Many people have been inspired by Alan Ritchson's muscular and aesthetic body, wanting to know more about his training and diet. His physique in Jack Reacher has made him a popular figure among muscle enthusiasts and bodybuilders.
Alan achieved an impressive look that was big, strong, and muscular. Although there is limited information about his routine and diet online, we have attempted to find as much as possible and provide a comprehensive overview of it.
This article examines the fitness and nutrition regimen that Alan Ritchson follows, as well as his preferred supplements, all of which contribute to his ability to maintain a toned body with lean muscle when necessary for movie roles.
Even in high school, prior to his acting career, sports and working out had always been part of Alan Ritchson’s life.
Since his American Idol audition in 2004, Alan Ritchson has continued to stay in great shape. As he recently turned 40, he was able to add 30 lbs. for his role in Reacher, which might have been difficult for him in the past.
His current workout routine is quite different from what it used to be; for 20 years, he only did bodyweight exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups. Now, he visits his home gym about five days a week to lift weights for additional hypertrophy.
Alan Ritchson's Workout Routine
For his role in Jack Reacher, Alan Ritchson devoted a substantial amount of time to weight training and cardio exercises. His objective was to develop muscle mass, as well as shape and tone his body while burning fat.
Over the course of eight months, Ritchson was able to gain almost 35 pounds of muscle. He enjoys participating in a range of workouts, such as bodyweight exercises and heavy weight lifting, and strength training, all of which take place in the gym to create a comprehensive physique for his shirtless scenes.
Ritchson is well-recognized for his modeling career as well as his portrayals of the superhero Aquaman on The CW's Smallville and Thad Castle on Spike TV's Blue Mountain State. Ritchson also starred as Gloss in 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Raphael in 2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot.
Ritchson also played a superhero in DC's Titans, which he left after the 3rd season for the role in Reacher. Alan Ritchson caught major public attention for his title role in the Amazon Prime Video crime thriller, Reacher, which proved to be a major success.
Let’s dig into the hard work the star Alan Ritchson puts into his day-to-day workout routines to maintain his muscular physique.
Monday – Lower Body
Alan Ritchson begins the week by giving his already impressive body an extra push with an intense lower-body exercise regime. To make sure he gets the most out of his workout, he focuses on training his legs and glutes.
3 Sets of 12 to 15 Reps of each of the following:
Deadlifts
Hack squat
Sumo squat
Leg curl
Leg extension
Walking lunge
Tuesday – Cardio
On Tuesday, Alan Ritchson goes for a long jog in the open air to keep his trim body shape and provide his body with a rest from weight lifting in the gym.
Generally, Alan runs between 5 and 7 miles. He may use a treadmill if he has to, but prefers the outdoors.
Running has amazing health benefits, such as decreasing body fat and controlling heart rate, so it's an excellent way to stay lean but shredded.
Wednesday – Chest & Back
On Wednesday, Alan Ritchson exercises his chest and back to strengthen and develop the muscles on his upper body for the roles he plays. He combines bodyweight and dumbbell exercises in his workout.
4 Sets of 12 reps of each of the following:
Pull-ups
Push-ups
Cable flyes
Bench press
Dips
Lat pulldowns
Cable rows
Barbell rows
Thursday – Arms & Abs
On Thursday, Alan engages in an arm workout designed to shape and strengthen his triceps, biceps, and forearms in preparation for any potential roles. Here are some of the exercises he relies on.
Arms – 4 sets of 20 reps of each
Overhead triceps extension
Triceps pushdowns
Skull crushers
Hammer curls
EZ bar curls
Dips
Abs – 4 sets of 15to 20 reps of each
Plank
Press-ups
Sit-ups
Russian twists
Bicycle crunches
Friday – Shoulders
On Friday, Alan's exercise routine entails a shoulder-focused program that will cause significant soreness for the remainder of the weekend. His already tall build is further highlighted by his toned and developed shoulders.
4 sets of 15 reps of each of the following:
Dumbbell shoulder press
Front raises
Lateral raises
Shrugs
Upright rows
Rear delt flyes
Saturday – Chest & Back
On Saturday, Alan repeats the Wednesday chest and back exercise routine. Regularly exercising his upper body helps Alan establish a strength base that assists him in keeping a good posture and equilibrium.
4 sets of 12 to 15 reps of each:
Pull-ups
Push-ups
Cable flyes
Bench press
Dips
Lat pulldowns
Cable rows
Barbell rows
Sunday – Rest Day
On Sunday, Alan takes a break from his strenuous strength and weightlifting routine, instead opting for some light stretching and a walk outside to give his body a chance to rest and recover.
Alan Ritchson’s Diet
To develop a physique similar to Alan Ritchson, who is renowned for his lean and muscular body, a well-thought-out nutrition plan is essential. To get into the shape he is today, Ritchson was consuming around 4,500 calories daily, including 300 grams of protein.
Alan Ritchson was eating every few hours to ensure he was taking in more calories than he was burning, with all of his food coming from healthy, whole food sources such as rice, chicken, eggs, turkey, fish, vegetables, and smoothies.
This is similar to the diet plans followed by many other Hollywood actors who have to undergo dramatic body transformations, especially for superhero roles.
Ritchson’s diet is largely based on staples that offer the necessary amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Alan Ritchson was looking to put on 30 lbs. quickly and had an assistant who was tasked with providing Alan with food to meet his calorie goals.
The following example diet includes smoothies and lots of protein-rich items.
Alan Ritchson's Food Preferences
Before we list the foods included in Alan's diet of 7 meals per day, let's look at his favorites.
For breakfast, he might have a smoothie, some oatmeal, and some granola. Come lunchtime, he'd probably have potatoes, eggs, and vegetables, and for dinner, he likes to have a meat protein, a carb source, and some veggies. As for snacks throughout the day, cookies and Popeyes chicken are always good options.
Below is more or less what his diet looked like.
1. Breakfast
Chicken sausage
Avocado toast
Scrambled eggs
2. Mid-morning Snack
Protein smoothie
3. Early Lunch
Rice
Broccoli
Grilled chicken breast
4. Later Lunch
Rice
Asparagus
Grilled chicken breast
5. Late Afternoon Snack
Protein smoothie
6. Pre-Dinner Snack
Chicken salad
7. Dinner
Rice
Sautéed vegetables
Smoked salmon
When Alan wanted to increase his weight, he made room for cheat meals to meet his caloric requirements.
Alan is dedicated to his eating plan but will allow himself to indulge in a cheat meal now and then, following the 80/20 rule where 20% of his diet is composed of treats and indulgences.
After consuming his cheat meals, Alan always puts in the effort to exercise intensively with higher reps to get rid of the unhealthy calories.
This is how Alan manages to stay fit and toned all year round. Nevertheless, certain food items are barred from Alan's diet, such as dairy, sugar, processed carbs, alcohol, and synthetic additives.
Alan Ritchson’s Supplements
Regardless of what contributed to it, Alan Ritchson was committed to achieving a tremendous physique for Jack Reacher.
He combined a healthy diet with a few supplements that could increase strength, support muscle growth and recovery, and provide his body with healthy calories.
His choice of supplements includes the following:
Whey protein powder
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA)
Creatine
Multivitamin
Despite relying on supplements, Alan's primary source of nutrition was from consuming natural, whole food sources.
Conclusion
Alan Ritchson's workout regimen is legendary, combining both gym workouts and outdoor cardio on a daily basis. His commitment to staying fit is motivated by his acting career and the roles he desires to take on.
If you want to give his workout program a try, make sure you are ready to put in the dedication and organization required to follow it. He is a great example of how consistent exercise and a balanced diet can bring physical changes.
