How to gain lean and functional muscle effectively

In reality, all muscle is lean muscle. So when people refer to gaining "lean" muscle, what they typically mean is gaining muscle with little to no body fat during the process. If someone is a new trainee, this is possible to do but as you get more experienced with training, one will likely gain some fat while also gaining muscle, since it's optimal to do so in a small calorie surplus.

In order to gain muscle, one of course needs to resistance train (ideally 3-5 times a week); most importantly, in a way that's challenging. They must prioritise making progress in their workouts, either by way of increasing the load or by increasing the intensity in some other way e.g. reps, speed (time under tension) etc. If one isn't training hard, it's difficult to optimise hypertrophy. Experts typically recommend 10–20 sets per muscle group per week, while hitting an intensity of 9/10 on most training days.

This training must be accompanied with proper nutrition, ensuring that one is consuming enough calories to build muscle and recover, especially when it comes to protein. Experts typically recommend 2-2.5g per kilogram body weight for most active trainees (split up across the day). There are many sources from poultry, fish and meat to eggs, paneer and tofu but if you are unable to meet your protein goals with regular food, a protein supplement can be very helpful.

Sheena Roy, certified nutrition coach, fitness expert, Myprotein says, “Contrary to what people believe, I believe carbohydrate intake is also very important as it functions as a primary fuel source. Pre and post workout carbs are especially beneficial to keep your energy levels up for working out.”

When it comes to supplementation, Fitness experts recommend creatine monohydrate for those serious about gaining muscle since it helps with the production of ATP and simply put, allows for that extra push in the gym. As mentioned earlier, a protein supplement can help those who find it difficult to meet their protein goals via regular food. It's also a convenient way to get in a serving of fast digesting protein quickly around your workout.

Lifestyle factors like sleep, stress, smoking, alcohol consumption etc. also have an effect on hypertrophy. Quitting them must be prioritised to ensure proper recovery and growth. It's important to remember that how much muscle one gains and how fast is influenced by genetics and age as well, so one should focus on consistency in their own journey and improving their training, diet and other lifestyle factors instead of comparing their results with others.