NASM CPT Key Vocabulary
Essential terms and definitions you must know before exam day.
Key Vocabulary
OPT Model
Optimum Performance Training — NASM's 5-phase training framework from stabilization to power.
Synergistic dominance
When a synergist compensates for a weak prime mover, causing imbalances.
Autogenic inhibition
Relaxation of a muscle through Golgi tendon organ activation — the basis of foam rolling.
Reciprocal inhibition
When an agonist contracts, the antagonist reflexively relaxes.
Vocabulary Study Tips
- 1.The OPT model is the backbone of everything — know all 5 phases with reps, sets, tempo, and rest times.
- 2.Memorize the overhead squat compensation table: knee valgus/varus, forward lean, arms fall, low back arch.
- 3.Use NASM's official textbook (7th ed.) and supplement with NASM Edge app quiz questions.
- 4.Create flashcards for overactive/underactive muscle pairs — they show up constantly.