Muscle-Building for Skinny Guys
We Help Hardgainers, Skinny & Skinny-Fat Guys Bulk Up
For the past 12 years, we've specialized in helping skinny guys build muscle, get strong, and gain weight. People say it's a small niche, but if this bulk goes according to plan, we'll soon be the biggest community on the internet.
I'm Shane Duquette, and I gained 55 pounds in a little over two years. I was lucky. I had the help of my business partner, Marco Walker-Ng, BHSc, PTS, PN, a naturally thin strength coach who'd already gained 60 pounds. We also helped our other business partner, Jared Polowick, gain 50 pounds.
We're the founders of Bony to Beastly (for skinny men), Bony to Bombshell (for skinny women), and Outlift. We've helped over 10,000 skinny people build muscle, with clients ranging from college students to senior citizens, MDs to PhDs, and office workers all way the way up to college, professional, and Olympic athletes.
The proof is in the smoothie, too. We consistently get the best bulking transformations on the internet. Check out these muscle-building transformations from guys doing the Bony to Beastly Program.
Bigger, Stronger, & Fitter
Bony guys are defined by their scaffolding. We're here to help you fill out that frame with muscle, reaping all the long-term health and fitness benefits as you bulk up.
- Maybe you're a "hardgainer," where no matter how much you eat, you can't gain weight. You aren't crazy. There's genetic variation in stomach size, appetite, and metabolism. Many of us are genetically predisposed to thinness. We need to find a diet that suits us.
- Maybe you're an "ectomorph," with thinner wrists and narrower shoulders, worried your frame can't support muscle growth. We had that same fear. It isn't true. Thin guys tend to be able to build muscle faster than other body types.
- Maybe you're skinny-fat, getting bigger and smaller without ever getting leaner or stronger. That's frustrating. You're one of the rare few who eats the right amount of food, yet it's being stored as fat instead of muscle. We need to reverse that, and we can.
We're the Costco of muscle. You can find anything you want, but everything is in bulk. We write about how to eat a healthy weight-gain diet, how to train for muscle size, and how to live a lifestyle that supports muscle, strength, and overall fitness.
If you want us to walk you through the entire process of bulking up, check out our Bony to Beastly Program. We'll teach you everything you need to know, including diet, training, and lifestyle. We'll answer all your questions, give you feedback along the way, and support you through every step of the process.
We've also written hundreds of free articles about how to build muscle, eat a good diet, and live a healthy lifestyle. Feel free to drop a comment. I answer all of them.
Thin Genetics
Thin guys often have different genetics, giving us different struggles and goals and influencing how we eat, lift, and live.
- Why Are We Naturally Skinny?
- Why is it so Hard to Gain Weight?
- How Fast Can Skinny People Build Muscle?
- Do Skinny People Have Bad Muscle-Building Genetics?
- Do Skinny People Have Faster Metabolisms?
- Can You Be Skinny and Strong?
- How to Know If You're Skinny
- Is the "Ectomorph" Body Type Real?
- What Is Skinny Fatness?
- The Best Skinny Fat Workout, Diet, and Lifestyle
- Should Skinny Guys Use Mass Gainers?
The Art of Bulking
The only way to get bigger is to gain weight. The best way to gain weight is to prioritize muscle growth—to bulk. Nobody knows bulking better than we do.
- How to Bulk
- How to Dirty Bulk
- How to Clean Bulk
- How to Maingain
- What Are Newbie Gains?
- Does Bulking Make You Fat?
- How to Build Muscle FAST
- How to Build Muscle LEANLY
- How to Count Macros
- What's the Best Way to Bulk Up?
- How Long Should You Bulk For?
- What Bulking Results Can You Expect?
- How Fast Should Skinny Guys Gain Weight?
- Why Aren't You Gaining Weight in a Calorie Surplus?
- The Best Muscle-Building Programs for Skinny Guys
How to Train Your Muscles
One of the best ways to improve your results is to improve your training. The more muscle growth you can stimulate, the more calories your muscles will gobble up, leaving fewer to store as body fat. We'll show you how to stimulate more growth.
Plus, you may want to develop a certain muscle. Perhaps you're tired of having a thin neck, lanky arms, or a small chest. The best way to develop a specific muscle is to train it. We'll show you how.
- The Best Workout Routine for Skinny Beginners
- The Full-Body Workout Guide
- The Best Workout Splits for Building Muscle
- How Many Sets to Do Per Muscle
- How Many Reps to Do Per Set
- How Long to Rest Between Sets
- How Often to Lift Weights
- How Fast to Lift & Lower Weights
- How to Build Broader Shoulders
- How to Train Your Side Delts
- How to Build a Thicker Neck
- How to Build a Bigger Chest
- How to Build a Bigger Back
- How to Build Bigger Arms
- How to Build Bigger Forearms
- How to Build Bigger Abs
- How to Build a Bigger Jaw
How to Eat a Good Diet
It isn't hard to learn about how to eat a nutritious diet. However, most of that advice is for overweight people struggling to lose weight. We have the opposite problem. We need an abundant diet that's rich in calories and nutrients, supporting our health and muscle growth.
- How to Eat a Good Bulking Diet
- The Best Bulking Meals & Recipes
- How to Improve Digestion While Bulking
- How Many Calories Does it Take to Gain Weight
- How to Eat More Calories
- The Best Bulking Foods
- How to Make a Healthy, High-Calorie Bulking Smoothie
- How Much Protein Should You Eat at Breakfast?
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good For Building Muscle?
- Is Keto Good for Building Muscle?
How to Build Muscle at Home
Gyms are great, but you can build just as much muscle at home. I've bulked with adjustable dumbbells in my small apartment. Now I lift weights in my barbell home gym. In a pinch, you can even bulk with bodyweight workouts. You can use whatever you have, but be smart about it.
- How to Build a Dumbbell Home Gym
- How to Build a Barbell Home Gym
- How to Build Muscle with Bodyweight Workouts
- Calisthenics vs Weights for Building Muscle
- Are Resistance Bands Good for Building Muscle?
How to Improve Your Appearance
I know, I know. We're supposed to work out to develop our inner beauty and fortitude. But it doesn't hurt to look great while we do it. Most of the advice on the internet is either politically correct or distorted by the manosphere. That's why we've consulted with the top attractiveness researchers and conducted our own surveys.
How to Get Leaner, Fitter & Healthier
All of our articles consider health and fitness. We're not in the bodybuilding or powerlifting scene. We're part of the fitness industry. We're natural lifters who want to be strong, fit, and healthy. Still, there are two things naturally thin guys need to know:
- How to Cut
- How to Switch from Bulking to Cutting
- Should You Do Cardio While Bulking?
- Can Cardio Kill Muscle Gains?
- How to Maintain Your Gains After Bulking
- How to Estimate Your Body Fat Percentage
- Is Bulking Healthy?
Muscle-Building Supplements
Supplements are overrated but helpful. We don't sell supplements or use any affiliate links, keeping our supplement recommendations as unbiased as possible.
- The Best Muscle-Building Supplements for Skinny Guys
- How Well Does Creatine Actually Work?
- The Creatine Guide for Skinny Guys
- Can Collagen Help You Build Muscle?
- How Much Protein Powder Can You Have Per Day?
- The Best Time to Have a Protein Shake
Calculators
- Ideal Weight & Muscle Measurements Calculator: This calculator asks for your height, wrist circumference, and goal body fat percentage, then it tells you your ideal body weight and muscle measurements.
- Natural Muscular Potential Calculator: This calculator uses your height, wrist circumference, and ankle circumference to estimate how big you can build your muscles.
- Bulking Calorie Calculator: This calculator lets you pick how leanly or aggressively you want to bulk, includes macronutrient recommendations, and has an option for hardgainers (who have especially hellish metabolisms).
- Cutting Calorie Calculator: This calculator lets you pick how quickly you want to lose weight, includes macronutrient recommendations, and is optimized for gaining/maintaining muscle.
- Body Recomposition Calorie Calculator: This calculator gives you recommendations that will help you build muscle and burn fat at the same time.
- At-Home Body Fat Percentage Calculator (Navy Method): This method accounts for muscle growth, making it the easiest and best way to monitor your body fat percentage if you lift weights. All you need is a measuring tape.
- FFMI calculator: FFMI is like BMI except that it measures lean mass. It's how bodybuilders compare their muscularity with one another. An "athletic" FFMI is good enough for most people, though.
Kick back, relax, and enjoy some moderately heavy reading. We'll teach you everything you need to know to go from lean to mean, from stick to thick, from Bony to Beastly.
Our Recent Articles
How to Eat More Calories, Increase Your Appetite & Gain Weight
Most naturally thin people struggle to eat enough calories to gain weight. Usually, that’s a good thing. Our genetics help us avoid the obesity that plagues almost everyone else. But if you’re skinny, underweight, or trying to bulk up, then the same genetic advantages that keep you healthfully lean can…
Read MoreWhat’s an Ectomorph? Are Body Types Even Real?
An ectomorph is someone who is naturally slim. We tend to have thinner bone structures, fewer fat cells, and faster metabolisms. We’re often taller than average, with longer spines and limbs and proportionally smaller stomachs. I’m an ectomorph. I’ve also spent the past fifteen years helping other ectomorphs gain weight,…
Read MoreIs Intermittent Fasting Good for Bulking & Building Muscle?
Intermittent fasting is popular for weight loss. But what if you’re a skinny guy trying to bulk up? Can you use intermittent fasting to build muscle faster or more leanly? After all, intermittent fasting raises growth hormone production, which purportedly helps with muscle growth; it increases insulin sensitivity, which could…
Read MoreCan You Build Muscle On Keto? Most Research Says You Can’t
People have been using keto to lose weight for the past 200 years. For example, in the 1970s, it saw a surge in popularity because of the Atkins Diet, which started with a strict ketogenic phase. During that same time period, bodybuilders have leaned towards higher-carb diets. Conventional bulking diets get…
Read MoreWhy Am I So Skinny? Skinny Genetics Explained
I’m naturally skinny. Both of my parents were, too. My dad was nicknamed “Mop” because of his shaggy hair and stick-thin body. My mum was nicknamed “Lampshade” because of her bob haircut and flat figure. In my early twenties, I weighed 125 pounds at 6’2, with a BMI of 16.…
Read MoreDo Smoothies Cause Weight Gain?
Most research shows that calories are less filling when you drink them, making it easier to gain weight (systematic review). Maybe that’s because you don’t need to chew, you don’t spend as long eating, and the food doesn’t stay in your stomach as long (study, study, study). Smoothies aren’t like…
Read MoreHow Many Sets Should You Do Per Muscle Group Per Week?
The latest meta-analysis suggests you can maximize your rate of muscle growth with 10–20 sets per muscle group per week (Baz-Valle). That means in certain circumstances, you can expect to build as much muscle with 10 sets as 20. In other circumstances, going up to 20 sets could stimulate extra…
Read MoreDoes Blending Fruits Affect Their Fibre, Nutrients, or Sugar?
I’ve been asked a few times whether it’s healthy to blend fruits into smoothies. Usually, the concern is that blending breaks down the cellular structure of the fruit, releasing more sugar into your bloodstream and spiking your blood sugar. The opposite is true. I’ll explain that in a second. Another…
Read MoreHow to Build a Bigger Back: The Best Back Exercises & Workout
You can build a bigger back by doing a mix of horizontal pulls, vertical pulls, and deadlifts. Your back is made up of layers of overlapping muscles, all of which can work together, but many of which have different functions. You could divide your back into your upper back (traps,…
Read MoreIf none of these articles tickle your fancy, we've got dozens more.
Or if you're ready to start building muscle, check out our bulking program.