NASM STRETCHING AND FLEXIBILITY EVALUATION EXAM
2025 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔What are the five major functions of the Code of Ethics for a fitness professional? -
✔✔Inform practitioners of appropriate ethical norms and behavior, Supply direction for
challenging situations, Encourage practitioners to provide excellent service, Protect
clients, Provide a means for enforcing desired professional behavior.
✔✔What are the four most common boundary types in regards to assisted stretching? -
✔✔Physical, emotional, intellectual, and sexual
✔✔How should the fitness professional respond when a client begins sharing their
feelings? - ✔✔Kindly listening and being supportive.
✔✔What does the fitness professional risk if they go beyond their scope of practice? -
✔✔Legal ramifications and client injury
✔✔Which of the following topics is it suggested to avoid during an assisted stretching
session? - ✔✔Political affiliations
✔✔Which of the following best defines professionalism? - ✔✔The actions and behaviors
that characterize a person as professional.
✔✔Define Flexibility - ✔✔Flexibility is commonly defined as the normal extensibility
(ability to stretch) of all soft tissues (contractile and non-contractile) that allow the
complete range of motion (ROM) of a joint
✔✔Biotensegrity - ✔✔The tension and compression elements that describe force vector
concepts applied to biology and the human body.
✔✔What are the conditions under which tension of the system may become too
strained? - ✔✔Mental and physical stress, sleep deficiency, dehydration, poor nutrition,
physical deconditioning, deficient daily movement
✔✔True or False: When the balance of tension and compression forces in the area are
compromised, the fitness professional will see evidence of this with familiar patterns
found in postural distortions and movement impairments - ✔✔True
✔✔What is the difference between flexibility and mobility? - ✔✔While the two go hand in
hand, mobility should be used to describe joint motion
✔✔Define Hypomobile - ✔✔Generally tight or stiff
,✔✔Hypermobile - ✔✔Excessively flexible
✔✔When it is realized (after a series of stretching sessions) that the client reaches a
plateau or limit of mobility (in a functional movement pattern, assisted stretch
movement, etc.)? - ✔✔Refer the client to another practitioner with additional expertise
✔✔Explain stretching - ✔✔Stretching equates to the practice of elongating the soft
tissues to improve extensibility. Thus, improving extensibility through stretching serves
to improve overall flexibility.
✔✔What is is the first component to consider before any stretching is undertaken by the
fitness professional? - ✔✔A comprehensive mobility and flexibility assessment
✔✔What is the second component a fitness professional should administer following
assessment findings? - ✔✔An assisted-stretching session
✔✔Tissue Resistance - ✔✔The amount of force the fitness professional manually feels
(or lack thereof) when passively moving the client's body, region, or limb during assisted
stretching.
✔✔Stretch Tolerance - ✔✔An individual's increased ability to withstand stretching
forces from repeated bouts of flexibility training.
✔✔What are the five types of tissue resistance a fitness professional may feel when
assisting a client in stretching? - ✔✔Blocked, Hard, Firm, Soft, Empty
✔✔Blocked Tissue Resistance - ✔✔As soon as the client's leg is lifted, motion is
blocked by the client due to an emotional reason.
✔✔Hard Tissue Resistance - ✔✔Shortly after lifting the leg, the motion slows down to a
hard stop (e.g., within 5 degrees the initial feeling of resistance increases to a hard
resistance to further motion). This is most often seen with clients who have increased or
excessive tension in the nervous system
✔✔Firm Tissue Resistance - ✔✔After moving the leg, it gradually and progressively
resists further movement (e.g., within 5 to 10 degrees the initial feeling of resistance
increases to a firm resistance to further motion).
✔✔Soft Tissue Resistance - ✔✔After moving the leg a significant amount of ROM, it
slowly and lightly starts to resist but allows more movement than Firm before it stops.
✔✔Empty Tissue Resistance - ✔✔Extreme passive ROM is felt without any resistance.
, ✔✔Stretch Intolerance - ✔✔An individual's decreased ability to withstand stretching
forces due to injury or disease.
✔✔In what instances may stretch intolerance occur? - ✔✔Acute sprain or strain, acute
fracture, nerve or vascular injuries, or some diseases like fibromyalgia
✔✔What is the goal of assisted stretching done as a separate session or performed
post-fitness training to help with recovery? - ✔✔To help down regulate the nervous
system and oxygenate the tissues
✔✔How should breathing patterns be different in stretching depending on if you are
stretching pre-workout or post-workout? - ✔✔For post-workout stretching, slower tempo
breathing coupled with longer exhalations and slower-paced stretching movements will
help efficiently and more rapidly shift and down regulate the client for recovery. This
also has the effect of decreasing excessive muscle tension present in the FS, which
decreases resistance to stretching, thereby, creating conditions for optimal flexibility
recovery outcomes. However, for pre-workout stretching, the goal is to help up regulate
the client without over exertion on the client's part. Faster tempo breathing with longer
inhalations and quicker stretch movements will help that goal to be achieved. This also
has the desired effect of increasing an appropriate amount of myofascial tension and
stiffness to provide dynamic stabilization of the FS for optimal activity and performance
outcomes
✔✔Why are muscle and fascia commonly thought of as always interdependent? -
✔✔Research has established that muscle fibers are a complex inseparable from their
fibrous (i.e., fascial) components, and are referred to as myofascia
✔✔True or False: Overactive Myofascia are described as shortened tissue, whereas
Underactive Myofascia are decsribed as being long tissue - ✔✔True
✔✔Upper Crossed Syndrome - ✔✔A posture distortion consisting of a forward head
posture and rounded shoulders & excessive thoracic kyphosis
✔✔How should upper crossed syndrome be treated? - ✔✔A strategy of first lengthening
the overactive region may relieve the strain on the underactive region, which then is
able to return to normal function. In many cases, the underactive region may require
activation and strengthening to restore proper length-tension relationships, joint motion,
and overall posture
✔✔Aponeuroses - ✔✔Fascial expansions of the muscle-tendon (myotendon)
attachment to bone.
2025 QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔What are the five major functions of the Code of Ethics for a fitness professional? -
✔✔Inform practitioners of appropriate ethical norms and behavior, Supply direction for
challenging situations, Encourage practitioners to provide excellent service, Protect
clients, Provide a means for enforcing desired professional behavior.
✔✔What are the four most common boundary types in regards to assisted stretching? -
✔✔Physical, emotional, intellectual, and sexual
✔✔How should the fitness professional respond when a client begins sharing their
feelings? - ✔✔Kindly listening and being supportive.
✔✔What does the fitness professional risk if they go beyond their scope of practice? -
✔✔Legal ramifications and client injury
✔✔Which of the following topics is it suggested to avoid during an assisted stretching
session? - ✔✔Political affiliations
✔✔Which of the following best defines professionalism? - ✔✔The actions and behaviors
that characterize a person as professional.
✔✔Define Flexibility - ✔✔Flexibility is commonly defined as the normal extensibility
(ability to stretch) of all soft tissues (contractile and non-contractile) that allow the
complete range of motion (ROM) of a joint
✔✔Biotensegrity - ✔✔The tension and compression elements that describe force vector
concepts applied to biology and the human body.
✔✔What are the conditions under which tension of the system may become too
strained? - ✔✔Mental and physical stress, sleep deficiency, dehydration, poor nutrition,
physical deconditioning, deficient daily movement
✔✔True or False: When the balance of tension and compression forces in the area are
compromised, the fitness professional will see evidence of this with familiar patterns
found in postural distortions and movement impairments - ✔✔True
✔✔What is the difference between flexibility and mobility? - ✔✔While the two go hand in
hand, mobility should be used to describe joint motion
✔✔Define Hypomobile - ✔✔Generally tight or stiff
,✔✔Hypermobile - ✔✔Excessively flexible
✔✔When it is realized (after a series of stretching sessions) that the client reaches a
plateau or limit of mobility (in a functional movement pattern, assisted stretch
movement, etc.)? - ✔✔Refer the client to another practitioner with additional expertise
✔✔Explain stretching - ✔✔Stretching equates to the practice of elongating the soft
tissues to improve extensibility. Thus, improving extensibility through stretching serves
to improve overall flexibility.
✔✔What is is the first component to consider before any stretching is undertaken by the
fitness professional? - ✔✔A comprehensive mobility and flexibility assessment
✔✔What is the second component a fitness professional should administer following
assessment findings? - ✔✔An assisted-stretching session
✔✔Tissue Resistance - ✔✔The amount of force the fitness professional manually feels
(or lack thereof) when passively moving the client's body, region, or limb during assisted
stretching.
✔✔Stretch Tolerance - ✔✔An individual's increased ability to withstand stretching
forces from repeated bouts of flexibility training.
✔✔What are the five types of tissue resistance a fitness professional may feel when
assisting a client in stretching? - ✔✔Blocked, Hard, Firm, Soft, Empty
✔✔Blocked Tissue Resistance - ✔✔As soon as the client's leg is lifted, motion is
blocked by the client due to an emotional reason.
✔✔Hard Tissue Resistance - ✔✔Shortly after lifting the leg, the motion slows down to a
hard stop (e.g., within 5 degrees the initial feeling of resistance increases to a hard
resistance to further motion). This is most often seen with clients who have increased or
excessive tension in the nervous system
✔✔Firm Tissue Resistance - ✔✔After moving the leg, it gradually and progressively
resists further movement (e.g., within 5 to 10 degrees the initial feeling of resistance
increases to a firm resistance to further motion).
✔✔Soft Tissue Resistance - ✔✔After moving the leg a significant amount of ROM, it
slowly and lightly starts to resist but allows more movement than Firm before it stops.
✔✔Empty Tissue Resistance - ✔✔Extreme passive ROM is felt without any resistance.
, ✔✔Stretch Intolerance - ✔✔An individual's decreased ability to withstand stretching
forces due to injury or disease.
✔✔In what instances may stretch intolerance occur? - ✔✔Acute sprain or strain, acute
fracture, nerve or vascular injuries, or some diseases like fibromyalgia
✔✔What is the goal of assisted stretching done as a separate session or performed
post-fitness training to help with recovery? - ✔✔To help down regulate the nervous
system and oxygenate the tissues
✔✔How should breathing patterns be different in stretching depending on if you are
stretching pre-workout or post-workout? - ✔✔For post-workout stretching, slower tempo
breathing coupled with longer exhalations and slower-paced stretching movements will
help efficiently and more rapidly shift and down regulate the client for recovery. This
also has the effect of decreasing excessive muscle tension present in the FS, which
decreases resistance to stretching, thereby, creating conditions for optimal flexibility
recovery outcomes. However, for pre-workout stretching, the goal is to help up regulate
the client without over exertion on the client's part. Faster tempo breathing with longer
inhalations and quicker stretch movements will help that goal to be achieved. This also
has the desired effect of increasing an appropriate amount of myofascial tension and
stiffness to provide dynamic stabilization of the FS for optimal activity and performance
outcomes
✔✔Why are muscle and fascia commonly thought of as always interdependent? -
✔✔Research has established that muscle fibers are a complex inseparable from their
fibrous (i.e., fascial) components, and are referred to as myofascia
✔✔True or False: Overactive Myofascia are described as shortened tissue, whereas
Underactive Myofascia are decsribed as being long tissue - ✔✔True
✔✔Upper Crossed Syndrome - ✔✔A posture distortion consisting of a forward head
posture and rounded shoulders & excessive thoracic kyphosis
✔✔How should upper crossed syndrome be treated? - ✔✔A strategy of first lengthening
the overactive region may relieve the strain on the underactive region, which then is
able to return to normal function. In many cases, the underactive region may require
activation and strengthening to restore proper length-tension relationships, joint motion,
and overall posture
✔✔Aponeuroses - ✔✔Fascial expansions of the muscle-tendon (myotendon)
attachment to bone.
