine someone is using. What is a polite move? 🔒
  53. What do free weights ask of your body that most weight machines do not? 🔒
  54. Who may find weight machines a safer place to start? 🔒
  55. What do the US physical activity guidelines recommend for adults? 🔒
  56. Besides building muscle, what does strength training help protect? 🔒
  57. Which pattern can point to overtraining syndrome? 🔒
  58. What is the best way to treat overtraining syndrome? 🔒
  59. Which low back pain symptom means you should contact a doctor right away? 🔒