Many people do interval training. One workout of interval training can consist of multiple different exercises. Each such exercise may include various accessories like "dumbbells," "booty bands," "plates," and so on.
Sometimes, it isn't easy to keep logging specific exercises of such complex training. Every workout has its own reps, sets, MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task.) MET represents how light, moderate, or vigorous intensities of exercise. Sedentary uses 1.5 or fewer METs. (One MET is the amount of energy used while sitting quietly.)
MyNetDiary and PlateAI standard activities were taken from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Among other categories are Conditioning Exercises. For example, "calisthenics" with light, moderate or vigorous effort has MET from 2.8 till 8.0, "circuit training" has MET=4.3 or 8.0. Depending on the intensity of the "weight lifting," your body may use MET between 3-8.
Many people have a routine, whether it is their own workout or in a class setting. They could calculate the actual active time once, then have that for future reference. It is highly individual per person or class format. Here is an example of a 60-minute routine: warm-up and stretching 10 minutes, cardio 10 min, resistance exercise 10 minutes, cardio 10 minutes, resistance 10 minutes, cooldown 10 minutes. Other classes or routines might have 7-minute intervals.
Record the minutes if you found the proper interval training (e.g., CrossFit) in our standard list. It's crucial because the calories of the selected exercises are calculated from the MET of the chosen activity, your current body weight, and your workout time.
You can review the list and find your specific exercise with a particular intensity or log the close one. Send an email to support or ask dietitians on the forum if you need guidance on selecting activities for your customized workout. Also, you may find it helpful to review HIIT (High-intensity interval training). This blog article describes how to estimate active time and the science behind METS and activity tracking.
Still, logging multiple different exercises may be time-consuming. Also, logging each workout with a specific time, reps and effort won't be very accurate.
The user still may be unsure how many calories are spent while performing interval training. For instance, you cannot find the similar to yours or do not know how many calories you spent for one "rep"/"set,"; so you cannot create your own custom exercise. In such cases, we recommend using a fitness tracker. Fitbit, Garmin, or Apple Watch automatically calculate and log caloric expenditure of the complex, varying workouts (like CrossFit and others). Some fitness trackers calculate calories expended based on measured heart rate. So, it's more accurate.
The tracker integration is an optimal way to understand better how much energy you've spent. On top of all, it offers the alternative to record only the minutes you are engaged in a particular activity; (a "stopwatch" functionality is "built-in" to all fitness trackers.)
Suppose you use a fitness device that can send data to Apple Health or Google Fit app. In that case, that data can be synced with MyNetDiary or PlateAI "indirectly." Getting caloric expenditure of the third-party apps via the iOS Health or the Android Google Fit is especially helpful for tracking interval tracking or complex activities. You don't have to remember to enter the data from your device manually.
Using a fitness tracker is a better solution.