Alan Ritchson’s rise to stardom seemingly got here out of nowhere. He unceremoniously appeared on our screens, like Jack Reacher wandering right into a random town.
The fact is, he’s been gracing our screens for over 15 years. But not with the physique that he is understood for on Reacher.
Alan wasn’t at all times a 6’3, 200 and forty-pound ass-kicker. The truth is, he was a late bloomer and got bullied in highschool. But those bullies are at the least partially accountable for the person we see today.
To quiet the haters, Ritchson took to the gym. He worked so hard that by his senior 12 months, 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 big a part of who he was. Nonetheless, that took on a completely recent meaning when he landed the role of Jack Reacher.
On the time, he was a lean 205lbs. The issue was that the producers wanted him to be much larger than that. Well, Alan went back to work. By the point filming began, he had added 35 kilos of muscle. How did he do it?
On this article, we examine the Alan Ritchson Workout and Weight loss plan Plan in-depth, revealing the secrets behind his Jack Reacher-sized physique. We uncover his weekly training program, the particular nutrition strategy for bulking up, and just a few other elements of Ritchson’s approach to fitness. Sit back, chill out, and luxuriate in.
Alan Ritchson Workout Routine
Alan has at all times been pretty muscular, but as mentioned, he needed to take his physique to a recent 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), it’s worthwhile to pump some serious iron to pack on 30+ kilos of muscle.
So, what do you do when it’s worthwhile to get jacked? Look to the individuals who have it mastered: bodybuilders. One glance at Alan’s program, and you may notice it’s a conventional bodybuilding split.
He hits each muscle group once every week, typically Monday through Friday. The workouts are quick, only taking about half-hour.
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 a prototypical chest day. A large chest is an enormous a part of the Reacher look, so chest training needs to be a priority. He spends many of the workout within the Smith Machine – starting with an incline press, then dropping the bench flat, and eventually right down to a decline.
On an excellent day, he does 100 reps of every. 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 just a few miles on a treadmill
Day two is a back day. The workout starts with 4 sets of pullups to failure. Alan is a big fan of body weight 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 got multiple options. You’ll be able to do the usual wide grip, neutral grip, narrow reverse grip, or one arm at a time. Finish with a regular 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 concerning the lower body and abs. This workout is a lower back-friendly leg day with no squats or deadlift variations. Alan cannot do squats because they aggravate his lower back, so he has to get creative.
Although squats and deadlifts are great exercises, you can construct big legs without them. Don’t let the single-leg exercises blind you to their difficulty.
Starting the workout with lunges and split squats isn’t any joke. After that, Alan super sets leg extensions and leg curls back to back before ending 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’ll be able to’t look tough without big shoulders—that is only a fact. Alan starts his shoulder workout with a seated Smith Machine press and a two-hand standing cable press.
The cable press is exclusive. He stands in front of the cable stack and presses up and forward at a steep incline angle. I’m sure he gets somewhat upper chest activation there, too. After those two movements, your front delts will likely be on fire.
Next, he does a superset on the cables of lateral raises followed by facepulls. Last but not least, just a few sets of shrugs to assist construct 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
- Body weight Dips: 1-2 sets x failure
- Run just a few miles on a treadmill
The last workout of the week is critical. It’s the important thing to unlocking big, impressive Jack Reacher-sized arms. And large arms should not just an indication of strength. They’re an announcement. You’ll be able to’t play a tricky guy in a TV show without giant pipes.
Alan’s arm workout consists of several supersets, grouping biceps and triceps.
The primary superset is type of a triset. He does cable triceps pressdowns, immediately followed by overhead extensions. I say type of a triset because he does these two movements almost like they’re 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 one more biceps and triceps superset. For the EZ bar curls, he does them old-school 21 style – seven reps from the underside to halfway, seven reps from halfway to the highest, after which seven full range of motion reps.
Remember after I said he loves body weight exercises? He finishes his arm workout with body weight dips to failure.
Follow together with Alan while he demonstrates this workout
Alan’s Jack Reacher Bulking Weight loss plan
To Jack Reacher, a calorie is a calorie. A high quality meal for him is anything off the menu at a neighborhood diner, washed down with numerous black coffee. Reacher’s motto is to eat when possible since you never know when or where the following meal will come. Nonetheless, that is not going to chop it for Alan.
Alan had to achieve over 30 kilos to play Reacher. Weight loss plan is a top priority when bulking like that. Nonetheless, as essential as weight-reduction plan is, Ritchson is an intuitive eater. More often than not, he follows a relaxed meal plan. The truth is, he’s most consistent along with his weight-reduction plan while filming because people cook for him while on set.
Alan says he follows an 80/20 healthy-to-clean ratio. While most of his weight-reduction plan consists of lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats, he loves key lime pie, cookie dough, and snacks.
These extra treats were a necessary a part of the method. In case you do not have an enormous appetite, including higher-calorie foods helps make sure you stay in a calorie surplus during bulking phases.
Here’s a sample day of eating for Alan’s Jack Reacher weight-reduction plan.
Breakfast:
- Scrambled eggs
- Flavored oatmeal
- Fruit
Lunch:
- Deli turkey
- Swiss cheese
- Mayo
- Mustard
- 1-2 Chocolate chip cookies
Snack:
- Two scoops of protein powder
- Almond milk
- Banana
- Spinach
- Peanut butter
- Oats
- Avocado
Dinner:
- Brisket or turkey meatloaf
- Mashed potatoes
- Green beans
- Slice of key lime pie
Snack:
- Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
- Cookie dough
Every day Supplements:
- Protein powder
- Electrolytes
- Trace minerals
- Vitamin B12
How You Can Train and Eat Like Alan Ritchson
So, you should pack on muscle, like Alan did when preparing for Reacher, but don’t need to follow this routine as written? That is fantastic. You’ll be able to add just a few of his critical principles into your routine and reap the rewards.
#1: Utilize Calisthenics
Surprisingly, Alan only did somewhat weight training before preparing to play Reacher. His workouts consisted of running to a park, doing 100 reps each of pushups, pullups, dips, and sit-ups, after which running back home.
Even with the addition of heavy iron, Alan stayed true to his bread and butter. Almost every workout has a body weight component.
So, what does this mean for you?
In case you should not already doing them, add pullups, pushups, and dips into your routine. You’ll be able to do them anywhere; they’re easy on the joints and, better of all, highly effective for constructing muscle.
#2: High Reps
Given his size, it might come as a surprise that Ritchson doesn’t lift heavy weights.
Well, heavy is relative. What I mean is that Alan trains using high reps. Just about all of his sets are within the 15-to-25-rep range, which continues to be adequate for constructing muscle.
If you have got never pushed reps that prime, give it a shot. The brand new stimulus might spark some recent growth.
#3: Short Workouts
Many individuals think that to construct muscle, you could spend all day within the gym. Nonetheless, you possibly can construct muscle in half-hour if the workouts are intense.
It’s rare for certainly one of Alan’s workouts to last greater than a half hour. In case your time is restricted, use supersets to chop down on how long you might be within the gym.
The most effective kind of superset is known as an agonist-antagonist superset. These are if you group two opposing muscle groups, just like the chest and back or biceps and triceps (these were a favourite of Arnold Schwarzenegger).
#4: Don’t Overcomplicate Your Weight loss plan
Nutrition may be easier than many individuals make it out to be. You’ll be able to have some treats so long as your weight-reduction plan mainly consists of lean protein, complex carbs, fruits, veggies, and healthy fat.
Alan loves cookie dough. And cookies. And key lime pie. He loves pizza, too. Okay, so Alan is similar to most of us.
Your weight-reduction plan doesn’t must resemble a bodybuilder in contest prep. Eat healthy, but make room for some foods you enjoy as well.
#5: Get Your Testosterone Checked
Before we wrap up, I need to address the elephant within the room. I do know what you might be pondering—there isn’t any way this dude made this transformation naturally. Well, you are right.
After season certainly one of Reacher, Alan’s body was broken. He was run down, low on energy, and felt like crap. So, his doctor suggested he get some blood work done. It seems his testosterone was low.
From there, his doctor prescribed testosterone substitute therapy (TRT). Is that every one he’s on? In line with him, yes.
In case you are experiencing any symptoms of low testosterone, including fatigue, low libido, or lack of strength or muscle, it’s price it to get your testosterone checked. If nothing else, it’s good information to have.
Conclusion
Well, there you have got it: Alan Ritchson’s training and nutrition plan, which he used to remodel himself into Jack Reacher. I’m sure most of what is written you have got seen before. Alan doesn’t do anything out of the strange, and that is a feature, not a bug.
A lot of the fitness industry is about selling you on a recent fad; I find it irresistible when a man sticks to the fundamentals. There’s beauty within the simplicity. Because you understand what? It’s the fundamentals that deliver results.
