Hi,
A MET (metabolic equivalent) is a measure of resting oxygen consumption. 1 MET is equal to a person's oxygen uptake at rest (which is equal to approximately 3.5mL per kg of body weight per minute). It's used to determine exercise intensity. So, if you have a functional aerobic capacity of 10 mets (determined by specialized testing) and your trainer recommends that you begin at 60% of functional capacity, then you should choose an activity known to require 6 METs. A lot of fitness equipment is programmed to calculate your MET level based on your body weight and the amount of METs each level of activity is known to produce on that machine. These machines may be highly inaccurate and difficult to interpret. A better way to measure your intensity level is to use a heart rate monitor and match up your rate to the table provided in the gym where you can find your aerobic intensity % based on your age, the perceived exertion test where you rate your own intensity of training(1 - 10 where 1 is weak and 10 is very strong), or the talk test. My trainer prefers the talk test as her feeling is that "if you can still talk, you're still within your aerobic capacity". Not very complicated but it does work for me and it is a valid way of measuring intensity.
This info came from the ACE Personal Trainer manual. I am studying to become a personal trainer so this was a good review for me! Thanks for asking the question!!
Lois
"Don't forget to breathe!"
