NCSF Nutrition and Weight Management Practice Exam 2025 – Comprehensive Exam Prep

Excess body fat can significantly impact vertical jump, running speed, and agility due to its influence on overall mobility and performance. When body fat levels are high, the additional weight can hinder movement efficiency and increase the energy cost of activities, making it more challenging to achieve optimal performance in explosive movements like jumping and fast-paced running. The presence of excess body fat may also affect coordination and balance, which are essential components of agility.

In contrast, while muscle mass, age, and height do play roles in athletic performance, they do not have the same direct negative impact as excess body fat when it comes to hampering these specific physical capabilities. Muscle mass contributes positively to strength and can enhance performance, age can influence physical ability through experience and technique rather than through direct impairment, and height can provide advantages or disadvantages but isn't inherently a factor that degrades performance like excess body fat can.