The goals section should tell you how to build muscle.

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  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    I think it would be a good idea for this site. Many people once they lose weight start focusing on building muscle. If you go to reset your goals there is nothing available that tells you how to do it. By keeping track of your carbs, fats, protein and so forth according to your height, weight and exercise per day. Along with how much muscle you want to build.

    I wish the goals section would tell me how to be famous, wealthy, and attractive. I think that would be an even better idea.

    Do you work for My Fitness Pal?

    Why would it do that? That hast nothing to do with fitness. But building muscle is all about fitness is it not? Enough with the remarks that screams Defensive. I am sorry I came on here and called this website out for what it lacks. A simply setting that can tell you exactly the numbers you must reach with your macros according to your weight, height and how much exercise you do per day, to build healthy muscle. It does not provide that. Only provides an outlet for people who really want to lose weight and that's it.

    There's no way it could provide that. Saying it's lacking seems silly to me.

    Body composition change is a VERY individual thing, and MFP's generic matrices would have not be able to appropriately advise individuals on these types of goals.

    How are they supposed to know if you even CAN follow a bulking cycle? If it's healthy or safe for you to be lifting? Each person can think certain things about their health and ability. Sometimes we are mistaken.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Bottom line is , this site is marketed towards people who want to manage and lose their weight, not build muscle. That is one of the things this site lacks to be completely honest. They don't even have a section that explains BMI and the science of building muscle. You would think they would have that on here. It would be a good starting point. What do you see when this site shows people? Its always how much weight they have lost. You never have seen anything on a person who went from a skinny twig or overweight, to competing in their first bodybuilding competition.

    Naw bottom line is this..if you want to know bad enough you will find the answers yourself...not be spoon fed them.

    I wanted to know so I found out...how...looking for information, reading it, checking links, listening to those who have had success...

    And yes I have seen people who have gone from twig to muscled...on this site...why because I was interested enough to find them and didn't expect to be spoon fed it.

    Does this site provide the reader information on how to build muscle without having to search for it? No it does not. It does that for weight loss goals though. You go to your goals and put your settings in. Setting them to how much weight you want to lose a week and how much exercise you are going to do every day.

    This site could help people out the same way when it comes to building muscle. But they choose not to. I love this site, it was a big reason I lost 100 pounds. Now Im at a point along with many others who don't need to lose anymore weight and want to focus on building muscle. There is nothing when it comes to your settings to keep track of how much weight training you need to do each day, along with how much cardio, and how many macros you need to hit to build muscle. Not everyone is made the same. Building muscle is a science. This site is called "My Fitness Pal", not "My weight loss pal".
    Heh? You set how much weight you want to lose, and MFP gives you a calorie and macro goal. If you want to gain weight, you set how much weight you want to GAIN, and MFP gives you calorie and macro goals. I don't really understand what you are trying to say, because you seem to think MFP is doing something magical for weight loss, when it isn't. It's giving you the same information whether you want to gain or lose weight. Eat x number of calories to gain/lose y number of pounds. That's what MFP does, because that's what MFP is. It's a tracking tool.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    For the guy that said Cardio is unneccesary to build muscle, that is just nuts. A nice cardio session after lifting burns more fat. Which leads to more definition. Which leads to better abs for example. Just doing crunches will not get you six pack abs. You have to balance it out. For example, if you lift for an hour or an hour and a half, don't do an hour of cardio. Do 20-30 minutes and do it after you lift, not before.

    yeah but cardio doesn't build muscle or burn more fat- it's just creating a bigger calorie deficit.

    I feel like if you really don't like what's going on here in terms of education or setting it up- why don't you make a plan- and have someone build a website that supports it the way you want it?

    I actually came here to track calories- I have never been obese- and pure weight loss was never my goal. Started cutting and bulking and counting became even more vital to me- but as far as what I was doing- this site didn't help me with that- my research did.. all this site has done is help me count calories.

    And pass my time at work.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    For the guy that said Cardio is unneccesary to build muscle, that is just nuts. A nice cardio session after lifting burns more fat. Which leads to more definition. Which leads to better abs for example. Just doing crunches will not get you six pack abs. You have to balance it out. For example, if you lift for an hour or an hour and a half, don't do an hour of cardio. Do 20-30 minutes and do it after you lift, not before.
    you said it, not me

    eta; you can absolutely get abs solely through crunches. if you eat at a deficit this will reduce bf to a point where your abs are visible, and crunches work your abdominal muscles which would build muscle in a surplus of calories
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    You don't know what you are talking about. Cardio burns fat. If you lift and then do a little cardio, that will allow you to get more ripped. You will have a lower body fat percentage. What does that mean? Six pack abs quicker than the guy who just does crunches on the ab machine and bench presses.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-ripped-dude-cardio-before-or-after-weights.html

    <you have no idea what you're talking about.gif>
  • annetteh145
    annetteh145 Posts: 38 Member
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    I think it would be a good idea for this site. Many people once they lose weight start focusing on building muscle. If you go to reset your goals there is nothing available that tells you how to do it. By keeping track of your carbs, fats, protein and so forth according to your height, weight and exercise per day. Along with how much muscle you want to build.

    I wish the goals section would tell me how to be famous, wealthy, and attractive. I think that would be an even better idea.

    Do you work for My Fitness Pal?

    Why would it do that? That hast nothing to do with fitness. But building muscle is all about fitness is it not? Enough with the remarks that screams Defensive. I am sorry I came on here and called this website out for what it lacks. A simply setting that can tell you exactly the numbers you must reach with your macros according to your weight, height and how much exercise you do per day, to build healthy muscle. It does not provide that. Only provides an outlet for people who really want to lose weight and that's it.

    What a mean crowd today. Wow unbelievable.
    I can't believe I actually read through all of these replies. I clicked on this topic to find out more about strength training...
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Well well know how many calories it is lose weight 3500. I cannot find a study of exact calorie surplus to gain a pound of muscle.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Yes but if I want to build 10 pounds of muscle, how do I know that if I set my goals to gaining weight, that its not going to turn to fat instead of muscle?

    Lift heavy.

    Increase your caloric intake by 200 calories every 1 to 2 weeks.
    Then stop doing once you hit your target weight.

    Understand that in best case scenarios, actual muscle will only be added by about 1 lb / month....

    Congratulations. You just wrote what My Fitness Pal should have in the goal settings.

    oh but then the question is "what does it mean to lift heavy?"

    what should my target weight be?
    1lb a month for a woman too?

    It doesn't mention protien levels...macros etc...

    frequency of lifts

    what lifts do I do?

    at what point should I add muscle? before or after I lose the fat?
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
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    Well well know how many calories it is lose weight 3500. I cannot find a study of exact calorie surplus to gain a pound of muscle.
    the amount needed to eat muscle mass is subjective, there is no set number unfortunately
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    Bottom line is , this site is marketed towards people who want to manage and lose their weight, not build muscle. That is one of the things this site lacks to be completely honest. They don't even have a section that explains BMI and the science of building muscle. You would think they would have that on here. It would be a good starting point. What do you see when this site shows people? Its always how much weight they have lost. You never have seen anything on a person who went from a skinny twig or overweight, to competing in their first bodybuilding competition.

    Naw bottom line is this..if you want to know bad enough you will find the answers yourself...not be spoon fed them.

    I wanted to know so I found out...how...looking for information, reading it, checking links, listening to those who have had success...

    And yes I have seen people who have gone from twig to muscled...on this site...why because I was interested enough to find them and didn't expect to be spoon fed it.

    Does this site provide the reader information on how to build muscle without having to search for it? No it does not. It does that for weight loss goals though. You go to your goals and put your settings in. Setting them to how much weight you want to lose a week and how much exercise you are going to do every day.

    This site could help people out the same way when it comes to building muscle. But they choose not to. I love this site, it was a big reason I lost 100 pounds. Now Im at a point along with many others who don't need to lose anymore weight and want to focus on building muscle. There is nothing when it comes to your settings to keep track of how much weight training you need to do each day, along with how much cardio, and how many macros you need to hit to build muscle. Not everyone is made the same. Building muscle is a science. This site is called "My Fitness Pal", not "My weight loss pal".
    Heh? You set how much weight you want to lose, and MFP gives you a calorie and macro goal. If you want to gain weight, you set how much weight you want to GAIN, and MFP gives you calorie and macro goals. I don't really understand what you are trying to say, because you seem to think MFP is doing something magical for weight loss, when it isn't. It's giving you the same information whether you want to gain or lose weight. Eat x number of calories to gain/lose y number of pounds. That's what MFP does, because that's what MFP is. It's a tracking tool.

    Bingo! They only give you information based on what YOU enter. They may give the minimum healthy exercise amount provided by the CDC or whatever, but they certainly don't tell you that you'll burn fat doing this, gain muscle doing this, and they don't tell you what foods to eat. They simply give you a generic calorie cut from a averaged calorie intake estimation as a starting point.

    There's just way too many liability issues that would come with saying anything specific, other than you'd lose weight in a deficit, and gain in a surplus.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    Bottom line is , this site is marketed towards people who want to manage and lose their weight, not build muscle. That is one of the things this site lacks to be completely honest. They don't even have a section that explains BMI and the science of building muscle. You would think they would have that on here. It would be a good starting point. What do you see when this site shows people? Its always how much weight they have lost. You never have seen anything on a person who went from a skinny twig or overweight, to competing in their first bodybuilding competition.

    I don't understand why the site should though. I mean, it would be nice if it did, but there are other sites for that specifically. This site isn't geared towards bodybuilding and I would say that the majority of people here aren't interested in that. But if you come to the forums you can certainly find that. There are tons of success story threads involving people who lift and tons of people who share their success story *cough, cough* (overweight to first bodybuilding competition).

    The site also does have a BMI calculator but out of all the information the site could provide, I don't really see the relevence of that one.

    I'm a weight lifter, but I am also a runner and triathlete. Should the site also explain to me the basics of building a good cardio base and improving VO2 max?

    Reason why you don't get the bodybuilders using this site is because it does not market towards that group. Start marketing towards that group along with people who just want to lose weight , and you would see the members increase even more. This site should allow a person the tools to atleast know how much exercise they need per day along with diet to build muscle if they would want to do that.

    There are a TON of bodybuilders that use this site. They just don't post in the forums.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Bottom line is , this site is marketed towards people who want to manage and lose their weight, not build muscle. That is one of the things this site lacks to be completely honest. They don't even have a section that explains BMI and the science of building muscle. You would think they would have that on here. It would be a good starting point. What do you see when this site shows people? Its always how much weight they have lost. You never have seen anything on a person who went from a skinny twig or overweight, to competing in their first bodybuilding competition.

    I don't understand why the site should though. I mean, it would be nice if it did, but there are other sites for that specifically. This site isn't geared towards bodybuilding and I would say that the majority of people here aren't interested in that. But if you come to the forums you can certainly find that. There are tons of success story threads involving people who lift and tons of people who share their success story *cough, cough* (overweight to first bodybuilding competition).

    The site also does have a BMI calculator but out of all the information the site could provide, I don't really see the relevence of that one.

    I'm a weight lifter, but I am also a runner and triathlete. Should the site also explain to me the basics of building a good cardio base and improving VO2 max?

    Reason why you don't get the bodybuilders using this site is because it does not market towards that group. Start marketing towards that group along with people who just want to lose weight , and you would see the members increase even more. This site should allow a person the tools to atleast know how much exercise they need per day along with diet to build muscle if they would want to do that.

    Not going to wade through the rest because I want to jump in here. I started on this site when I was obese and my initial goal was to lose weight. I am now a competitive bodybuilder.

    When I first signed up it asked my stats and gave me a calorie goal based on the number of pounds per week I wanted to lose. It set up macro and micro nutrient goals (which were not even close to my personal needs) and that was it. It didn't tell me how to lose weight, what to eat or what I should do for exercise. That's what the forums are for and what research is for.

    I switched to gaining weight after my first bodybuilding competition. I could have gone into the goals section and picked gain weight, but I have learned a lot more about my personal needs and can adjust it myself.

    MFP doesn't tell you how to lose weight or gain muscle. This site sets up basic numbers depending on your goal and it's up to you to learn the best method for yourself. This is an app/website geared towards calorie counting. They've done us all a favor by helping us set up initial numbers for our goals and the rest is up to us.

    For your reading pleasure:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/50202-goal-gaining-weight
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/find-a-plan.html
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=massgaindiets
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    There are a TON of bodybuilders that use this site. They just don't post in the forums.

    YES I DO!!!!

    But many of the others don't.
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
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    Hey, HEY....somebody take my hand and tell me it's okay!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    Okay, here is the real problem with them telling you how to build muscle.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/terms_and_privacy?with_layout=true
    THE SERVICE DOES NOT PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL SERVICES OR ADVICE; NO DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP
    MyFitnessPal provides the Services for informational purposes only. THE SERVICES DO NOT CONTAIN OR CONSTITUTE, AND SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED AS, MEDICAL ADVICE OR OPINION. MyFitnessPal is not a medical professional, and MyFitnessPal does not provide medical services or render medical advice. The Services are not a substitute for the advice of a medical professional, and the information made available on or through the Services should not be relied upon when making medical decisions, or to diagnose or treat a medical or health condition. If you require medical advice or services, You should consult a medical professional. YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES DOES NOT CREATE A DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND MYFITNESSPAL.
    YOU HEREBY AGREE THAT, BEFORE USING THE SERVICES, YOU SHALL CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN, PARTICULARLY IF YOU ARE AT RISK FOR PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM EXERCISE OR CHANGES IN YOUR DIET.

    This is why they help set calorie goals, but they don't give you actual advice on weight loss or muscle gain.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Bottom line is , this site is marketed towards people who want to manage and lose their weight, not build muscle. That is one of the things this site lacks to be completely honest. They don't even have a section that explains BMI and the science of building muscle. You would think they would have that on here. It would be a good starting point. What do you see when this site shows people? Its always how much weight they have lost. You never have seen anything on a person who went from a skinny twig or overweight, to competing in their first bodybuilding competition.

    Naw bottom line is this..if you want to know bad enough you will find the answers yourself...not be spoon fed them.

    I wanted to know so I found out...how...looking for information, reading it, checking links, listening to those who have had success...

    And yes I have seen people who have gone from twig to muscled...on this site...why because I was interested enough to find them and didn't expect to be spoon fed it.

    Does this site provide the reader information on how to build muscle without having to search for it? No it does not. It does that for weight loss goals though. You go to your goals and put your settings in. Setting them to how much weight you want to lose a week and how much exercise you are going to do every day.

    This site could help people out the same way when it comes to building muscle. But they choose not to. I love this site, it was a big reason I lost 100 pounds. Now Im at a point along with many others who don't need to lose anymore weight and want to focus on building muscle. There is nothing when it comes to your settings to keep track of how much weight training you need to do each day, along with how much cardio, and how many macros you need to hit to build muscle. Not everyone is made the same. Building muscle is a science. This site is called "My Fitness Pal", not "My weight loss pal".

    Again - should this site also tell people how to improve cardiovasular fitness as well? That is also part of fitness, and a lot of people are interested in it and it is also important to health.

    Why can this site tell a person how much cardio per day and how many macros they need per day to lose weight. But it can't do the same thing when it comes to building muscle? Explain that to me. Why is that so hard ?

    It does not tell you how much cardio you need to do to lose weight. And the macro guidelines are hardly ideal.

    The vast majority of people here aren't looking to build muscle. Yes, there are people here who are (even bodybuilders), but they are this site is aimed at people who want to lose weight and that makes up majority of the users. Like others have said, the site allows you to account for gaining weight. There is even a gaining weight section in the forums. I don't understand why the site should provide you with all the info to build muscles, particularly when it is not the aim of the site to begin with.

    ETA - not to mention a lot of the "advice' this site provides is pretty crappy. From the macro breakdown to the blogs warning of the dangers of rice cakes. :indifferent:
    I'd prefer to find people on the forums who know what they are talking about for advice over some canned advice.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    I think it would be a good idea for this site. Many people once they lose weight start focusing on building muscle. If you go to reset your goals there is nothing available that tells you how to do it. By keeping track of your carbs, fats, protein and so forth according to your height, weight and exercise per day. Along with how much muscle you want to build.

    I wish the goals section would tell me how to be famous, wealthy, and attractive. I think that would be an even better idea.

    Do you work for My Fitness Pal?

    Why would it do that? That hast nothing to do with fitness. But building muscle is all about fitness is it not? Enough with the remarks that screams Defensive. I am sorry I came on here and called this website out for what it lacks. A simply setting that can tell you exactly the numbers you must reach with your macros according to your weight, height and how much exercise you do per day, to build healthy muscle. It does not provide that. Only provides an outlet for people who really want to lose weight and that's it.

    What a mean crowd today. Wow unbelievable.
    I can't believe I actually read through all of these replies. I clicked on this topic to find out more about strength training...

    what part of the title of this thread would have made you think this was the place to look for strength training?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    What do you think allows you to get six pack abs? Crunches? LOL

    Cmon man. Burning fat along with lifting gets you six pack abs. You have to do them both to get the right definition and to get the proper results. It goes hand in hand.
    cool. you want definition then not to necessarily build muscle. youre dragging stuff into this that has little to do with what we are talking about

    This guy is stronger and more muscular than you are. Are you going to tell me you know more than this guy? Tell me that with 100 % honesty. Because he disagrees with your opinion and beliefs.

    http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/cardio-max-strength-muscle-endurance

    you guys responding to this person realize that y'all gettin trolled, right?