36 Best Dumbbell Exercises For Skinny Guys (to gain muscle)

Dumbbells are one of the best tools to build muscle and transform your skinny body. But with so many different movements, how do you know which ones to include in your workout program? In this post, I reveal the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to gain muscle and pack on lean mass.

Compound movements are the best dumbbell exercises for skinny people to build muscle. Examples include dumbbell presses, rows, squats, and deadlifts. Isolation-type movements like bicep curls and tricep extensions can also be performed to increase muscular definition.

Keep reading to find out the exercises you should be including in your dumbbell workouts for maximum muscle gains! All of the exercises mentioned in this post can be done in your home workout routine or at the gym.

The dumbbell exercises mentioned in this post helped me to transform my skinny body into a muscular physique.

Dumbbell Workout Generator For Skinny Guys

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Full-Body Dumbbell Workout For A Skinny Guy To Build Muscle

As a skinny guy, it’s completely possible to gain muscle with dumbbells only. However, it’s important to choose the right exercises and follow a structured workout program.

Before I get into the best dumbbell exercises to build muscle, here’s an example of a 30-minute full-body workout for skinny guys to build muscle:

• Goblet squat (legs): 3 sets x 12 reps.
• Flat dumbbell bench press (chest & triceps): 4 sets x 8 reps.
• Bent-over dumbbell row (back & biceps): 4 sets x 10 reps.
• Overhead dumbbell press (shoulders & triceps): 4 sets x 8 reps.
• Dumbbell deadlift (full-body): 3 sets x 12 reps.
• Dumbbell curl (biceps): 3 sets x 12 reps.

Note: it’s important to lift heavy and apply progressive overload to gain the maximum muscle growth (hypertrophy) benefits from this workout.

You can check out the full instructions in my dumbbell home workout plan here.

Best Dumbbell Exercises For Skinny Guys To Build Muscle

Generally speaking, compound dumbbell exercises are ideal for building strength and overall muscle mass fast. These are pushing, pulling, squatting, and lifting movements that engage multiple muscle groups through multiple joints within a single motion.

In contrast to compound exercises, isolation exercises such as bicep curls focus on single muscles in a single joint. Whilst these exercises are great for defining specific muscles, they are not ideal for building general body mass.

So if you’re a skinny beginner looking to maximize muscle growth, the compound dumbbell lifts should form the primary core of your dumbbell workout. Isolation lifts should be treated as secondary accessory exercises to complement your main lifts.

In support of this, a 2017 study demonstrated that compound and isolation movements can both build muscle, but the former is more efficient for building strength.

Thus, it is recommended to include both types of exercises in your workout program.

But split your program into 75% compound vs 25% isolation for the best muscle-building results. In other words, for every 3 compound lifts completed, you can do 1 isolation lift.

Next, I’ll share my favorite dumbbell exercises, categorized according to muscle group, for skinny guys to build muscle.

Dumbbell Arm Exercises For Skinny Guys

Dumbbells are ideal for building bigger arms due to their versatility and effectiveness at directly isolating the biceps and triceps with exercises like arm curls and extensions. Additionally, compound pulling and pushing movements such as the row and bench press also work the arms indirectly.

Here are the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to build bigger arm muscles.

1. Underhand Bicep Curl

How To Do It:

1. Stand or sit on a bench, holding a pair of dumbbells on either side.
2. Brace your body to prevent it from swinging, and keep the upper arms parallel with your torso.
3. Curl the dumbbells upwards with an underhand grip, stopping the motion when the dumbbells reach your shoulders.
4. Lower the dumbbells and repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The bicep curl is an isolation exercise that works all three of your bicep muscles (biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis).

Using an underhand grip emphasizes the biceps brachii. This helped me build a visible “bicep bulge”.

High-moderate rep ranges of 12-15 reps per set are ideal for arm isolation exercises like the bicep curl.

Additionally, you should make sure you’re using a weight that fatigues the biceps. For specific weight recommendations, you can check out my dumbbell curl strength standards.

2. Overhand Bicep Curl

How To Do It:

1. Hold the dumbbells on either side of your body.
2. Engage your core and make a slight bend at the knees to brace your body.
3. Curl the dumbbells up with an overhand-grip, stopping the movement once the dumbbells reach your shoulder-level.
4. Lower the dumbbells and repeat.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The overhand bicep curl is a great alternative to the traditional underhand bicep curl. Just like the underhand variation, the overhand curl engages all 3 bicep muscles. But the overhand grip shifts the emphasis onto your brachioradialis to thicken your forearms.

I wouldn’t dedicate too much time to this exercise because most of your compound lifts also work your forearms.

However, if you’re looking to build thicker forearms fast, then including 1-3 weekly sets of overhand curls can be beneficial.

3. Hammer Curl

How To Do It:

1. Stand or sit on a bench with dumbbells by your side.
2. Brace your core to prevent body-swinging, and keep the upper arms parallel to your torso.
3. Curl the dumbbells up with a neutral-grip (palms facing toward each other).
4. Lower the dumbbells and repeat.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The hammer curl is a hybrid of the over and underhand bicep curl.

It works all your individual bicep muscles with an emphasis on the brachioradialis and the outer region of the biceps brachii.

I found this to be a great exercise for developing volume in my outer arm and forearm, leading to overall thicker arms.

Note: this exercise replicates the movement of the lower arms during pull-ups. So if you’re doing pull-ups in your program then you can omit this exercise.

If you’re interested, you can check out my other article for cheap and effective dumbbell recommendations to do hammer curls at home.

4. Overhead Tricep Extension

How To Do It:

1. Hold a single dumbbell above the head by forming a diamond shape with your thumb and index finger, supporting the dumbbell on the flat of your palms.
2. Keep your elbows tucked inwards and lower the dumbbell behind the head.
3. Extend the dumbbell upwards once it reaches the small of your upper neck.
4. Lower the dumbbell and repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The tricep extension is an isolation-type exercise for the triceps. Your triceps are the largest muscle in your upper arm, making it an essential muscle to train if you want to grow huge arms!

As with bicep curls, tricep extensions are suited to moderate-high rep ranges using moderate weights. For weight recommendations, you can check out my dumbbell extension strength standards.

Strengthening your triceps can also help you lift to lift heavier weights on compound pressing movements like the bench press and shoulder press, which is ideal for sculpting the upper-body.

5. Tricep Kickback

How To Do It:

1. Stand with a pair of dumbbells held using a neutral-grip, on either side of your body.
2. Bend at the hips to angle your torso 45° to the floor.
3. Bring your upper arms backwards and keep them in this position.
4. Extend both forearms backwards through the elbow joint.
5. Flex the forearms to bring the dumbbells back down.
6. Repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The tricep kickback is another way to work the triceps.

Most people cannot lift as much weight on the kickback as the overhead tricep extension because their arms are in a deficit position in terms of leverage (holding the dumbbells in the kickback starting position is difficult since gravity is pulling your arms back down!).

But both exercises are effective tricep-builders, so find the one you’re most comfortable with!

6. Close-Grip Dumbbell Floor Press

How To Do It:

1. Lay on the floor and hold a pair of dumbbells vertically against your chest using a neutral-grip.
2. Extend your arms to press both dumbbells upwards (keeping the dumbbells together).
3. Lower the dumbbells and repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The close-grip dumbbell floor press is an awesome compound movement for targetting your triceps whilst simultaneously working your chest and front shoulders.

This dumbbell exercise helped me to improve general pressing strength which I found to be beneficial for a heavier bench press.

And as a skinny guy, building a heavier bench press is one of the simplest ways to gain upper-body mass and get a V-shaped body using dumbbells.

Dumbbell Chest Exercises For Skinny Guys

Bench press and fly variations are effective ways for skinny guys to build a bigger chest using dumbbells. Bench pressing is a great compound movement for developing overall chest strength, whilst flyes are an isolation-type movement that is effective for emphasizing pectoral volume and definition.

Here are the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to build their chest muscles.

7. Dumbbell Flat Bench Press

How To Do It:

1. Lay flat on a flat bench with a pair of dumbbells sitting on your upper thighs.
2. Kick the dumbbells up with your legs and stabilize them in the air as you lay on the bench.
3. Use a shoulder-width overhand grip to press the dumbbells upwards, whilst squeezing the pectorals together as they approach the top/
4. Lower the dumbbells back to chest-level and repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

As an ex-skinny guy, I found the bench press to be one of the best exercises to get jacked.

This exercise can be performed using a barbell or dumbbell.

The advantage of dumbbell pressing is the increased range of motion, greater pectoral stretch, and better muscle activation.

However, the downside is that less weight can be lifted on the dumbbell vs barbell press.

Overall, the bench press is commonly regarded as the king of chest-builders, engaging the pec major, pec minor, anterior deltoids, and triceps in one compound motion. The back and core are also engaged for stabilization.

You can check out my other post for dumbbell bench press strength standards.

8. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

How To Do It:

1. Lay on a 30° incline bench with a pair of dumbbells on your upper thighs.
2. Kick both dumbbells up and stabilize them in the air.
3. Using a shoulder-width overhand grip, press both dumbbells upwards, squeezing them together as they reach the top.
4. Lower the dumbbells to chest level and repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The incline bench press is an angled variation of the flat bench press.

It works the same chest muscles, but the emphasis shifts to your upper pectorals instead of the mid and lower pecs.

This helped me to gain volume and define my upper chest, which can be hard to achieve with just the flat bench press alone.

If you don’t have an adjustable bench, you can try my incline weight bench alternatives!

9. Decline Floor Press

How To Do It:

1. Lay flat on the floor with a pair of dumbbells held close to your chest.
2. Raise your hips and arch your back upwards so your torso is around 45° from the floor.
3. Press the dumbbells upwards with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
4. Lower the dumbbells to the chest line and repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

As with all bench press variations, the decline floor press is one of the best dumbbell chest exercises for skinny guys.

This bench-pressing variation emphasizes the lower pectorals. It helped me develop my chiseled and cut-look lower chest.

What I love most about this variation is that it allows you to press extremely heavy weights. This can get you accustomed to heavy lifting which is essential for skinny guys to build muscle.

10. Flat Chest Fly

How To Do It:

1. Lay on a flat bench with a pair of dumbbells resting on your thighs.
2. Kick the dumbbells up with your legs and stabilize them in the air with a neutral grip.
3. Lower the dumbbells to either side by using a downward arcing motion.
4. Arc the dumbbells back up once your upper arms reach chest-level.
5. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

If you’re a skinny guy, you may already have a degree of pectoral definition that you’d like to keep and even make more visible.

The dumbbell flat chest fly is an isolation-type exercise that can help you do just that.

It specifically targets the pectorals.

And unlike the bench press, the fly is particularly effective at engaging the inner pectoral cleft when you use a moderate weight and perform controlled reps.

A bench isn’t essential for performing this movement, and you can try the floor fly if you don’t have a weight bench.

However, laying on a bench helps you achieve a greater range of motion and pectoral stretch, which benefits muscle growth.

11. Dumbbell Cross Over

How To Do It:

1. Stand and hold a pair of dumbbells on either side.
2. Bring one dumbbell up towards your opposite shoulder in an upward arcing motion.
3. Lower the dumbbell once it comes in line with your opposite shoulder.
4. Repeat using the other dumbbell.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The dumbbell crossover is a variation of the flat chest fly. But instead of engaging your mid pecs, the emphasis shifts to your upper pecs.

It’s one of my favorite dumbbell chest exercises for skinny guys who do not have a weight bench.

I’d recommend using a light weight to start and focus on controlling the movement. Then progressively add more weight as you become stronger.

A good pair of heavy adjustable dumbbells are ideal for skinny guys to bench press, fly, and do the crossover at home.

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Tired of being underweight? You can check out my other article for 11 tips to stop being a skinny person!

12. Dumbbell Pullover

How To Do It:

1. Prop your upper back on a bench or a chair and plant your feet on the ground.
2. Hold a single dumbbell by forming a diamond shape with your index fingers and thumbs, resting the dumbbell on the flat of your palms.
3. Lower the dumbbell behind your head in a downward arcing motion.
4. Raise the dumbbell back up once it goes below the head-line.
5. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The dumbbell pullover is a compound-type lift that not only works the pectorals, but also the latissimus dorsi on your back, and the triceps on your arms.

This makes it a great exercise if you’re a skinny guy looking to build a V-tapered upper body!

Overall, it’s one of my favorite alternative dumbbell exercises to do once in while to keep things interesting. But really, you should focus n the bench press, row, and pull-up for the fastest gains.

Dumbbell Shoulder Exercises For Skinny Guys

Dumbbells are an effective way for skinny guys to build broader shoulders. Vertical pressing movements work all three shoulder muscles including the anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids. Additionally, shoulder-raise exercises can also isolate specific deltoid regions.

Here are the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to build bigger shoulder muscles.

13. Standing Overhead Press

How To Do It:

1. Stand with a pair of dumbbells on either side of your body.
2. Prop both dumbbells up at shoulder-level, using an overhand grip.
3. Press both dumbbells vertically upwards.
4. Lower the dumbbells just before your elbows become fully extended.
5. Repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

I’d always struggled with a stick-thin and weak-looking physique as a skinny guy. This was largely due to my underdeveloped shoulders.

The overhead press was an instrumental dumbbell exercise for transforming my shoulders and building a strong V-taper as a skinny guy.

It’s a compound-type lift that primarily activates the anterior deltoids, lateral deltoids, and triceps. But the upper pecs and posterior deltoids are also engaged as stabilizing muscles.

You can do this overhead press seated or standing. I prefer the seated variation because it requires less core stabilization and this allows you to press heavier weights (for more details check out my seated vs standing dumbbell shoulder press strength standards comparison)

14. Hammer-Grip Shoulder Press

How To Do It:

1. Assume the traditional overhead press position, with a pair of dumbbells at shoulder-level and held using a neutral-grip.
2. Bring your arms closer to your torso midline to form a narrow pressing position.
3. Press both dumbbells upwards and stop just before the elbows become fully extended.
4. Lower the dumbbells and repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Shoulder pain is a common problem for skinny beginners when they perform pressing exercises. It mainly occurs due to improper form and weak shoulder joints.

I found the hammer-grip shoulder press to be an awesome beginner-friendly alternative to the traditional overhead press.

The neutral-grip (palms facing inwards) prevents internal rotation of the shoulders, relieves pressure from the joint, and helps skinny beginners press more comfortably.

However, the neutral grip also shifts tension away from the lateral deltoids and more towards the anterior deltoids.

Therefore I recommend you transition to the traditional overhead press as soon as you can to facilitate overall shoulder development.

15. Dumbbell Lateral Raise

How To Do It:

1. Stand with a pair of dumbbells on either side of your legs.
2. Simultaneously raise both dumbbells in an outward arcing motion, away from the torso.
3. Lower the dumbbells once they reach a shoulder-level height.
4. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

If you’re a skinny guy looking for maximum growth in your shoulders, you need to target all three deltoid heads as much as possible.

Whilst the shoulder press is a compound movement that hits all three deltoid heads, most of the tension is placed on the anterior (front delts).

This means you should incorporate other exercises to work the lateral (side) and posterior (rear) delts for the best muscle-growth benefits.

This is where the dumbbell lateral raise shines. This exercise specifically isolates tension onto the lateral delts. And this will help you to build 3d-looking shoulders.

Overall, it’s one of the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to develop broader shoulders.

I recommend working in the 12-15 rep range using a suitable weight (check out my other post for lateral raise strength standards).

16. Dumbbell Front Raise

How To Do It:

1. Hold a pair of dumbbells on both sides of your torso with a neutral-grip.
2. Raise both dumbbells upwards and to your front, keeping your arms straight.
3. Lower both dumbbells when they approach shoulder-level.
4. Repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The front raise is an isolation-type exercise that mainly works the anterior deltoids.

This can be beneficial for skinny guys in two ways:

1. Bigger anterior delts contribute to a pronounced V-shaped body.
2. Stronger anterior delts help you to bench press heavier weights for upper-body development.

Note: skinny guys who are already doing enough dumbbell bench pressing and overhead pressing do not need to perform these exercises since the anterior delts will receive enough stimulation already.

17. External Rotation With Dumbbells

How To Do It:

1. Hold a dumbbell and have it pointing up with your elbows at a 90° angle supported by a stable surface.
2. Rotate the upper arm to bring the dumbbell down in a forward arcing motion.
3. Rotate the upper arm in the opposite direction to bring the dumbbell back up.
4. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

External rotations train your shoulder rotator cuffs.

These muscles don’t provide noticeable aesthetic benefits, they WILL strengthen your shoulder joints.

Why is this important?

Skinny guys typically have weak shoulders, and this can be a severely limiting factor in many of the compound upper-body exercises.

Doing dumbbell external rotations can therefore help you build stronger shoulders and develop your other mass-building exercises, like rows and presses. But they are not essential for skinny guys to include.

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If you’re new to weight training, you may be interested in my Skinny Guy’s guide to starting the gym.

18. Dumbbell High Pull

How To Do It:

1. Stand and hold a pair of dumbbells in front of you, using an overhand-grip.
2. Pull both dumbbells vertically upwards.
3. Stop when the dumbbells reach your nipple-line.
4. Lower the dumbbells and repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Dumbbell high pulls are one of the few exercises that skinny guys can do to work the upper back and shoulder at the same time.

It’s a compound movement that targets the traps, deltoids, and biceps.

The high pull can be a great alternative to the overhead press to keep your shoulder workouts interesting.

Dumbbell Ab Exercises For Skinny Guys

Bodyweight exercises including the sit-up, crunch, leg raise, and side bend are typically performed to target the abdominal muscles. Intensity can be increased by simply holding a dumbbell. This can increase abdominal muscle activation and lead to greater muscle growth benefits.

Here are the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to build visibly defined abs.

Note: direct ab workouts aren’t essential if you’re performing enough compound movements since these exercises also engage the core. However, skinny guys who are looking to build a ripped core should do direct ab training.

19. Dumbbell-Weighted Crunch

How To Do It:

1. Lay on the floor and hold a dumbbell to your chest.
2. Simultaneously bring your legs and shoulders towards your body’s midline
3. Lower your legs and shoulders.
4. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The weighted-crunch is a simple exercise that engages all your core muscles, including the ab and lower back.

Not only will this help you to develop an ab definition, but a more stable lower back can also help you to lift heavier weights on the other major compound exercises such as the deadlift and bent-over row.

You can add a rotation at the top of the movement to target the obliques.

I like to do 3-4 sets of dumbbell-weighted ab crunches at the end of a compound workout to finish my abs!

20. Dumbbell Side-Bend

How To Do It:

1. Stand and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Lower one dumbbell by bending your torso at the hips.
3. Revert to the standing position once your torso reaches its maximum range of motion.
4. Repeat for the other side.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

I found the dumbbell side-bend to be a highly effective exercise to isolate the external and internal obliques. These abdominal muscles are often forgotten about, but they’re important for building a ripped-looking core.

When your obliques become defined, you will get the coveted “wings” that radiate from the side of the abs.

Strong obliques also strengthen your core and help stabilize many of the other muscle-building compound lifts.

21. Leg Raise

How To Do It:

1. Prop yourself up on a power tower, hang from a pull-up bar, or lay on a bench.
2. Use your legs to clasp a dumbbell firmly between the thighs or calves.
3. Raise the dumbbell upwards by bringing your knees towards the torso midline.
4. Lower the dumbbell and repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

As a beginner, the lower ab muscles can be notoriously difficult to isolate and define without machines.

This is because your lower abs are responsible for bringing your legs toward your belly, and there are only a handful of conventional dumbbell exercises that you can do that put sufficient tension on your lower abs.

I found the dumbbell leg raise to be one of the most effective.

You can do the leg raise hanging from a bar or lying on a bench or floor. The latter is more beginner-friendly since you it doesn’t require upper body strength to suspend yourself in the lifting position.

22. Dumbbell V-Up

How To Do It:

1. Lie flat on the ground and use your feet to clasp a dumbbell by its handle.
2. Simultaneously bring the feet and hands together, meeting above abs.
3. Lower the arms and feet after they touch above your abs.
4. Repeat for sets.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Weighted V-ups are a good alternative to the leg raise for hitting your lower abs. It’s a hybrid between sit-ups and leg raises.

The leg portion of the exercise replicates the same movement as the leg raise. But you also bring your chest towards your knees to target the upper abs.

I found the dumbbell V-up to be a great beginner-friendly ab exercise you can do with dumbbells to start working the abs as a skinny guy.

23. Kneeling Reverse Wood Chop

How To Do It:

1. Grab a dumbbell with both hands.
2. Take one knee to the ground and plant your other foot forward.
3. Swing the dumbbell upwards and towards the shoulder of your opposite side.
4. Bring the dumbbell back down and repeat for reps.
5. Do the same for both sides.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The cable wood chop is a popular bodybuilding exercise to target the core with an emphasis on the obliques. This helps you gain muscle definition around rib cage, where your abdominals meet the ribs.

However, it’s ineffective with dumbbells since tension can only be produced against gravity, and the standard wood chop movement follows the direction of gravity.

This is where the reverse wood chop becomes effective.

Bringing the dumbbell up (rather than down) in a twisting motion puts greater tension on the obliques and abs.

24. Dumbbell Russian Twist

How To Do It:

1. Sit on the floor, plant both feet on the ground, and use both hands to hold either end of the dumbbell.
2. Lean backward and hold the dumbbell in front of your chest using straight arms.
3. Keeping your arms straight, bring the dumbbell to your side by rotating your torso.
4. Bring the dumbbell back to the centreline and repeat for the other side.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

I found the Russian twist to be a great alternative dumbbell core exercise to get shredded abs as a skinny guy.

Core twist movements in general are a great way to target the obliques and build muscle around the ribs. However, it’s hard to create tension with standing dumbbell core twisting movements.

Why?

Gravity works to pull the dumbbell downward, whereas a standing dumbbell core twist moves the dumbbell side to side.

By sitting on the floor and leaning backward, you create greater tension on the abs.

Dumbbell Back Exercises For Skinny Guys

Dumbbells are one of the best ways to develop a wider and thicker back. Horizontal pulling, rowing, and fly movements activate all of the major back muscles including the lats, rear delts, trapezius, and rhomboids.

Here are the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to build a bigger back.

25. Overhand Bent-Over Row

How To Do It:

1. Stand with a slight bend in the knees and your back angled 30-45° to the floor.
2. Grab two dumbbells with each hand and hold them by your knees using an overhand-grip.
3. Retract your shoulder blades, engage the core, and stick your buttocks out to create a stable starting position.
4. Pull both dumbbells towards your belly button and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
5. Lower the dumbbells and repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

As an ex-skinny guy, I dreamed of building a broad V-shaped back. But I just didn’t know the best exercises to do or even which V-shape muscles to target.

As a result, my physique remained stick-thin and pencil-like.

Rowing variations, along with pull-ups, were key to exploding my back and developing a strong V-tapered look.

My favorite thing about dumbbell rows is the sheer variety of ways to grip the dumbbells to emphasize different regions of the back.

The standard shoulder-width overhand dumbbell row is great for hitting all of your back muscles for balanced back development and building a strong V-taper.

Regardless of your chosen row variation, it’s important to lift heavy for the best muscle-gain benefits. For more information, you can check out my dumbbell row strength standards.

26. Underhand Bent-Over Row

How To Do It:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells using an underhand-grip, one in each hand.
2. Bend your knees and angle your back 30-45° to the floor.
3. Pull the dumbbells towards your belly button.
4. Lower the dumbbells when they reach your abdomen.
5. Repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

If you’re a skinny beginner who is new to lifting weights, you may find it difficult to lift heavy on the overhand row. And this can hamper your efforts to build muscle.

I find it easier to lift heavy weights by switching to the underhand row.

The underhand variation requires less grip strength and recruits your biceps to a greater degree, helping you to lift the dumbbell.

Additionally, this is also an awesome dumbbell exercise to grow your back and build bigger biceps at the same time!

27. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

How To Do It:

1. Grab a single dumbbell with one hand, using a neutral-grip.
2. Bend the knees slightly and angle your torso 30-45° to the ground.
3. Plant your free-hand and knee onto a bench or chair for stabilization.
4. Pull the dumbbell towards your shoulder.
5. Lower the dumbbell once it reaches the shoulder.
6. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

As a beginner, you may find it difficult to maintain a rigid torso and good lifting form during the bent-over row.

And this can negatively impact your muscle-building efforts since you won’t be able to lift as much weight as you would be able to otherwise.

A weak lower back and core is one of the most common reasons why this happens.

The one-arm dumbbell row is an effective solution to this problem.

By using one arm to support your body, you can focus on lifting heavier weights. This makes the one-arm dumbbell row one of the best exercises for skinny guys to build a bigger back.

28. Dumbbell T-Bar Row

How To Do It:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells with both hands, using a neutral grip (holding the dumbbells tightly together).
2. Bend your knees and angle your back 45° to the floor.
3. Pull both dumbbells toward the center of your chest.
4. Lower the dumbbells after they touch your chest.
5. Repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

The lats are some of the most coveted and easiest muscles to build. But only if you target them with the right exercises.

Whilst all row variations will hit your lats to some degree, some variations are better than others.

The T-bar row is one of the most effective dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to work the lats.

A narrow hammer grip allows the dumbbells to drop deeper at the bottom of the row. And this creates a greater stretch in your lats.

29. Reverse Fly

How To Do It:

1. Grab two dumbbells with a neutral-grip.
2. Bend your knees and angle your torso parallel to the ground (stick out your buttocks to help you counterbalance).
3. Raise both dumbbells by arcing both arms outwards and upwards.
4. Lower the dumbbells after you reach the maximum range of motion.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Rows are great for building overall mass in your back. But if you’re looking to add definition to each individual back muscle, then you need to isolate them with specific movements.

Reverse flyes are one the best exercises you can do to isolate the rhomboids and posterior delts.

Building these muscles will help to fill your upper torso and build a thicker back.

Note: this can be a difficult exercise for beginners so it’s important to use a lighter weight to begin. You can check out my other post for reverse fly strength standards.

30. Dumbbell Shrugs

How To Do It:

1. Hold two dumbbells on either side of your body.
2. Raise both of your shoulders upwards and backward in a shrugging motion.
3. Lower both dumbbells when you reach your maximum range of motion.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Ever noticed how people who are jacked always have large traps? Building bigger traps is key to transforming a skinny-looking body into one that looks powerful.

Most of your compound pulling movements such as rows and deadlifts will hit your traps. But to build the biggest traps possible, it’s best to isolate them with shrugging movements.

This can be easily performed using dumbbells.

I like to include 1-3 sets of dumbbell shrugs alongside my compound pulling movements to target lagging traps and get the “flared neck” look.

Dumbbell Arm Exercises For Skinny Guys

Squats, deadlifts, and lunges can be performed using dumbbells to build bigger legs. These compound movements work all of the lower body muscles including the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, and calves.

Here are the best dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to build a powerful lower body.

31. Goblet Squat

How To Do It:

1. Clasp a single dumbbell with both hands, using the palms of both hands to support the dumbbell.
2. Tuck your elbows close to your torso.
3. Lower your body by bending the knees and pushing your hips back.
4. Stop when the hips go below the knees.
5. Drive upwards whilst extending your hips.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Squats can be difficult and intimidating for a skinny beginner. That’s why many people avoid doing them.

But this is a big mistake if you’re looking to achieve a skinny-to-muscle transformation.

Squats are an essential leg-builder that engages all of your lower body muscles. And I recommend all skinny guys include at least one squatting variation in their workout program for the best physique development.

I found the goblet squat to be the ideal way to squat as a beginner for two reasons.

Firstly, squatting with dumbbells is generally safer than with a barbell. Secondly, holding the weight with both hands in front of you is less intimidating than propping the weight on your back.

Overall, goblet squats are one of my favorite dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to practice form, build confidence, and start building leg muscle.

I recommend starting with a weight that challenges you for 8-10 reps (you can check out my other post for goblet squat strength standards).

You may also be interested in my other post for more details on why skinny guys should squat.

32. Pistol Squat

How To Do It:

1. Hold a dumbbell tight to the chest.
2. Lift one leg off the floor, and use the standing leg to lower your body towards the floor.
3. Drive back up when you have reached your maximum range of motion (this will vary between experience levels, so don’t be embarrassed about doing half-pistol squats!).
4. Repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Heavy squats are the fastest way for skinny guys to build leg muscle. But the issue with dumbbell training is the weight limitation (there are only so heavy dumbbells that can go).

This isn’t so much an issue for beginners since it’s easier for newbies to build muscle, and lifting any sort of weight is usually sufficient to promote hypertrophy.

But the more you train the stronger you get. And with enough time, you’ll outgrow the maximum weight of your dumbbells.

This is where pistol squats shine. It’s a unilateral exercise, meaning you squat on only one leg. This essentially doubles the weight you are squatting.

It’s one of the most challenging squats for skinny guys to perform, but it’s a great way to maximize results from a light dumbbell.

33. Dumbbell Deadlift

How To Do It:

1. Place two dumbbells on the floor with handles running inline with each other.
2. Lower yourself to grab the dumbbells by bending your knees, pushing your hips back, and keeping your back straight and 45° to the ground.
3. Use an overhand grip to grab both dumbbells.
4. Lift the dumbbells from the ground by extending your knees, keeping your back straight, and thrusting your hips forward.
5. Lower the dumbbells and repeat for repetitions.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

As an ex-skinny guy, I wanted to know what was the best exercise to build full-body muscle and strength fast.

Well, the deadlift is just that.

There are many benefits of deadlifting for skinny guys, the main one being it’s a full-body movement that allows you to lift the heaviest weights possible.

And as you know, heavy lifting is the quickest way to get bigger and stronger fast as a skinny guy.

In one movement, the deadlift engages all the muscles in your lower body, back, core, and shoulders. This makes it a potent muscle-building exercise that should be included in every skinny guy’s muscle-building arsenal.

You can check out my dumbbell deadlift standards to find out how much weight you should be lifting for the greatest hypertrophy benefits.

34. Nordic Ham Curl With Dumbbells

How To Do It:

1. Kneel onto the ground.
2. Secure your feet by hooking your heels to a loaded-barbell, or bench, or having a training partner hold them.
3. Slowly lower your torso towards the ground in a downward arcing motion.
4. Bring your torso back when your torso goes just past 45° to the ground.
5. Repeat for reps.
6. Hold a light dumbbell against your chest once you have mastered your own body weight.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Developing your hamstrings is important for increasing functional lower-body strength as well as building powerful-looking legs.

Whilst squats are good for working your hamstrings, they aren’t as effective as isolation-type movements like leg curls. But leg curls (which are usually done on machines) are difficult to perform effectively using dumbbells.

The Nordic ham curl is an effective bodyweight exercise to isolate the hamstrings. You can increase the intensity by holding a dumbbell against your chest and driving further muscle gains.

It’s a difficult exercise. But it’s well worth it if you’re looking to transform skinny legs into muscular legs.

35. Dumbbell Lunge

How To Do It:

1. Hold a pair of dumbbells on either side of your body.
2. Take a wide step forward with a leading foot and plant it securely onto the ground, keeping most of your weight on the leading foot.
3. Lower the body downwards and forwards by bending the leading knee, until the rear knee reaches just above the ground.
4. Drive upwards and backward with the leading leg.
5. Switch stances to repeat the movement with the other leg.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Squats are an effective way to build overall bigger and stronger legs.

But if you’re looking for a compound movement that emphasizes the posterior chain muscles (glutes and hamstrings), then the dumbbell lunge is a much better alternative.

As an ex-skinny guy, I focused on squats as my main leg-builder and added 1-3 weekly sets of dumbbell lunges to target my hams and glutes.

36. Dumbbell Calf-Raise

How To Do It:

1. Hold a pair of dumbbells on either side of your body.
2. Stand on the ledge of a low-standing platform (e.g. a stack of barbell plates), with the heels hanging off the edge. Alternatively, just stand on the floor (this gives you a smaller range of motion).
3. Raise your body by going on your tiptoes.
4. Lower yourself back down.
5. Repeat for reps.

Why It’s A Great Dumbbell Exercise For Skinny Guys:

Speaking from experience, the calf muscles are a common weak point in a skinny guy’s physique.

Although compound leg movements such as squats, deadlifts, and lunges will work the calves to a degree, it’s usually insufficient for maximal calf growth.

As a result, muscle growth can lag.

This is not ideal since strong calves are important for functional squatting strength as well as for developing proportionate legs.

Dumbbell calf-raises are one of the best exercises for skinny guys to specifically isolate the calves.

How Skinny Guys Can Do These Dumbbell Exercises At Home

Using dumbbells to build muscle as a skinny guy does not necessarily require a gym membership. All of the movements shared on this post can be performed using a simple dumbbell home setup.

I use the following home gym equipment:

1) Moderate-Heavy Dumbbells

Most people don’t have the room at home or the budget for a full set of fixed-weighted dumbbells. If this sounds like you, then adjustable dumbbells are ideal.

This type of dumbbell contains multiple weight settings packed into a single dumbbell unit. You can then turn a switch to quickly choose your desired weight.

Overall, adjustable dumbbells save you a lot of space and time.

Furthermore, there is a multitude of options for heavy adjustable dumbbells that provide enough weight for skinny guys to build an impressive amount of muscle at home.

Having tried all the main adjustable dumbbell brands, I can say that the PowerBlock Elite EXPs (link for my full review) are my favourite.

They have an unconventional block shape but they are comfortable and easy to use and pack a range of weight increments.

The base model goes from 2.5lbs (1kg) up to 50lbs (24kg) with the ability to be expanded up to 90lbs (45kg) with the addon kits. This is more than enough weight to build an impressive amount of muscle and increase strength at home.

2) Adjustable Weight Bench

Beginners often wonder: do I need a weight bench?

The simple answer: a weight bench isn’t essential. There are enough bench-free exercises you can perform to build an impressive body at home.

However, a bench is essential for bench pressing. And this is one of the best exercises for a skinny guy to get jacked using dumbbells. You can also use a bench to support your body and target your muscles at different angles.

You don’t even need an expensive bench. A mid-range model is sufficient.

I use the Flybird adjustable bench (link for my full review). It’s affordable, works great with the Powerblock dumbbells, and can also be folded and stowed away after a workout.

It’s also fully adjustable with incline and decline angles to unlock the full range of dumbbell exercises you can do at home.

Dumbbell Exercise FAQ’s

Here are some common questions about dumbbell training.

“Can A Skinny Person Use Dumbbells?”

Skinny people can use dumbbells. They are versatile weight that is popularly used by beginners and advanced lifters alike. However, it is essential to choose the correct weight range to lift. This will help to ensure an effective workout and decrease the risk of injury.

“What Are Dumbbell Exercises Good For?”

Dumbbell exercises are a popular form of resistance training, and different exercises can be performed to target all muscle groups in your body. To gain muscle and develop strength with dumbbells, you should stay within 6 to 12 repetitions per set, for each exercise.

You can read my other article to find out if home dumbbells are worth the money

“Can You Build Muscle With Dumbbells Only?”

Building muscle requires resistance training combined with a caloric surplus diet, making dumbbells suitable for building muscle. Dumbbells are also extremely versatile and can be used to target every muscle in the body. But you should choose dumbbells that are heavy enough for your goals.

“How Heavy Should Dumbbells Be To Gain Muscle?”

Dumbbell weight should be chosen according to your training level. A pair of 50-pound dumbbells weighing 100 pounds in total will be suitable for a skinny beginner to gain up to 15+ pounds of muscle in 1 to 3 years, depending on training frequency and commitment.

After this period, you may want to upgrade your dumbbell weight or invest in a barbell.

Training Level	Recommended Dumbbell Weight-Range	Estimated Rate Of Muscle-Gain
Beginner (1 to 12 months of casual training)	2.5 to 55 pounds per dumbbell.	2 to 3 pounds per month.
Intermediate (1 to 4 years of training)	7.5 to 70 pounds per dumbbell.	1 to 2 pounds per month.
Advanced (5+ years training)	10 to 90 pounds per dumbbell.	0 to .25 pounds per month.

It would help if you also bought a range of low-high dumbbell weights to allow for smooth progression. For example, a dumbbell weight range of 2.5 to 55 pounds means buying a set of weights between 2.5 to 55 pounds, at 5-pound increments. This is most conveniently achieved with adjustable dumbbells.

For more information, you can check out my other post to find out what dumbbell weight you should use to build muscle!

Conclusion

I’ve shared the best compound and isolation-type dumbbell exercises for skinny guys to build muscle. You can start incorporating these movements into your workout routine right away. Alternatively, you can try my example dumbbell workouts!

You may also be interested in the downloadable Kalibre Blueprint PDF which details exactly how I gained 40lbs of lean muscle (it’s 100% free!). It details the exact exercises and nutrition (with printables) I used to go from skinny to ripped!