Hey guys i’ve been dieting for a while now, cycling different diets/training routines with lots of success. I am coming off the 5 by 5 protocol and hitting meltdown training with minor modifications(Exercise order: I start from the last exercise move up to the first). I’ve been cycling 2 weeks 5 by 5(with a caloric intake greater than RMR) and 2 weeks meltdown training I(caloric intake varies depending on day), and before this I did 4 weeks of Meltdown Training II. Now I’m ready to hit 3-4 weeks of Meltdown Training I changing it around every week. Anyways these last 4 weeks I really want to keep track of my caloric expenditure Vs. caloric intake. Now normally when calculating the cost of exercise i’ll use body weight in Kilograms multiplied by duration multiplied by its MET value. As far as Meltdown Training is concerned, does anyone know how this formula would change? I assume the MET value would be greater. When calculating it using the MET value of 6 I get a very low caloric expenditure because a typical Meltdown routine lasts 20 minutes. My question is would i use the MET value of 18 as you would for high intensity running? Any advice would be apreciated.
I don’t think 18 would be appropriate, but I do think you are on the right track. Meltdown burns a lot of calories during exercise, but it is also designed to burn a ton afterwards. Anyways, using MET values is only an estimation at best and you should pick the value that best correlates with your intensity level. If it feels the same as high intensity running, then use that. Maybe using a higher MET value is good as it might account for some of the calories expended afterwards.