What's my activity factor?

[The Escapist]

Here is my activity schedule:

2 days a week: Football training. 1 hour. Running laps (10 minutes), interval/sprint work (30 minutes), small-pitch game (20 minutes). Heart rate gets well up during excercises, would tend to be breathing heavy throughout and tired at the end

3 days a week: Gym. 30 minutes. Excercise bike (10 minutes), cross-trainer (10 minutes), treadmill (10 minutes). My heart rate throughout tends to be between 140 and 160 bpm, depending on the machine. Medium resistance levels used, I work up a sweat, heavy on the breathing, but wouldn't be quite as out of breath as at football training. Fatigued rather than tired at the end

1 day a week: Jog (30 minutes). Intervals, 1 minute gentle pace, 2 minutes medium-fast pace, repeat 10 times. Heavy breathing throughout, would be sort of out of breath at the end, but not struggling

-----------------------------------

Each activity is followed with plank holds and an array of stretches, approx 5 minutes in duration total. I am going to start doing more resistance work 3 times a week as well - pushups, situps, quad lunges mainly

-----------------------------------

My day job is as an office worker. So sat in a chair in front of a computer 9-5, tapping on a key board!

-----------------------------------

I believe my activity factor (link above) to be number 3, 1.55. I just want confirmation, to ensure I'm not overestimating my daily calorie needs, and thus, maintainence level. Thank

 

[The Escapist]

Any opinions out there?

 

[Steve]

No right or wrong and again, I truly believe you're over thinking this stuff. Or trying to fit something extremely dynamic and complex into a neat little box, which is impossible.

If you're rate of progress toward your goal (fat loss) is on point and you're feeling good and performance is not dwindling... you're on the right track.

If not, you need to re-examine and adjust according to said feedback.

Your assumption is fine to start.

If it doesn't seem to be working, read this post again. Most of the time trainees fall someplace between the defined activity factors.

 

[The Escapist]

Cheers for the feedback. I was just worried that I was either a) using too high a factor, therefore working to an overestimated maintainence level or b) using too low a factor, therefore working to an underestimated maintainence level. Which obviously I touched on in a different thread elsewhere. I am possibly overthinking things, I'll bear it in mind. Thanks again.

 

[Steve]

Cheers for the feedback. I was just worried that I was either a) using too high a factor, therefore working to an overestimated maintainence level or b) using too low a factor, therefore working to an underestimated maintainence level. Which obviously I touched on in a different thread elsewhere. I am possibly overthinking things, I'll bear it in mind. Thanks again.

Right, but my point is, if you were over or undershooting your activity factor, it would play out in the rate of progress. It seems you're trying to plan around supposed, concrete absolutes. There's no such thing. Planning comes after the fact. You adjust based on feedback.

You're acting as if you're signing a contract regarding the level of calories you're going to be eating and you can't ever break said contract (as in change caloric intake).

 

[The Escapist]

That's fair enough.

That said...I wouldn't mind if you picked one anyway, based on the information I gave. Just say which one 'most' applies, would give me a lot of peace of mind!

 

[Steve]

That would be enabling everything I'm against.

I already said, "your assumption is fine to start."

 

[The Escapist]

Ha ha, okay, thanks!