6 Best Workouts For Skinny Guys + bonus tips

LAST UPDATED: December 6th, 2023

If people around you can’t notice some improvement since you started going to the gym, or they tell you that you are too skinny to put on muscle, maybe it’s time to make some changes and follow some good advice and try some of the best workouts for skinny guys.

We don’t have the same genetic predispositions, that’s true, but, that can be a good thing.

Men mostly want exercises to slim down and get more defined muscles, but some men are already skinny and need to gain muscle.

There are lots of guys who want to gain weight and increase muscle mass and they try different things to achieve that.

Although you may think that’s easy, trust me, building muscle is not as simple as it looks.

How to build muscle if you are skinny?

First, you need to pay attention to your diet and nutrition.

A high-protein food is a must to grow muscles and accomplish your goal.

Remember that you need food that’s high in protein like chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, tuna, sardines, greek yogurt, low-fat cheese, milk, eggs, etc.

For example, If you weigh 120 pounds you need to eat about 100 g of protein per day.

In addition, you need to have more meals and eat more calories.

A skinny person or an ectomorph should intake about 3,500 calories a day to increase muscle mass.

So, it’s easier to eat 5 meals (700 calories each) than 3 meals (1150 calories each).

This will prevent overwhelming your digestive tract.

However, for some guys, it’s hard to build muscle even though they exercise and eat the right food.

You need a good workout program and compound exercises that will help you get the body you have always wanted.

Rookies often make mistakes when they start going to the gym and do biceps exercises until failure, which results in disappointment and giving up.

That’s why I decided to write a workout program for ectomorphs who want to increase muscle and gain a few pounds healthily. [1]

Also, you’ll need a proper supplementation and the best supplement I’m suggesting to beginners and skinny guys to gain mass and muscle is D-bal.

How to work out to build muscle mass?

One of the most important things is to stay consistent and follow your routine to build muscle strength and encourage protein synthesis which leads to muscle hypertrophy.

Also, you will learn the right way to exercise and improve your skills when lifting heavy weights, and consistency is a good reminder to follow through with your goal and get the body that you want so badly.

Bear in mind that you should avoid isolation exercises in the beginning.

The key is to limit the number of exercises that are short and intense and include complex workouts.

A smaller number of exercises will make the recovery easier, plus you will spend less time in the gym and you can use that extra time to eat to increase mass.

Hence, focusing on isolation exercises makes your workout longer and it potentially stops you from getting good results.

Best Workouts for Skinny Guys to Build Muscle

1. Bench press

The bench press is an awesome exercise for your chest and it can help you build chest muscle and arm muscles in a short time.

Try to do fewer reps with heavier weights to speed up the process of gaining muscle.

One of the most popular chest exercises at the gym.

It’s a very good workout that will help you lose man boobs and build your chest.

How to do it?

Lift the bar with your shoulders width apart.

Be careful and make sure you do the exercise right to affect the triceps, shoulders, and chest.

I recommend 4 sets with 8 reps and 2 minutes break.

I suggest you try an incline bench press, too.

2. Pull-ups

Definitely, exercise you should include in your training program.

If you are skinny, you can probably do pull-ups more easily than some big guys.

So, don’t skip this exercise and make wider pull-ups to engage back muscles as well because they have a big impact on your overall look.

Doing pull-ups regularly can help you get the V-shape body most guys want.

You can try different variations like chin-up, close grip pull-up, or wide grip pull-up.

If you aren’t satisfied with your pull–up progression you can do some pull-up alternatives first, like wide grip pull-down, T-bar row or one-arm dumbbell row.

3. Leg press

This is an excellent exercise because it allows you to completely activate your thighs.

One of the best workouts for the legs.

This is a reverse squat.

If you have back problems this is the right exercise for you since classic squats strain your back.

It’s important to fully use the strength of your legs, otherwise, you will feel pain.

As with bench presses, you should do fewer reps with heavier weights and ensure you don’t exaggerate because knee injuries are quite common.

4. Triceps

This is an inevitable exercise if you want to strengthen your arms and build arm muscle.

The triceps is the larger arm muscle and if you increase it your arm will look bigger.

Overhead triceps dumbbell extension is one of the most popular exercises for triceps and there’s a good reason for that.

This exercise puts your triceps under a lot of pressure which leads to breaking down muscle fiber and increasing your muscles.

Grab the dumbbell, lift your arm, and bend your elbows.

Put the dumbbell down over your head and lift your arm upright.

5. Deadlift

Another great exercise to strengthen your back and increase your upper body.

Combining these exercises and some additional workouts I made a plan for increasing muscle mass in skinny guys.

One of the most popular strength and testosterone-boosting exercises.

If you are a gym rookie, then it’s best to do other exercises for a while to get in shape and then start deadlifting to avoid injuries.

6. Squats

A superior exercise when it comes to building your lower body.

You should include this workout in your strength training.

Squats include the anterior, medial, and posterior muscles of the thigh and the butt.

It activates almost every muscle in the legs.

You can try split squats and Bulgarian squats, too.

Best 7-day Workout Program for Skinny Guys

Choose not too heavy weights, but still a challenging load.

Gradually increase the weight as you progress.

Your one-week training routine should look like this, if you are a skinny guy:

Monday

• Barbell squat – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Leg press – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Dumbbell lunge – 8 reps, 3 sets

Tuesday

• Box jump – 5 reps, 3 sets
• Plank – 45 secs, 3 sets
• Trap bar deadlift – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Pull up (Chin-up) – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Dumbbell row – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Farmer’s walk – 50 steps, 3 sets

Wednesday

• Rest

Thursday

• Overhead medicine ball slam – 5 reps, 3 sets
• Front squat – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Incline close-grip press – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Bulgarian split squat – 8 reps, 3 sets

Friday

• Romanian deadlift – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Supinated grip bent-over row – 12 reps, 3 sets
• Pallof press – 8 reps, 3 sets
• Neutral grip lat pull – 8 reps, 3 sets

Saturday

• Sprint or light-intensity home workout with kettlebells.

Sunday

• Foam roller massage, stretching, and resting.

Supplements To Use If You Are Skinny

A strenuous workout means that your muscles need support.

That means vitamins, minerals, amino acids during the day, and creatine.

If you can’t intake enough protein then a protein powder, too.

You don’t need supplements if you want to take it slow and see where you at in 5-10 years.

Set your goals and don’t worry too much about what people say.

It’s essential to stick to your goals and be satisfied with your achievements.

If you want to gain muscle mass faster you should combine the above-mentioned tips with the best bodybuilding supplements.

And if you think I will show you a steroid that will build your body overnight then you are wrong.

I suggest taking only natural supplements.

The best supplement to increase muscle mass (and keep that muscle) is definitely D-bal.

D-bal is the best natural alternative to the steroid Dianabol (best for muscle mass).

Thanks to the mix of powerful ingredients D-bal increases nitrogen retention in your muscles.

Nitrogen is essential for protein synthesis.

D-bal is safe and effective.

You can read more about D-bal here.

Best Workouts for Skinny Guys – Bottom Line:

If you want to gain weight and boost muscle growth you should include the above-mentioned exercises in your workout plan.

Also, you should follow nutrition rules and eat high-protein foods, good carbs, and healthy fats.

When it comes to supplementation, you should use supplements only as an addition to a workout program.

I suggest taking only natural supplements for muscle gain if you want to avoid the harmful side effects that steroids have.