Question 2 of 21

A survey of more than 700 Olympic athletes revealed this characteristic to be the most important to achieving success.

... About 58 percent of the athletes believed that dedication and persistence were most important -- more important than having the right coach or loving what they did.

Question 3 of 21

Can building up muscles help you burst from a race block or a football line of scrimmage faster?

... Overall fitness, training, practice and mental focus help. But muscles such as the hip flexors, hamstrings and quadriceps control leg reaction, helping you to break into a sprint faster.

Question 4 of 21

Why are sumo wrestlers so fat -- doesn't that make them less fit and able to wrestle?

... In sumo wrestling, the main goal is to exert force against the opponent, forcing him off the ring or onto the floor. The heavier a sumo wrestler is, the more force he exerts when crashing against his opponent, making it possible to throw the opponent off balance. The extra weight increases the wrestler's brute strength.

Question 5 of 21

Can you become a fit "athlete" by exercising 150 minutes a week, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services?

... The Department of Health's Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend 150 minutes (2.5 hours) a week of physical activity (aerobic and some strength training) for overall health -- to prevent diseases caused by obesity, for instance. If you want to excel at a specific sport or are looking to tone certain muscles, you'll need to train more than that.

Question 6 of 21

How many hours a day do elite athletes typically train?

... The number of hours an elite athlete trains depends on the sport -- and the athlete. Some sports are more physically demanding than others, so it wouldn't be possible to train for 10 hours a day without causing injury. Training eight hours a day is not unheard of, though, and may take various forms. For example, a pitcher surely doesn't throw pitches all day long, but he or she works on overall fitness -- such as shoulder strengthening -- along with throwing.

Question 7 of 21

There are two types of muscle fiber: slow twitch and fast twitch. Do elite athletes have the same distribution of slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers as most of us?

... Most of us -- the general population -- have about a 50:50 distribution of these muscle fibers. Elite athletes of both sexes tend to have more of one specific type. Endurance sport athletes (distance runners or pro cyclers), have more slow-twitch muscles. This type uses oxygen more efficiently to generate fuel in the body. Sprinters and weight lifters have more fast-twitch muscles, the kind that generate shorts bursts of strength or speed.

Question 8 of 21

Is muscle fiber makeup more or less genetic, so that some people are born natural athletes?

... Genetics plays a role in muscle composition, so some people might be born with more fibers of slow-twitch or fast-twitch muscles and be better at some sports. But training also can affect your performance and improve your final results.

Question 9 of 21

What's the most common sports injury among weekend warriors?

... The ankles have it! Shin splints and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament in the knee) tears also are common. Like most injuries in part-time athletes, they're caused by not warming up before hitting the courts, sidewalks and other sports venues. Stretching and light working of joints helps keep from straining and tearing ligaments. Wearing the right shoes for the sport also helps.

Question 10 of 21

Do boxers need to work only on muscle strength when training?

... Sports usually require total fitness and most require that athletes excel in a combination of at least two fitness areas. For example, boxers must have muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance to last a full bout. You need muscle strength and flexibility for gymnastics or muscle endurance and cardiovascular fitness for long-distance running. Want to be like an athlete? Expand your workout to include more than one type of exercise.

Question 11 of 21

What percentage of athletes have mentioned competitiveness as important to their success?

... Although a competitive nature can help you succeed, most elite athletes seem to focus more on their own successes than on being better than others; only 15 percent said being competitive was an important part of their success.

Question 12 of 21

How does aging affect athletic performance?

... Aging decreases maximum heart rate and lung capacity, limiting athletic performance. Both muscle mass and muscle strength also decline, as does bone mass. Sense of balance also can deteriorate. Though these changes are natural to aging, exercising and enjoying sports still help people live longer and healthier lives.

Question 13 of 21

Will you get fatter as you get older?

... As you age, your body loses muscle mass at the rate of 5 percent per decade after the age of 35. If you follow a resistance training program, however, you might be able to retain your muscle mass, which in turn helps you maintain your weight. Elite athletes are more likely to have better muscle definition.

Question 14 of 21

As athletes get older, they have to . . .

... To obtain the same results they did when they were younger, aging athletes have to train longer and harder. And so do you: A Harvard study showed that middle-aged women, for example, need to exercise at least 60 minutes a day to maintain their weights.

Question 15 of 21

Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash trains hard all year, and has said he bases his workout on this National Academy of Sports Medicine philosophy:

... The Phoenix Suns' Nash starts with the base of the pyramid -- in his case, stability. Then he works his way up, building strength and power using weights and medicine balls. It doesn't hurt that he also grew up playing soccer.

Question 16 of 21

Are gymnasts born with more spine flexibility than the general population?

... Elite gymnasts likely are born with a tendency toward flexibility, so some flexibility is genetic. Gymnasts have to train and work hard, though, to maintain a high level of flexibility and prevent injury. Extreme flexibility requires being double jointed and having extreme joint mobility (something you're either born with or not).

Question 17 of 21

The better an athlete you are, the more you will...

... The better trained your body is, the more you will sweat. Sweat helps your body cool down and athletes' bodies are more effective at cooling down, which means they sweat more. So if you're not sweating after running on the treadmill for 10 minutes, you need to work harder.

Question 18 of 21

Any elite athlete should be able to perform this fitness basic.

... Many skills are important for athletes, depending on the sports they play. But for health and nearly every sport, strength training rules. A fit person should be able to bench press 1.5 times his body weight. The general population manages between 1 and 1.49. Lifting less than your body weight puts you into the "weak" category.

Question 19 of 21

Do elite athletes build muscle faster than the rest of us?

... Genetics aside, most of us have similar capacities to build muscle strength and endurance. The difference is that elite athletes might work at it for four hours a day every day, while you're only putting in two hours a week.

Question 20 of 21

Why do "big" athletes, such as rugby players, need strong leg muscles?

... Strong muscles help with all skills, such as running. For big athletes, though, strong leg muscles improve knee and ankle stability, so there's less risk of a twist or injury, especially when supporting their weights.

Question 21 of 21

What NFL quarterback played his entire NFL career with a torn ACL in his left knee?

... The Broncos' Elway first injured the knee in high school. He is said to have played 16 seasons in the NFL without an ACL and by the time he finished, his knee was more or less blown. He had knee replacement surgery in 2007, eight years after retiring from football.

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