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Exercises

Exercises for skinny guys: compound lifts that add size

Published October 29, 2026

The best exercises for skinny guys are compound lifts that let you add weight for months: the back squat and goblet squat, the Romanian deadlift, the bench press, push-ups and dips for the chest, chin-ups, lat pulldowns and one-arm rows for the back, and the dumbbell shoulder press and lateral raise for wider shoulders, with curls and overhead triceps extensions for arms. Do three full-body sessions a week, 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps per lift, stop each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure, and add weight or reps every week. Pair it with a calorie surplus: lifting builds the muscle, but you need the extra food to grow it.

  1. Barbell Back Squat Quads, Glutes, Adductors
  2. Barbell Bench Press Chest
  3. Romanian Deadlift Hamstrings, Glutes
  4. Chin-Up Lats
  5. Chest Dip Chest, Triceps
  6. One-Arm Dumbbell Row Lats, Upper Back
  7. Dumbbell Shoulder Press Shoulders
  8. Dumbbell Lateral Raise Shoulders

Squats for the most muscle per set

Leg training adds the most total muscle, and skinny guys tend to skip it. Squat heavy once a week and with a dumbbell once a week.

Thighs, glutes and trunk, squat

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

The squat trains the largest muscles you have and lets you add 5 pounds a session for your first few months of lifting.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar across your upper back below the neck, hands just outside your shoulders, and unrack it.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes turned out a little.
  3. Breathe in, tighten your stomach as if bracing for a punch, and sit down between your heels.
  4. Stand back up keeping your chest and hips rising together.

Cues

  • Breathe and brace
  • Chest and hips rise together
  • Whole-foot pressure

Common mistakes

  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: lighten the bar and keep your chest rising with them.
  • Letting the stomach go soft between reps: re-brace at the top of each one.

Swap for: Front Squat, Box Squat

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Thighs and glutes, dumbbell squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

The goblet squat is the squat for home training and the second leg day. It builds the quads hard with sets of 10 to 15.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
  2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
  3. Stand up tall.

Cues

  • Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom.
  • Chest stays up behind the weight.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the weight pull you forward.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

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Romanian deadlift for the back of the body

One hinge builds the hamstrings, glutes and lower back. It also builds the muscles that hold you upright, which changes how big you look from the side.

Hamstrings, glutes and back, hinge

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The Romanian deadlift adds muscle to the hamstrings and glutes and thickens the lower back, with less fatigue than a full deadlift.

How to do it

  1. Stand with a barbell at your thighs, hands just outside your legs, feet under your hips.
  2. Soften your knees and push your hips back, sliding the bar down your thighs.
  3. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched, usually just below the knee, with your back flat.
  4. Push your hips forward to stand up, glutes tight at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back
  • Bar stays on your legs
  • Back flat

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees into a squat: keep them soft and still.
  • Reaching for the floor: stop where your back would round.

Swap for: Weighted Back Extension

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Chest: bench, push-ups and dips

A bigger chest is often what skinny guys want most. A heavy bench, push-ups at home and dips for the lower chest and triceps cover it.

Chest, shoulders and triceps, press

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

The bench press is the heaviest upper-body lift you can do and the main lift for chest size and pressing strength. Use safety arms or a spotter.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar, feet planted, and squeeze your shoulder blades back and down into the pad.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width, unrack it, and hold it over your shoulders with locked elbows.
  3. Lower the bar to your lower chest, around nipple height, with your elbows angled roughly 45 to 70 degrees from your sides.
  4. Touch your chest without bouncing, then press the bar up and slightly back until it is over your shoulders again.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades stay pinned
  • Bar to the nipple line
  • Drive your feet into the floor

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides: let them sit a bit closer to your ribs so your shoulders stay comfortable.
  • Lifting your hips off the bench to finish a rep: keep your glutes down and count that rep as your last.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Smith Machine Bench Press, Machine Chest Press

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Chest and triceps, body weight

Push-Up

Chest

Push-ups build the chest at home with no gear, and because you weigh little, sets of 20 come quickly. Elevate your feet or add a pause when they do.

How to do it

  1. Set your hands slightly wider than your shoulders with your body straight from head to heels.
  2. Lower until your chest nearly touches the floor, elbows at about 45 degrees.
  3. Press back up to straight arms.

Cues

  • One straight line
  • Elbows angled back

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them toward your ribs.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Incline Push-Up, Push-Up Plus

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Lower chest and triceps, dip

Chest Dip

Chest, Triceps

Dips load the lower chest and triceps with your body weight and are easy to add weight to with a belt. Lean forward slightly to keep it on the chest.

How to do it

  1. Grip parallel bars and step or jump up until your arms are straight and you are holding yourself above the bars.
  2. Lean your chest slightly forward with your legs under you or a little behind.
  3. Bend your elbows to sink down until your upper arms are about level with the bars.
  4. Press back up to straight arms and lock out.

Cues

  • Shoulders down, chest proud
  • Slight forward lean
  • Lock out every rep

Common mistakes

  • Sinking so deep your shoulders ache: stop when your upper arms reach the level of the bars.
  • Swinging your legs to get up: keep them still and end the set when you need momentum.

Swap for: Machine Chest Dip, Close-Grip Push-Up, Decline Push-Up

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Back: chin-ups, pulldowns and rows

A wide, thick back makes your waist look smaller and your frame broader. Combine a vertical pull with a heavy row.

Lats and biceps, vertical pull

Chin-Up

Lats

Light body weight is an advantage here: most skinny guys can get chin-ups early, and the palms-up grip trains the biceps hard too.

How to do it

  1. Hang from the bar with your palms toward you and hands shoulder-width.
  2. Pull your elbows down and back until your chin is over the bar.
  3. Lower to a full hang with straight arms.
  4. Keep your legs quiet and your body still between reps.

Cues

  • Palms toward you
  • Chin over the bar
  • Dead hang at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Kipping or kicking to finish: stop the set when you cannot pull cleanly.
  • Half reps at the top: straighten your arms fully every time.

Swap for: Close-Grip Chin-Up, Assisted Pull-Up

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Lats and biceps, pulldown

Lat Pulldown

Lats

The pulldown lets you train the back at a precise weight and push sets closer to failure than chin-ups allow. Use it for higher reps.

How to do it

  1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
  2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
  3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

  • Elbows to your back pockets
  • Bar to the top of the chest
  • Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
  • Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Chin-Up, Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

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Upper back and lats, row

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

The one-arm row lets you pull a heavy dumbbell through a long range, which builds back thickness. It works at home and in the gym.

How to do it

  1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
  3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
  4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow to your hip
  • Back flat as a table
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
  • Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.

Swap for: Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row

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Shoulders and arms

Side delts and arms are small muscles that change your look fast. Press for strength, then add raises, curls and triceps work for size.

Shoulders and triceps, press

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Shoulders

The seated dumbbell press builds the front and side shoulders, which add width to a narrow frame.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench upright or one notch back from vertical, sit with your feet flat, and rest a dumbbell on each thigh.
  2. Kick one knee up at a time to bring the dumbbells to shoulder height, then set your back against the pad.
  3. Turn your elbows slightly forward so they sit a little in front of your torso, palms facing forward or angled in.
  4. Drive both weights overhead on a slight inward arc until your elbows are straight, keeping your ribs down and your back on the pad.
  5. Lower slowly until the dumbbells are around ear height or a bit below, then press again.

Cues

  • Ribs down, back on the pad
  • Elbows a little forward
  • Press up and slightly in

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back off the pad to finish reps: that turns it into an incline press, so lighten the weight and keep your ribs stacked over your hips.
  • Flaring the elbows straight out at shoulder height: bring them a little forward so the shoulder joint stays comfortable at the bottom.
  • Stopping each rep well above your ears: lower to around ear height so the delts work through a full range.

Swap for: Barbell Overhead Press, Machine Shoulder Press, Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Shoulder Press

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Side shoulders, raise

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Lateral raises target the side of the shoulder, the muscle that makes your upper body look wider. Use light weights for 12 to 20 reps.

How to do it

  1. Pick light dumbbells you can raise for 12 clean reps, and stand with your feet hip width apart, the weights hanging by your thighs.
  2. Lean your chest forward a few degrees, pull your shoulders down away from your ears and soften your elbows.
  3. Sweep the weights out and slightly forward, leading with your elbows, until your upper arms are level with your shoulders.
  4. Hold that top position for a beat, then take two to three seconds to lower until the dumbbells are a hand's width from your thighs.
  5. Start the next rep from there without resting at the bottom or bouncing out of it.

Cues

  • Elbows lead, hands follow
  • Shoulders down, neck long
  • Push the weights out, not up

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the weight up: if your shoulders rise toward your ears, drop to lighter dumbbells and stop each rep where your upper arm is level.
  • Swinging the torso to start each rep: brace, stand still and keep the first inch of the lift as slow as the rest.
  • Bending the elbows more and more as the set goes on: set the bend on rep one and keep it, or the lever shortens and the set gets easier without you noticing.

Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise, Machine Lateral Raise, Band Lateral Raise

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Biceps, curl

EZ-Bar Curl

Biceps

The EZ bar lets you curl more weight than dumbbells with a comfortable wrist angle. It goes up in small, steady steps, which is what arm growth needs.

How to do it

  1. Grip the angled parts of the bar with palms slightly turned in.
  2. Curl the bar toward your chest while the upper arms stay still.
  3. Lower until your arms are straight.

Cues

  • Upper arms still
  • Finish with straight arms

Common mistakes

  • Cutting the bottom short: every rep starts with straight elbows.

Swap for: Barbell Curl, Preacher Curl, Cable Curl

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Triceps, overhead

Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

Triceps

The triceps make up more of the upper arm than the biceps, and the overhead position trains the long head that presses and dips do not fully reach.

How to do it

  1. Sit tall on a chair and lift one dumbbell overhead, both hands under the top plate.
  2. Bend your elbows to bring the weight down behind your neck, upper arms close to your head.
  3. Feel the stretch, then press it back up to straight arms.
  4. Keep your back from arching as you press.

Cues

  • Elbows forward
  • Weight behind your neck
  • Ribs stay down

Common mistakes

  • Elbows drifting out to the sides: keep them pointed ahead.
  • Short lowering: take it as deep as your shoulders allow.

Swap for: Kettlebell Overhead Triceps Extension, Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

Gym beginner: three full-body days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets42 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Dumbbells, EZ Bar +2

You are new to lifting or have never stuck with a plan, you can get to a gym three days a week, and you want to add muscle quickly.

Alternating A and B across three days gives each muscle about 6 to 9 hard sets a week, which is plenty for a new lifter. The heavy barbell lifts come first, when you are fresh. Plan on an hour per session.

A: Squat and bench
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 3 min
Barbell Bench Press2 warm-up sets first 3 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
EZ-Bar Curl 2 × 8–12 1 1 min

Open A: Squat and bench in the session builder

B: Hinge and chin-up
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Romanian Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Chin-Up 3 × 5–10 1 2 min
Chest Dip 3 × 6–12 1 90 s
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open B: Hinge and chin-up in the session builder

How to run it
Run A and B in turn on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or any three days with rest between.
How to progress
Add 5 pounds to the squat and bench every session you hit all sets at the top of the range with 1 to 2 reps left. On everything else, use double progression. If your weight is not going up on the scale, eat more before you add more training.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

At home: dumbbells and a chin-up bar

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets54 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Pull-Up Bar

You train at home with adjustable dumbbells, a doorway chin-up bar and the floor, and want to build muscle without a gym.

With dumbbells, the goblet squat, rows and presses still give each muscle about 9 sets a week across three sessions. Push-ups and chin-ups use body weight, which is light for you, so add reps and pauses before anything else.

Full body at home
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–15 1 2 min
A1 Push-Up 3 × 10–25 1 1 min
A2 One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Chin-Up 3 × 5–12 1 2 min
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension 2 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Do the same session three times a week on non-consecutive days. Superset the push-ups and rows to finish in about 45 minutes.
How to progress
When the goblet squat reaches 15 reps at 1 rep in reserve, hold the dumbbell for a slower descent or move up a size. Push-ups move to feet elevated at 25 reps.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Four days to build chest, shoulders and arms

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets43 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Pull-Up Bar, Dumbbells +3

You have lifted for six months or more, your legs are coming along, and you want more upper-body size.

The two upper days, plus the row on Lower B, give the back 10 hard sets a week and the chest and shoulders 7 each, with every press also working the other. The arms get 6 direct sets on top of all that pressing and pulling, and the legs get 13 to keep growing.

Upper A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Bench Press2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 2:30 min
Chin-Up 4 × 5–10 1 2 min
Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 × 12–20 0 1 min
EZ-Bar Curl 3 × 8–12 1 1 min

Open Upper A in the session builder

Lower A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Back Squat3 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–10 2 2 min

Open Lower A in the session builder

Upper B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dumbbell Shoulder Press1 warm-up set first 4 × 8–12 1 90 s
Lat Pulldown 3 × 10–12 1 90 s
Chest Dip 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension 3 × 10–15 0 1 min

Open Upper B in the session builder

Lower B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat 3 × 10–15 1 2 min
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
One-Arm Dumbbell RowPer arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s

Open Lower B in the session builder

How to run it
Train Upper A, Lower A, rest, Upper B, Lower B, then two rest days.
How to progress
Add weight on the bench and squat at the top of the range with 2 reps in reserve. Push isolation exercises to 1 or 0 reps in reserve on the last set, and add reps before weight.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do skinny guys bulk up?

Lift three or four days a week with compound exercises, add weight or reps every week, and eat in a calorie surplus with plenty of protein. Most skinny guys under-eat more than they under-train.

Can a skinny guy bulk up in 3 months?

Three months of consistent training and eating is enough for a visible change, especially in the shoulders, chest and arms. How much depends mostly on how much weight you gain over that time.

What is the best workout for skinny guys?

A full-body routine three days a week built on the squat, bench press, Romanian deadlift, chin-up, row and shoulder press. The gym plan on this page is that routine.

Should skinny guys do cardio?

A little, for health. Keep it to one or two short, easy sessions a week, and eat a bit more on those days.

What drink builds muscle fast?

No drink builds muscle by itself. A shake of milk, protein powder, oats and peanut butter is an easy way for skinny guys to add several hundred calories and a good dose of protein between meals.