Last Updated On October 19, 2023
I believe that each of us would like to get a few workout tips from Alan Ritchson on how to look so muscular. Or even better to do training together with him.
Unfortunately, we don't have the opportunity to talk or train with Alan, but that shouldn't stop us from achieving our fitness goals.
We can follow Alan Ritchson’s workout routine and proper diet regime!
Here I dive deep into Reacher's everyday routine of training for Jack Reacher.
- Alan Ritchson’s Quick Workout Summary
- How Alan Ritchson Gets His Physique (His Exact Routine)
- Alan Ritchson’s Background and History
- Current Body Stats
- Alan Ritchson’s Exercise and Training Principles
- Accomplishments
- What Is Alan Ritchson’s Diet?
- What Supplements Does Alan Ritchson Take?
- Common Questions About Alan Ritchson Workout
- Conclusion – Start Training!
Alan Ritchson’s Quick Workout Summary
Main Workout Goal | Lean bulking |
Program Duration | 12 weeks |
Workout Days Per Week | 5 to 6 |
Time Per Workout | 30 to 90 minutes |
Equipment Required | Barbells, dumbbells, EZ bar, machines |
Recommended Supplements | Whey protein powder, creatine, beta-alanine, multivitamin, BCAAs |
How Alan Ritchson Gets His Physique (His Exact Routine)
The Alan Ritchson workout follows a well-structured weight training regimen that targets different muscle groups throughout the week.
The program incorporates a combination of compound movements, isolation exercises, and cardio to achieve a balanced and comprehensive approach to fitness.
As expected, he is working out 5 or 6 days a week. This is necessary when you want to simultaneously have a lean physique plus big muscles, like him. And as with most Hollywood actors, it all comes down to diet and exercise with the Alan Ritchson training program.
Alan starts the week with a strenuous lower-body workout. He is doing six exercises that heavily target the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. You might be wondering why he doesn't do at least one calf exercise, but the calves are involved in all these movements, plus he runs regularly.[1]
Most regular gym goers would not be able to climb the stairs after the previous day and so many squats, deadlifts, and lunges and not run long distances. However, Reacher is certainly no average Joe Blow.[2]
He runs 5 to 7 miles on Tuesdays to further improve his endurance, oxidative capacity, strength, and conditioning. He prefers running outdoors, which is healthier for the lungs and cardiovascular system than the treadmill.[3]
On Wednesday, he targets the chest and back, which is not a frequent split approach, and then trains arms and core on Thursday. Again, this is not for the average exerciser because the arms would be too tired for a good arm workout after a chest and back day. He likes to combine bodyweight exercises and weights.
He finishes the working week with a shoulder workout, and then on Saturdays, he trains his favorite body parts again - chest and back, doing bodyweight and compound dumbbell exercises for a muscular upper body.
Sunday is the only day when he rests entirely, and probably even then, he implements many recovery methods, such as light stretching, to prepare himself for the lower body workout on Mondays.
Here’s the Alan Ritchson workout routine you can follow at the gym to get into great shape.
Monday – Lower Body
Exercises | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
Deadlifts | 3 | 12-15 | 40-90 secs |
Hack squat | 3 | 12-15 | 40-90 secs |
Sumo squat | 3 | 12-15 | 40-90 secs |
Leg curl | 3 | 12-15 | 40-90 secs |
Leg extension | 3 | 12-15 | 40-90 secs |
Walking lunge | 3 | 12-15 | 40-90 secs |
Related Article - Can You Deadlift With a Curl Bar?
Tuesday – Cardio Workout Routine
Exercises |
|---|
Running 5 to 7 miles, either outdoors or on a treadmill |
Wednesday – Chest & Back
Exercises | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
Pull-ups | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Push-ups | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Cable flyes | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Bench press | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Dips | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Lat pulldowns | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Cable rows | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Barbell rows | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Thursday – Arms & Abs
Exercises | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
Triceps pushdowns superset with overhead triceps extension | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Hammer curls | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Skull crushers | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
EZ bar curls | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Sit-ups | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Press-ups | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Bicycle crunches | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Russian twists | 4 | 12 | 40-90 Secs |
Related Article - Hammer Curls Vs Bicep Curls
Friday – Shoulders
Exercises | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
Dumbbell shoulder press | 4 | 15 | 40-90 Secs |
Front raises | 4 | 15 | 40-90 Secs |
Lateral raises | 4 | 15 | 40-90 Secs |
Shrugs | 4 | 15 | 40-90 Secs |
Upright rows | 4 | 15 | 40-90 Secs |
Rear delt flyes | 4 | 15 | 40-90 Secs |
Saturday – Chest & Back
Exercises | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
Pull-ups | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Push-ups | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Cable flyes | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Bench press | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Dips | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Lat pulldowns | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Cable rows | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Barbell rows | 4 | 12-15 | 40-90 Secs |
Related Article - Are Behind The Neck Lat Pulldowns Bad?
Sunday – Rest Day
Alan takes a rest day every Sunday to avoid burning out. During this time, he still focuses on nutrition and eats clean to stay lean.
Alan Ritchson’s Background and History
Alan Ritchson’s life began on November 28, 1984, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Ritchson grew up in a military family, as his father served in the United States Air Force. He is the middle child and has two brothers.
From an early age, Ritchson demonstrated a passion for the arts, particularly music and acting. He excelled in choir and musical theater during high school in Niceville, Florida. In fact, his talent as a singer led him to an American Idol audition for the third season of that famous reality TV competition in 2004.
His powerful vocal abilities and charming personality impressed the judges and viewers, ultimately earning him a spot in the top 87 contestants.
Although his journey on "American Idol" ended relatively early, Ritchson's exposure on the show opened doors for him in the entertainment industry. Shortly after his appearance, he began pursuing an acting career in television and film.
Today, he lives in Florida with his wife and their three children. Alan is a devoted Christian. He is engaged in bipolar disorder support groups, from which he suffers too.
Current Body Stats
Stat | Measurement |
|---|---|
Height | 6’2” |
Weight | 205 – 240 lbs |
Age | 40 |
Biceps | 16 inches |
Waist | 34 inches |
Chest | 45 inches |
Related Article - Stephen Amell's Workout and Diet Guide
Alan Ritchson’s Exercise and Training Principles
Alan emphasized in several interviews that he is not a fitness expert, although he gets numerous questions about his workout and strength training principles.
He is following some basics and has several things he focuses on.
Here are a few of his main principles:
Longer Breaks
He is not always making longer breaks between sets during his workouts - sometimes, it is only around 40 seconds.
However, often Alan Ritchson takes even more than a minute and a half.
This principle allows for adequate rest and recovery between exercises, ensuring that he can maintain proper form and perform at his best for each set. Longer breaks promote optimal performance in subsequent sets and reduce the chances of injury, which aligns with his other principles.[4]
Higher Rep Range
Ritchson usually utilizes a higher reps range.
By performing exercises in the range of 12 to 15 reps, he aims to promote muscular endurance, enhance muscle definition, and stimulate muscle growth.
This rep range targets both slow and fast-twitch muscle fibers.[5]
Double Train Pecs & Back
Alan Ritchson is dedicating two separate workout days to these muscle groups to ensure that they receive adequate volume for optimal growth and strength development.
Everyone has favorite muscles, and pecs and back are obviously his.
This approach allows for greater exercise variety, intensity, and specific targeting of the chest and back muscles, avoiding muscle imbalances.
Related Article - Best Bodyweight Chest Exercises To Chisel Your Pecs
Volume Over Failure
Ritchson mentioned in a video for Men's Health that his goal is not to push himself to the absolute limit but that longevity is his primary goal.
He focuses on accumulating a higher overall training volume instead of pushing his muscles to complete exhaustion and failure on each set, so he usually avoids high weight, low reps. This approach involves performing multiple sets and reps with a challenging weight while maintaining good form and technique.
That way, he stimulates muscle growth and strength gains without risking excessive fatigue, muscle damage, or compromised form, which can lead to increased injury risk.
Injury Prevention
Ritchson realized that he can maintain consistency in his training, avoid setbacks, and optimize long-term progress and overall physical well-being only if he avoids accidents and serious injuries.
Longer breaks and volume over failure, the two other training principles I mentioned, help him fulfill his future plans.
Accomplishments
Depending on your movie taste, you probably first saw Alan Ritchson either in Smallville or Blue Mountain State.
He had brief appearances in Hawaii Five-0 and CSI: Miami as a young actor.
Ritchson gained widespread recognition for portraying Arthur Curry, also known as Aquaman, in the popular superhero drama series "Smallville." With plenty of shirtless scenes, he showed his impressive physique for the first time in that TV show.
I really liked him as Thad Castle, the over-the-top and eccentric captain of a college football team. Blue Mountain State was one of the funniest TV shows back in 2010, and I think we can all agree Ritchson was the main star.
If you are a fan of the dystopian series Black Mirror, you had the opportunity to see him in the episode Nosedive.
In recent years, he has achieved notable roles in Blood Drive, The Hunger Games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Titans, and now he is the leading actor in the Amazon Prime adaptation of the Jack Reacher book series.
He never has won a major award (yet), and many fans believe he was snubbed at least once.
See Also - How Liam Hemsworth Exercises And Eats
What Is Alan Ritchson’s Diet?
His balanced diet is based primarily on proteins but also on healthy fats and carbs, or otherwise, he will lose weight. You just can't have Alan Ritchson's muscular body if you are not paying the same attention to diet as to workouts.
In order to gain 30+ lbs of muscle in a short time, he consumed over 4000 kcal per day, sometimes close to 5000. Cheat meals were necessary to satisfy that calorie amount.
Now he maintains lean muscle mass and low body fat, so he consumes around 3500 kcal daily.
Alan Ritchson tried to follow a vegan diet for a certain time but quickly realized that it was not the type of diet that would lead him to the body he wanted.
It can be rather challenging to get 300+ grams of protein a day, even if you include one cheat meal, so every meal contains protein. He prefers chicken and fish over red meat but eats red meat as well.
Let's take a closer look at each meal.
Breakfast
Three foods are most often part of his breakfast:
He starts the day with all three macronutrients to fuel his body for the upcoming vigorous activity and daily obligations. I believe he consumes chicken sausage made from 100% lean meat, not unhealthy alternatives.
Morning Snack
Not long after breakfast, he takes in a new dose of protein.
Sometimes he opts for a clean whey protein shake, and sometimes he makes a protein smoothie that contains whey protein powder and other healthy ingredients - dark chocolate, bananas, almonds, and so on.
Lunch
Lunch, or rather the first lunch, is very simple - 101 of healthy eating.
I think every gym beginner eats this for lunch. Why would you change the winning combination? Proteins, fibers, vitamins, and carbs with a lower GI index.[6]
Late Lunch
There is no difference between lunch and late lunch. Again, chicken breast, broccoli, and rice.
Evening Snack
Alan Ritchson likes to have a snack before dinner. Like a morning snack, he consumes a protein shake or smoothie.
From my perspective, this snack would make more sense after dinner, but he probably eats dinner later and wants it to be the last thing in his stomach besides water.
Dinner
Dinner is not significantly different from lunch, and I recommend that approach to my clients too.
Focus again on proteins, carbs, and vegetables. Instead of meat, Alan eats fish for dinner.
Foods Ritchson Avoids
If you are trying to lose weight and have a physique similar to Ritchson, start by avoiding the things that he says "no thanks" to:
What To Go For
What To Avoid
Related Article - Miles Teller Diet Program And Exercise Guide
What Supplements Does Alan Ritchson Take?
Alan Ritchson claims he has never taken PEDs and only sticks to regular fitness supplements:
He takes at least two scoops of whey protein powder daily and 5 grams of creatine every day.
Beta-alanine has the potential to improve performance during high-intensity exercise, and that's exactly what he needs.[7]
Alan did not specify which fat burner he used, and he probably used it to maintain a 6-pack even while eating huge amounts of food. BCAAs are good recovery aid when you lift weights, which is an essential part of the Reacher workout.
A multivitamin is something that every person needs, especially a physically active person, so it is also a part of Alan Ritchson’s supplements regime.
Related Article - Should You Mix Protein Powder With Milk Or Water?
Common Questions About Alan Ritchson Workout
Alan Ritchson gained 30 to 40 lbs of muscle in less than a year when training for the Jack Reacher role. It was an impressive transformation, showcasing a significant increase in both muscle size and definition. By following a rigorous exercise routine and diet plan, it is possible to achieve such an athletic physique naturally, but it is never considered easy.
Alan Ritchson does not have such a strong background in martial arts as some other famous action stars like Michael Dudikoff, Steven Seagal, and Bruce Lee, but he has experience in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He also trained MMA while preparing for his role in the film Above the Shadows. Martial arts training contributed to his physical abilities and, thus, success in action-packed movies.
Related Article - Kevin Hart's Training Program And Diet Plan
Conclusion – Start Training!
I know the Alan Ritchson workout and his muscular physique seems unattainable, but you have to start working out and take care of your diet to see how far you can go.
Alan Ritchson’s workout routine is certainly not a walk in the park, so hard work, dedication, and a smart approach to training are essential.
And remember, you can't out-train a bad diet. If you want a "Reacher" body, base your diet on lean proteins, healthy fats, and nutrient-dense carbohydrates.
References:
1. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/1669
2. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es102947t
3. https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-9-89
4. https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3292
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8473039/
6. https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-is-the-glycaemic-index-gi/
7. https://examine.com/supplements/beta-alanine/
