Ritchson consumed 4,500 calories daily to pack on muscle for “Reacher.”
Many know Alan Ritchson as the imposing and rugged lead in Reacher. Still, long-time fans might recall his earlier days as an American Idol contestant or Aquaman in Smallville. Over the years, Ritchson has built an impressive resume, with standout roles in DC Universe’s Titans, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and more recently, Fast X, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
If you’ve been captivated by his portrayal in Reacher — and let’s be honest, that’s probably why you’re here — you’ve likely noticed his towering physique and sculpted frame. While Ritchson has always had striking looks (he was once an Abercrombie & Fitch model), he wasn’t always the muscular powerhouse you see on screen. To bring the character to life, he had to undergo an intense physical transformation, adding significant muscle mass to meet the producers’ vision of the role. This transformation required a dedicated gym routine, a disciplined workout plan, and a revamped diet. Below, we cover Alan Ritchson’s workout and diet for Reacher.
Brief History
| Full Name: Alan Michael Ritchson | ||
| Weight | Height | Date of Birth |
| 235 lbs | 6’3” | 11/28/1982 |
| Profession | Era | Nationality |
| Actor | 2000s-Till Date | American |
Alan Ritchson has been onscreen since 2004. The star says he was a late bloomer and was bullied in high school. In response, he hit the gym and trained so hard that he won the best physique award for his graduating class his senior year.
Right from his modeling days to his debut on the screen, Ritchson kept a lean figure. For that, the star had a calisthenic-based routine that included five basic routines:
“These five are the core foundation for my routine, and it’s been that way for decades, and they’ve served me well. With these exercises, you can still get hypertrophy and put on size, and you’re doing it in a safe and comfortable way.”
— Alan Ritchson
However, he had to gain more than 30 pounds of muscle. Rising to the task, Alan Ritchson built a home gym and hired a food assistant. Now, let’s analyze Alan Ritchson’s workouts, diet, and supplements.
Training Routine
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. Ritchson said, “If you’re trying to bulk or add strength, put more strain on your muscles than you did yesterday.” He also does cardio on most of his training days. Below are his routines for the week.
Monday: Chest
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Smith Machine Incline Press | 4 | 15-25 |
| Smith Machine Flat Press | 4 | 15-25 |
| Smith Machine Decline Press | 4 | 15-25 |
| Cable Chest Fly | 4 | 15-25 |
| Pushup | 1-2 | To Failure |
| 20 Min. HIIT | ||
Tuesday: Back
| Exercises | Sets | Reps |
| Pullup | 4 | To Failure |
| Seated Cable Row | 4 | 15-25 |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 15-25 |
| Single Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 15-25 |
| Cable Lat Extension | 3 | 15-25 |
| Treadmill Run | ||
Wednesday: Legs and Abs
| Exercises | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell Lunge | 3 | 15-25 |
| Dumbbell Split Squat | 3 | 15-25 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 15-25 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 15-25 |
| Leg Raise | 3 | 15-25 |
| Situp | 3 | 15-25 |
| 10 Mins. of Sled Pull and Sled Push | ||
Thursday: Shoulders
| Exercises | Sets | Reps |
| Smith Machine Shoulder Press | 4 | 15-25 |
| Standing Cable Shoulder Press | 3 | 15-25 |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 3 | 15-25 |
| Cable Face Pull | 3 | 15-25 |
| Dumbbell Shrug | 3 | 15-25 |
| 20 mins of HIIT | ||
Friday: Arms
| Exercises | Sets | Reps |
| Superset: Rope Triceps Pushdown and Overhead Extension | 4 | 15-25 |
| Rope Hammer Curl | 4 | 15-25 |
| Dumbbell Hammer Grip Bench Press | 4 | 15-25 |
| Dumbbell Skull Crusher | 4 | 15-25 |
| EZ Bar Curl | 4 | 21’s |
| EZ Bar Overhead Extension | 4 | 15-25 |
| Bodyweight Dip | 1-2 | To Failure |
| Treadmill Run | ||
Workout Notes
Alan Ritchson’s current goal is to maintain his physique for Reacher. “I want 22 seasons of Reacher… I want to be 100 years old and still playing Reacher,” Ritchson said. Below are essential things to note about his training.
Bodyweight
Alan Ritchson found the five bodyweight calisthenic routines helpful for training and says he’s been doing them for over 20 years. He would combine them in a 30-minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) routine. Even when he’d had to add weight lifting to his routine, these exercises will still be included.
Cardio
He does cardio as part of his training every day. Cardio improves fitness, brain function, functional movements, and quality of life. (1) He also uses cardio to boost his performance on set but feels he has to do more.
Short, Intense Workouts
Alan Ritchson says he’s not aiming to hit new PRs and keeps his time in the gym to 30 minutes. However, for those 30 minutes, he gives his all to training, utilizing training to failure, supersets, or even tri-sets. Research shows that supersets and tri-sets effectively enhance training efficiency (2).
High-Volume and High-Intensity Training
Ritchson relies on high-volume and high-intensity training to get the job done. While he might not lift heavy, most of his reps are in the 15-25 range, and he goes hard every training day. This study compared low-volume high-intensity training with high-volume training, and both effectively developed significant muscle gains. (3)
Rest
Alan Ritchson trains five times a week and takes his rest seriously. He also mentions using a sauna for recovery after training. Saunas can increase blood flow to the muscles, helping to hasten recovery and healing.
Alan Ritchson’s Diet
To gain muscle for his role in Reacher, Alan Ritchson followed a 4,500 calorie diet. He eats small meals throughout the day and ensures he consumes at least 300 g of protein daily. He hired an assistant to help with meals that consist of lean protein, veggies, complex carbs, fruits, and healthy fat. His average daily meal looks like this:
Meal 1
- Chicken Sausage
- Scrambled Eggs
- Avocado Toast
- Protein Shake
Meal 2
- Brown Rice
- Grilled Chicken Breast
- Brocolli
Meal 3
- Same as Meal 2 with Protein Shake
Meal 4
- Brown Rice
- Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Veggies
Supplements
Cheat Meals
Alan Ritchson essentially believes that a calorie is a calorie, so he often feasts on chocolate cookies, cookie dough, and key lime pie. However, he ensures that he works out in the gym afterward.
Wrap Up
Alan Ritchson follows proven training protocols to get results and look like he does in Reacher. He’s smart with his training and balances out his cheat meals with training, too. Ritchson also looks muscular in his recent movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and says he plans to play his Reacher role for a long time. He’s tailoring his training to keep the muscles recognized with the character.
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References
- Agarwal S. K. (2012). Cardiovascular benefits of exercise. International journal of general medicine, 5, 541–545. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S30113
- Weakley, J. J. S., Till, K., Read, D. B., Roe, G. A. B., Darrall-Jones, J., Phibbs, P. J., & Jones, B. (2017). The effects of traditional, superset, and tri-set resistance training structures on perceived intensity and physiological responses. European journal of applied physiology, 117(9), 1877–1889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3680-3
- Giessing, J., Eichmann, B., Steele, J., & Fisher, J. (2016). A comparison of low volume ‘high-intensity-training’ and high volume traditional resistance training methods on muscular performance, body composition, and subjective assessments of training. Biology of sport, 33(3), 241–249. https://doi.org/10.5604/20831862.1201813
