He worked so hard that by his senior year, he was voted “best physique” of his graduating class. There’s a good handful of articles on Alan Ritchson’s workout routine as well, but only a couple have direct quotes and research from Ritchson himself. As you can see above, Alan Ritchson is another celebrity that believes in sustainability and allowing himself some cheat meals. «I made discipline a part of my life, and making my body do what I wanted it to do—there needs to be a high level of training and discipline if we want our bodies to do something unique,» he said. Before we list the foods included in Alan’s diet of 7 meals per day, let’s look at his favorites.
This is supplemented by conditioning work, from running to mixed-modal circuits. The father-of-three previously revealed his gym sessions tend to top out at 30 minutes, so efficiency is clearly a priority. In an ‘ask me anything’ interview on Reddit, Ritchson revealed he added strength training to his routine to bulk up his body to play the retired military officer. Standing at 6 foot 4 inches tall, Ritchson was already a big guy, who was in great shape before accepting the part but to convincingly play Reacher, he had to gain muscle. Holding an EZ bar overhead, bend your arms at the elbows, slowly lowering the bar towards the back of your head while keeping the upper arms locked in place.

How to do Alan Ritchson’s workout for ‘hypertrophy and longevity’
- Discover the training regimen that honed Alan Ritchson’s physique for his role as Jack Reacher.
- Like all diets and exercise regimes, it goes without saying that what worked for Alan Ritchson might not work for everyone else.
- Since squats aggravate his lower back, he takes a different approach to leg day.
- Still, he called getting in shape for Reacher a “full-time job,” telling Men’s Journal that he “was grinding it out five days a week for the eight months that we had to prep.” Um, ouch.
- Known for his role in Reacher, he follows a structured workout plan that builds muscle, power, and endurance while keeping him camera-ready.
- When he is bulking up and has to gain weight, the 40-year-old does not mind adding cheat meals to up the caloric intake.
However, higher reps may be gentler on your joints and better for metabolic conditioning. Determined to make a change, he took matters into his own hands. He began running to a nearby /fitness/products/apps/mad-muscles.htm practice field after school, where he started a simple bodyweight routine—a workout he still returns to today.
Record your weights and sets/reps every workout to track and ensure steady improvement in strength. Each muscle group was targeted twice a week, which proved to be more effective than the traditional bodybuilding split of once-per-week muscle training. By modelling my routine after this, I achieved significant muscle gains. Over the seasons, Alan significantly gained muscle mass for Jack Reacher, with even more muscle for the upcoming Season 2.
Love for training
Ritchson quickly emerged as a high-profile actor in Hollywood, thanks to his action-packed role in the Reacher television series. Army military police major with combat experience, who lives a drifter lifestyle, regularly getting entangled in criminal conspiracies. To meet the demands of this role, his health and athleticism have become crucial as he embodies Jack Reacher’s combat-ready physique.
EZ Bar Overhead Tricep Extension
Last week, Ritchson shared an image of a script for season four of Reacher, confirming there will be another instalment of the series. And he’s already putting the work in in the gym to get in shape for filming, after releasing a video showcasing him performing a giant set of barbell curls, overhead tricep extensions and upright rows. Supersets are a great way to maximize your session if you’re short on time. The most effective type of superset is the agonist-antagonist superset, where you pair opposing muscle groups, such as chest and back or biceps and triceps, for a powerful, time-efficient workout. You don’t have to spend all day in the gym to build muscle.
‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson Shares Intense Full-Body Day Workout Routine
Alan Ritchson likely takes a few supplements to help boost his fitness routine, keep his energy up, and commit to hard work in the mad muscles reviews gym each week. While we’ve done thorough research on the Alan Ritchson workout routine, this article does not contain his exact routine. It’s a compilation of his commentary, interviews he’s done, and information from experts in the industry. Adding a weighted vest increases muscle engagement, endurance, and overall strength. It mimics real-world resistance, making every exercise more challenging and effective—just like Ritchson’s Reacher training. Not everyone has access to a Hollywood trainer or hours to spend in the gym.
Speaking on the Kelly Clarkson Show, Ritchson revealed before the show, he was 205 pounds, so he had to seriously bulk out to play Jack Reacher. Below, we take a deep dive into his chosen workouts and nutrition plan, but we warn you now, some elements are far from conventional. Place your thumb on the same side of the bar as your fingers to increase peak contraction in the biceps at the top point of the movement.

Running has always been a prominent part of Alan Ritchson’s workout routine. Even before he started prepping up for Jack Reacher, he used to include running into his workout routine. Performing cardiovascular exercises was another important component of Alan Ritchson’s training routine. This was because the character of Jack Reacher was not only physically huge but also ripped.
Alan Ritchson Diet and Nutrition
Before stepping into Reacher’s shoes (or rather, boots), Ritchson was already making waves in Hollywood. You might remember him as Aquaman in Smallville, the ripped, wise-cracking Thad Castle in Blue Mountain State, or even Raphael in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. He’s always been in great shape, but bulking up for Reacher took his fitness to a whole new level.
Pull Ups
So, Ritchson had to match that image—no CGI, no body doubles, just pure hard work. We’ve compiled the knowledge and experience of ourentire team to create these 3 Free E-books that will helpyou lose fat and re-build your body from the ground up. Trying to get that many calories from protein can become a major struggle, and there are easier ways to keep your diet on track. So, our team spent a few days going through interviews and social media posts to see if we could find out how https://www.fightmatrix.com/2025/03/07/mad-muscles-review-2025-the-ultimate-fitness-app-for-strength-conditioning/ he achieved that muscular physique. This wobbly, single-leg warmup exercise is no weight, no equipment, and all glute. With the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days.
Press-ups

Complete as many rounds of the following circuit as possible in 30 minutes (or however long you have). That way if you ever find yourself fighting off five guys in a prison brawl, you know you’ll be prepared. Every routine featured is grounded in credible, publicly available sources — including interviews, biographies, podcasts, and personal writings — to ensure authenticity and accuracy.
Explore Similar Routines
Before beefing up to portray Jack Reacher on screen, Alan had a lean and athletic physique. To maintain his lean physique he used to rely on bodyweight exercises like pushups, pullups, dips, burpees, free squats, sit-ups, etc. ALAN RITCHSON’S DIET and fitness routine has changed a lot over the last couple of years. The actor only started training seriously with weights once he got the call that he’d been cast as swole action hero Jack Reacher.
The real requirement is you need to get the calories, proteins, and macros, so it was a conveyer belt of food. It’s a full-time job to get 4,500 calories and 300 grams of protein in your body. Alan Ritchson, best known for his role in “Reacher,” unveils his rigorous full-body workout routine in a recent YouTube video. Also, Fans eagerly anticipate his return as Jack Reacher in the series’ upcoming third season. To summarize, these five bodyweight movements provide an excellent full body workout and help build muscle as well as functional strength.
Alan Ritchson (Reacher) Program
While dips and push-ups work the upper body pushing muscles like chest, triceps and shoulders, pull-ups are a great back and builder. Sprints obviously improve lower body and cardiovascular strength. Alan Ritchson follows the typical bro split, hitting each muscle at least once a week for his training. He does five weekly workouts, including bodyweight routines and weight training, and utilizes supersets.