Alan Ritchson's rise to stardom seemingly came out of nowhere. He unceremoniously appeared on our screens, like Jack Reacher wandering into a random town. The reality is he's been gracing our screens for over 15 years. But not with the physique that he is known for on Reacher.
Alan wasn't always a 6'3, two hundred and forty-pound ass-kicker. In fact, he was a late bloomer and got bullied in high school.
But those bullies are at least partially responsible for the man we see today. To quiet the haters, Ritchson took to the gym. He worked so hard that by his senior year, he was voted "best physique" of his graduating class. It didn't stop there.
As he went from small project to small project in Hollywood, his physique remained a large part of who he was. However, that took on an entirely new meaning when he landed the role of Jack Reacher. At the time, he was a lean 205lbs. The
problem was that the producers wanted him to be much bigger than that. Well, Alan went back to work. By the time filming started, he had added 35 pounds of muscle. How did he do it?
In this article, we examine the Alan Ritchson Workout and Diet Plan in-depth, revealing the secrets behind his Jack
Reacher-sized physique. We uncover his weekly training program, the specific nutrition strategy for bulking up, and a few other aspects of Ritchson's approach to fitness. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Alan Ritchson Workout Routine
Alan has always been pretty muscular, but as mentioned, he had to take his physique to a new level to play Jack Reacher. Surprisingly, before Reacher, Alan did mostly a calisthenics-based workout routine. Although pushups,
pullups, and the like are excellent exercises (and underrated), you need to pump some serious iron to pack on 30+ pounds of muscle.
So, what do you do when you need to get jacked? Look to the people who have it mastered: bodybuilders. One glance at Alan's program, and you will notice it's a traditional bodybuilding split. He hits each muscle group once a week, typically Monday through Friday. The workouts are quick, only taking about 30
minutes.
Monday: Chest
*Smith Machine Incline Press: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Smith Machine Flat Press: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Smith Machine Decline Press: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Low Pulley Cable Chest Fly: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Pushup: 1-2 sets to failure
*20 Minutes of HIIT Cardio
Alan starts his week with the prototypical chest day. A massive chest is a big part of the Reacher look, so chest training has to be a
priority. He spends most of the workout in the Smith Machine - beginning with an incline press, then dropping the bench flat, and eventually down to a decline. On a good day, he does 100 reps of each. After the three pressing movements, he moves onto a low pulley cable fly before ending with one or two sets of pushups to failure.
Tuesday: Back
*Pullup: 4 sets x failure
*Cable Row: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Lat Pulldown: 3 sets x 15-25
reps
*Dumbbell Row: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Cable Lat Extension: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Run a few miles on a treadmill
Day two is a back day. The workout starts with four sets of pullups to failure. Alan is a huge fan of bodyweight movements. From there, he does two cable exercises. The cable row is a standing row variation from a low pulley attachment—picture a T-bar row position. For the lat pulldown, you have multiple options. You can do the standard wide grip,
neutral grip, narrow reverse grip, or one arm at a time. Finish with a standard one-arm dumbbell row and a cable lat extension with a rope handle.
Wednesday: Legs and Abs
*Dumbbell Lunge: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Dumbbell Split Squat:3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Leg Extension: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Leg Curl: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Leg Raise: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Sit-ups: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*10 Minutes of Sled Pushes and
Pulls
Wednesday is all about the lower body and abs. This workout is a lower back-friendly leg day with no squats or deadlift variations. Alan can't do squats because they aggravate his lower back, so he has to get creative. Although squats and deadlifts are great exercises, you can build big legs without them. Don't let the single-leg exercises blind you to their difficulty. Starting the workout with lunges and split squats is no joke. After that, Alan super sets leg
extensions and leg curls back to back before finishing up with abs and cardio.
Thursday: Shoulders
*Smith Machine Shoulder Press: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Standing Cable Shoulder Press: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Cable Lateral Raise: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Cable Facepull: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets x 15-25 reps
*20 Minutes of HIIT Cardio
You can't look tough without big shoulders—that's just a fact.
Alan starts his shoulder workout with a seated Smith Machine press and a two-hand standing cable press. The cable press is unique. He stands in front of the cable stack and presses up and forward at a steep incline angle. I'm sure he gets a little upper chest activation there, too. After those two movements, your front delts will be on fire. Next, he does a superset on the cables of lateral raises followed by facepulls. Last but not least, a few sets of shrugs to help build those monster
traps.
Friday: Arms
*Rope Triceps Pressdown and Overhead Extension: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Rope Hammer Curl: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Dumbbell Hammer Grip Bench Press: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Dumbbell Skull Crusher: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*EZ Bar Curls: 4 sets x 21's [7 reps at the bottom, seven reps at the top, and seven full-range reps]
*EZ Bar Overhead Triceps Extensions: 4 sets x 15-25 reps
*Bodyweight Dips: 1-2 sets x
failure
*Run a few miles on a treadmill
The last workout of the week is critical. It's the key to unlocking big, impressive Jack Reacher-sized arms. And big arms are not just a sign of strength. They're a statement. You can't play a tough guy in a TV show without giant pipes.
Alan's arm workout consists of several supersets, grouping biceps and triceps. The first superset is kind of a triset. He does cable triceps pressdowns, immediately followed by
overhead extensions. I say kind of a triset because he does these two movements almost like they are one exercise. After that, he drops the cable attachment and does rope hammer curls. From there, he groups two dumbbell triceps exercises together before grabbing an EZ bar for another biceps and triceps superset. For the EZ bar curls, he does them old-school 21 style - seven reps from the bottom to halfway, seven reps from halfway to the top, and then seven full range of motion reps. Remember
when I said he loves bodyweight exercises? He finishes his arm workout with bodyweight dips to failure.
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