I looked at myself in the mirror and I wasn’t happy with what I saw.

I was still skinny.

Yes, I had managed to gain a bit of muscle in my arms, shoulders, and chest but I was still pretty damn skinny.

A wave of sadness took over me while I was moving my eyes up and down on my reflection in the mirror.

And this was everything I managed to achieve after 6 months of training? Pathetic.

Instead of getting bigger and stronger I was pretty much staying the same as before.

And the worst part was the fact that If I wore clothes nobody would even notice my hard work and sweat.

Sounds familiar?

So is calisthenics effective for skinny guys? Was the question that was bothering me

After my unfulfilling look in the mirror, I sat down on my chair and started to think about everything.

What was the thing that was making me stay skinny and small no matter what I did?

I had to find and fix it ASAP!

And I had to do if FAST….

Hi there, my name is Bozhidar and I’m the skinny dude who is NOT skinny anymore.

After a lot of trial and error, research, and knowledge I finally managed to pack around 20 lbs of solid muscle mass in a couple of months. (see the image below)

If you want to learn the whole story about how I gained a lot of weight and muscle by doing calisthenics keep reading till the end.

But before you do so I need to tell you something REALLY important…

Even if you follow this guide till the last step you will still most likely stay skinny and won’t be able to pack size and strength if you are not following a solid workout program and know the important basics about bodyweight training.

So in order to help you with that, I’ve decided to make our massive guide “How to Start Calisthenics: The Ultimate Guide” 100% FREE for a limited period of time…

Our guide contains a lot of information that you won’t find anywhere else so I highly recommend you to get it.

All you need to do is to enter your email below and I’m going to send it to you asap.

Here you go:

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But that’s not all!

In the next chapters you are also going to learn:

Is calisthenics for skinny guys? – Everything You Need To Know.
Is calisthenics for chubby guys?
How to gain weight with calisthenics? (Top 5 tips).
What to eat in order to gain weight.
How to work out if you want to pack some size.
What is the recommended equipment you should use?
What are the best supplements for bulking and muscle growth?
and much more

Ready to start?

Good, here we go…

Contents show

Is Calisthenics For Skinny Guys? – Everything You Need To Know

After seeing that all my efforts were fruitless and I wasn’t gaining any muscle or size I decided I had enough.

Clearly I was missing something important but this time I would try something new.

This time I was going to ask for help.

After explaining my frustrations to my buddies we all come up to the conclusion that my main problems were that I’m wasn’t eating enough food or working out properly.

Here’s how I remember our small chat:

“Wait, what? What do you mean by telling me that I don’t know what I’m doing?” – I asked

“Dude are you serious? You are working out for half a year and you’ve only gained like what 1-2 pounds? That’s really messed up.”

“It’s actually 3 pounds…” – I tried to make things little better

“2 or 3 – it’s the same. Look Bozhidar, I’m trying to help you so listen to me. A while ago I was just like you. I was doing calisthenics like you and no matter I tried It was very hard for me to pack muscle. But the 2 things that helped me the most to change that were eating a lot of food and having a solid workout plan. If you don’t want to be skinny anymore do the same exact 2 things.” – he continued

“You have a point. I could find a way to eat more calories every day but what about the workout plan. Can you recommend me something solid?” – I asked

“Yeah sure. I don’t know if you’ve heard about it but there is a famous workout plan called Bar Brothers The System. I’ve heard about it from many people that it’s really good and is probably going to be the perfect option for your situation so give it a try if you want”.

“Yeah, I’ve heard about the Bar Brothers but I didn’t know they have a plan. I would definitely check it out. Thanks a lot, man, you are a true saviour!”

And that short conversation changed everything.

Right after our conversation, I tried my best and focused entirely on these 2 things – nutrition and exercise.

And soon after that, I finally saw my first results.

It was amazing!

With the help of my brand new calisthenics workout program and new eating habits, I started to actually gain muscle and size.

I wasn’t going to win a competition but the results were there and that’s everything that mattered to me.

So if you are a skinny guy I highly recommend you to eat a lot of food and buy a solid workout program that is designed to help you get bigger and stronger in a short period of time.

If you want a tested calisthenics program you should check out Bar Brothers The System.

This is the program I personally followed for a couple of months that really helped me learn a lot.

All the workouts are really easy to understand and require no equipment except a pull-up bar or gymnastic rings.

If you want to learn more about it click here to read my complete in-depth program review <<.

Inside this post, you are going to see my results, experience, and thoughts about my whole journey from being skinny to getting jacked.

So Is Calisthenics Effective For Skinny Guys?

Absolutely! You can really build a lot of muscle, size, and strength only with the help of your bodyweight if you know what you are doing.

But in order to do so, you need to eat enough healthy foods every day, have a very good workout plan, and be consistent with everything.

Remember that calisthenics is not a fast and easy process to do but if you give your best and follow everything all day and night you are going to make it!

But before you see how to do everything let’s answer this very common question I got asked very often…

Is Calisthenics Good For Chubby Guys As Well?

Even if you might not be chubby or overweight by the time you are reading this I still recommend you to read this next short story because it could help you learn something useful for any relative or friend you may have.

Here’s my story about my friend George.

I have known George for many years and he was always little overweight.

He wasn’t a huge guy that could barely walk but he always had enough weight so he was feeling very ashamed of his body every time he had to take his shirt off.

And one day out of nowhere he came to me and asked me for some advice.

“Hey man, I’m really impressed with your results and I want to have a body like yours. Can you give me some advice about how I can do it? I really want to burn some fat and become ripped only by using my body weight. Is that possible?” – George asked me.

Of course I would help him.

After all if I wasn’t received help when I really needed it I would still be sad, skinny and miserable.

So the first thing we did was to calculate his daily calories, pick him some basic cardio workouts and give him some basic bodyweight exercises he could start with.

Side Note: If you are looking for a solid cardio fat burning program that takes only 10 minutes per day I highly recommend you to read my Anabolic Running 2.0 review. This was the program I used when I needed to do some cardio.

After we finished with everything George was ready.

This is what happened next…

I didn’t expect that but George was really killing it.

During his weight loss journey, he managed to lose a lot of weight, and not only that. He also built some muscle and increased his overall strength at the same time.

And everything happened in only after a couple of weeks.

It was insane.

I couldn’t believe my eyes how his face was changing while his double chin was melting away.

After a couple of months of hard work I couldn’t recognize George anymore.

He has lost a lot of weight and could now do 10 pull-ups without any problem.

He looked and felt like captain America right after he got out the machine…

And he did that only with the help of his body weight and my advice.

No gym membership. No expensive home gym equipment. No personal trainers.

Nothing except calisthenics and some basic equipment.

So Is Calisthenics For Chubby Guys?

Hell Yeah!

Calisthenics is effective for both chubby or skinny guys.

With enough calories, efficient cardio workouts and basic bodyweight exercises you can really burn a lot of weight, became lean and even built some muscle mass and strength during the process.

If my friend George could do it so can you!

Now let’s answer this one super important question…

Is Calisthenics The Right Choice For Me?

Let’s be honest for a second.

I don’t know you.

I don’t know you age, gender, experience, goals and dreams but I know one very important thing.

I know that calisthenics is the perfect choice for anybody because it’s free, doesn’t require expensive equipment, and can be done anywhere.

Why?

Because using your own body weight is one of the smartest and simplest things you can do.

If you combine a certain program with your bodyweight you can do anything!

You can build muscle, burn fat, increase endurance and strength, improve explosive power, become more athletic, etc.

The things you can achieve with calisthenics are endless.

With enough time, effort and money you can do anything you want.

So is calisthenics for me?

Calisthenics can be done by anybody.

Your body weight is enough to help you improve everything. You can get big, pack muscle, lose weight, become strong and learn amazing skills.

So what are you waiting for?

Include some basic bodyweight movements into your life and start working toward your goals.

With that being said we have reached the most important part of this whole post.

Here’s exactly what to do if you want to gain weight with the help of calisthenics…

How To Gain Weight and Muscle Mass With Calisthenics (Top 5 Things You Should Do)

Before we continue any further I want to tell you this:

Gaining weight and muscle with calisthenics is a hard and slow process but it’s possible.

You are going to have to do a lot of things, invest some money and get out of your comfort zone a lot but at the end of the day you are going to get what you really want.

You are going to get big and strong.

Here is exactly what are you going to need to do:

You are going to have to eat a lot of food
You are going to have a solid exercise program
You are going to have to include additional resistance
You man need additional supplements
You have to be patient and be persistent

Don’t worry doing all of that is not as difficult as it may look.

Things are really easy once you understand the basics.

Let’s begin with the most important tip of them all…

Step 1: Eat More Food Than Your Body Uses Daily

The simplest and most basic thing you can do in order to gain more weight is simply to eat a lot more food every day.

Yes, it sounds pretty obvious thing to do but this was my biggest downfall.

Let’s find out why…

Why should I eat a lot of food for calisthenics? Do I really have to?

Sadly you have no choice if you want to pack some serious weight and size.

Eating food is the most important thing for every muscle building fanatic.

Here’s a good example:

Even if you work out 3 hours per day, own the most expensive equipment you can find, and drink a lot of great supplements you still aren’t going to gain a pound if you don’t eat enough food.

That’s why food is so important.

It’s one of the key components of building muscle, strength, and size.

But how much to eat?

Let’s find out!

How much food should I eat in order to gain weight with calisthenics?

The amount of food you have to eat every day is going to be a lot different than the amount of food I have to consume.

That’s why it’s really important for you to calculate your individual amount by following these 2 steps.

Step 1: Find out how many calories you need to eat in order to keep up your current weight

Even if this is not the most accurate way to do it it’s still the fastest.

In order to find out the right amount, you would need to use an online calculator.

If you currently don’t have a clue about the right amount of calories you should eat click here to open this free online calculator

After that’s done, enter your current stats, click the button and remember or write down your number.

Once you are done continue to the next step.

Step 2: Find out how many calories you should eat to gain weight with calisthenics and not be skinny anymore

Once you know your basic number from the previous step you have to increase it by a certain percent.

Pick a number somewhere in the range of 10 up to 20%.

The bigger the number you pick, the more weight you will gain.

Example:

Let’s say I want to pack some muscle and I had found that I need to eat approximately 2500 calories every day in order to keep my current bodyweight.

But I’m tired of being skinny so I will increase that number by 20%.

In order to so I’m going to do the following maths equation:

2500 + 0.20 x 2500 (20% from 2500) = 2500 + 500 = 3000 calories

So in order for me to gain weight and not be skinny anymore I have to eat roughly around 3000 calories per day.

What you have to eat 3000 calories every single day? That’s a lot of food! How are going to manage it?

Good question, let’s find out…

How to eat a lot of food in a short amount of time?

The most efficient, fastest, and cheapest way to eat a lot of food is by using a process called meal prep.

This is my favorite way to prepare all my food I’m going to eat throughout the week only in a couple of hours.

But in order to do so, I have to buy all the foods in bulk, take some time to prepare them and separate them into equal portions inside solid food containers.

Here’s a quick video explaining you in-depth how to do a proper meal prep if you want to learn more:

But food is only a small fraction of the whole picture.

Here’s the second most important thing you don’t want to mess up…

Step 2: Have a Solid Calisthenics Exercise Program (And Use It)

Doing calisthenics without a solid exercise program is like trying to drive a car without gas.

It’s not going to get you anywhere.

Even if you eat enough calories and food every day you won’t get far if your workout routine is bad.

Let’s find out exactly why…

Why having a calisthenics exercise program is that important? Is it really necessary?

Even if you could probably find almost any exercise or movement on the web that doesn’t mean it’s good.

I wasted 6 months by following all sorts of crappy exercise programs I have found here and there.

And none of them worked.

That’s why it’s extremely important for you to have a solid program that is specially designed to improve your skills and help you become bigger and stronger.

But does such a thing even exist?

Luckily for you, it does and here’s how to get it…

How to find a solid calisthenics exercise program you can actually do?

Even if most exercises programs you can find on the web are complete junk there are still some really nice ones.

And the one I would recommend you try is called Bar Brothers The System.

*As I have told you earlier it’s quite a popular program…*

It cost $47 bucks but only after a couple of weeks of using it, you are going to see why it’s worth every penny.

With the help of this program, I managed to put in some muscle, learn new skills and improve my strength.

If you want to learn more details about Bar Brothers The System and how it could help you get big and strong I would recommend you read out my complete review by clicking here <<.

Are you still with me?

Good because we have just arrived at the third most important thing you must use in order to gain weight and size which is…

3. Focus on Additional Resistance

It’s not new information that in order for you to become bigger and stronger you should include additional resistance.

Especially if you are a skinny guy who wants to gain some weight.

Here’s why…

Why is this important? Why not use only bodyweight?

Before we continue I want to let you know that using additional resistance is not really necessary.

Yes, you can still get bigger and stronger without needing anything but you are very limited on the things you can achieve.

The main reason is that in time your muscles slowly adapt to everything you do.

Meaning those 20 push-ups you barely did 2 weeks ago are not going to cause you continuous chest growth.

And once your body adapts to your workouts and intensity it becomes nearly impossible to see any significant results without doing certain things.

Sure, you can always change things up, try different exercises or lower your rest time but the fastest and most efficient way for you to see great results is to simply increase the overall difficulty by adding extra resistance.

*Sorry Luke, I know you liked to do 50 reps…*

Damn, I always believed that I simply have to do more reps….

Let’s see how you can do that…

What additional resistance should I use for calisthenics?

There are a lot of ways you can increase your resistance in order to gain more size but these are the 3 most effectiveones I personally use:

1. Buy a set of Resistance Bands

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money and prefer something lightweight that you can easily carry around you won’t get wrong if you decide to buy a nice set of resistance bands.

These are my favorite way to make all my exercises harder literally anywhere.

I have used my bands at home, at a schoolyard, in the park, in the middle of the forest and even inside a hotel room.

And the beauty behind them is the fact that they come in various difficulty levels so you can very easily pick the right amount of resistance you need.

If you want to buy a nice set that won’t tear apart easily I highly recommend you to click here and check the ones I personally use.

My recommendation is to go after the biggest set because you are going to need all different bands.

2. Invest in a Weighted Vest

My second favorite way to increase the difficulty to all my calisthenics moves is to wear a weighted vest.

Even if wearing a weighted vest is not as convenient as using resistance bands it’s still one of the best and simplest ways to add extra resistance to your bodyweight exercises.

I find very useful to wear my vest during push-ups, pull-ups, dips, muscle-ups and bar hanging.

And this is only a small fraction of all the exercises you can do. You can literally use a weighted vest for any exercise you can think of.

If you are looking for a solid and adjustable weighted vest I would recommend you to check this one here. (the one I’m currently using)

It’s the one I personally use and it could do wonders for your progress if you know how to use it.

3. Own A set of Wooden Gymnastic Rings

If you have the option to buy only one piece of equipment please let it be gymnastic rings.

Owning a set of rings is hands down one of the smartest things you could ever do.

I haven’t seen any piece of equipment coming even close to the huge amount of different exercises you can do with rings.

Because of the way they work you can easily change the height and have the freedom to do pull-ups, dips, push-ups, l-sit, muscle-ups, leg raises, and much, much more.

And this is just a tiny fraction of everything you can do with them.

That’s why Ihighly recommend you to get yourself ones as fast as possible.

Trust me, gymnastic rings can really help you build a ton of muscle, balance, and strength in a very short period of time.

If you are looking for some affordable and well-made wooden rings I highly recommend you to check the ones I personally use by clicking here.

4. Use Additional Supplements With Your Nutrition

One of the biggest problems skinny guys have is consuming enough calories every day.

I know this problem too well because this was my main problem for a while.

But not anymore because now I use a couple of great supplements on a daily basis.

Supplements can really help you get all those macronutrients and extra calories into your body without the need to overfeed yourself with a bunch of food every hour.

But do you really need them? Let’s find out!

Do I really need to use supplements for calisthenics?

As I already told you supplements are not really necessary to have but if you can afford them I highly recommend you to buy some.

With the help of supplements, you can get huge amounts of calories, protein, fiber, additional energy, and strength in very tiny doses.

Yep, only with a couple of small and delicious spoons of powder you are going to give your body everything it needs.

That’s really important if you don’t like to cook a lot or carry around food containers.

I know that real organic food is always going to be better than something produced in a factory but at the end of day it’s not always the most convenient option.

That’s why you won’t make a mistake if you include one of these 3 supplements into your diet…

What are the best calisthenics supplements for skinny guys?

Yes, I know that there are hundreds of different types of supplements but not all of them can help you pack muscle and size.

That’s why I’ve selected the top 3 supplements that are going to help you get huge fast.

Here’s a closer look…

1. Use Protein Powder

From what I know protein powder is the most well-known supplement in the world.

And the reason why is because it’s simple and it works.

I’ve decided to place it in the number one spot because without consuming enough protein you are not going to build muscle.

And from the fact, I know that it’s not very easy to eat enough protein especially if you have to eat around 150 grams every single day.

But even if you don’t have any issues of consuming that amount you still won’t go wrong if you decide to go after this supplement.

The few tips I could give you is to aim for brands that have at least 20 grams of protein per serving and don’t use any fillers, artificial ingredients or things you have never heard about.

Here’s the one I’m currently using:

I have bought it because a friend recommended it to me and he wasn’t wrong. This protein powder has 24 grams of protein and offers you additional BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids).

If you want to check it out use this link here and make sure you get the chocolate flavor. It’s far better than the vanilla option.

2. Use A Weight Gainer

If you have to eat a ton of calories every single day then this supplement is a must-have.

Answer me this question:

Which is easier – to drink a shake which took you 1 minute to prepare or to cook a huge pot of chicken and rice and eat half of it?

The obvious winner is the shake because is much more convenient than the pot.

And that’s the main reason why you should buy a weight gainer if you are struggling of consuming enough calories every day.

By the time I’m writing this I’m currently trying to build more size and muscle and in order to do so, I have calculated that I must eat around 3300-3500 calories per day.

Yes I know – that’s a lot of calories.

And if I want to consume all those calories I would have to eat huge amount of food all day long which gets really annoying.

But instead of force-feeding myself I took the smarter and cheaper decision and bought myself a nice weight gainer.

Here’s the one I’m currently using:

And the cool thing is that with only 2 scoops of this powder I get around 1200 calories which is nearly 1/3 of my entire calorie intake for the day.

If you are in a similar dilemma and want to really build a lot of size I highly recommend you to include a weight gainer into your diet.

Don’t worry it usually costs below $50 and can last you for a couple of months.

If you are looking for a solid one I would recommend you to check mine from here.

So far I’m very happy with the taste and don’t have any issues with it.

3. Use Creatine

Even if creatine isn’t going to win a reward for extra calories that doesn’t mean you should avoid it.

As a matter a fact taking creatine before you workouts is like seeing your crush naked on your bed.

With its great benefits creatine is going to boost your energy levels and help you become more focused and strong.

And with your new energy levels you are going to improve your physical performance which will lead to more muscle mass and strength.

And that’s exactly why this is one of the best calisthenics supplements you can get.

I currently use this creatine and gives me plenty of energy but sadly it doesn’t come with a scoop so you would have to use your own.

But besides that, I’m really happy with the effects I get.

Click here if you want to take a close look at it on Amazon.

Man, you write a lot!

Yes, I know this article isn’t very short but stay with me because the final tip I’m going to share is the most important.

This is the determining factor if you are going to stay skinny or not…

5. Have patience and be persistent

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Your hair hasn’t grown in a day.

We are not gone to space with only day’s work.

Even if these examples suck a lot, the point I’m trying to make doesn’t.

Even if you own the best most expensive equipment, have every supplement imaginable and Superman himself is your personal trainer you still won’t gain even a gram of muscle if you are not patient enough.

*I really wanted to be a pesonal trainer…*

Man if I received a dollar for every time I saw somebody quit because of that I would probably have $50 bucks by now.

Why do you think all gyms are crowded in January but are almost empty a couple of weeks later?

Because people don’t have patience. They want the good body now. They want the six-pack abs and big chest right today.

I’m really sorry to tell you this but that’s not how things work.

Even if you take a bunch of steroids (which I don’t recommend) you are still going to need to kick your butt during your workouts for a decent amount of time.

So in order to win in this game called life, you need to be patient.

Yes, it may take you many weeks, months and even years to achieve your dream physique and skill set but in the end it’s all going to worth it once you are there.

Accept the truth as it is and learn what you can do in order to lower that time period.

Skinny Guys and Calisthenics: The Next Steps

Now you know that calisthenics is for skinny (and chubby) guys and how to use everything in your power to gain more weight and not be skinny anymore.

I know that there are a lot of things in this article and you are probably overwhelmed at this point but instead of trying to do everything pick only one thing and go for it!

And don’t forget that in order to gain some weight and size you need to eat a crapload of food, have a solid workout program, use the right equipment, take the necessary supplements and be patient.

If you follow all those things for a nice period of time you are guaranteed to see positive results.

But that’s not everything.

In order to make things easier for you I’ve prepared 3 simple and easy steps you can follow right now:

STEP 1:

If you already haven’t, enter your email below and get instant access to our massive FREE guide “How to Start Calisthenics: The Ultimate Guide“.

It’s packed with solid advice that is going to make sure you pack a lot of weight and muscle fast.

Here you go:

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STEP 2:

Check out my favorite workout plan for bodyweight workouts:

If you really want to speed up your results and get big and strong in the shortest amount of time I highly recommend you to check out my Bar Brothers The System review from here <<.

Really, check it, you won’t regret it.

STEP 3:

The last thing I highly recommend you do is to read even more great stuff about bodyweight training.

I know, I know you really like me and want even more good content so there is a surprise for you.

Here are a couple more interesting reads about calisthenics you are probably going to enjoy as well:

Here you go. I hope that is enough content for you.

Well, that’s all for this one.

Thank you very much for sticking around and reading my stuff.

It would make me really happy if you leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

And like always:

May the bars and rings are with you,

– Bozhidar

Is Calisthenics For Skinny Guys? Read This If You Are Skinny