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Getting in shape for a role has been commonplace in Hollywood for a long time, particularly in recent years due to the wave of superhero movies. But while Reacher star Alan Ritchson doesn’t even play a superhero, he’s certainly built like one.
For his role as Jack Reacher in the hit Prime Video series, the 41-year-old Ritchson packed an absurd amount of muscle onto his 6’3′ frame by, according to a trainer who spoke to GQ, targeting specific muscle groups to create an “illusion.”
“By strategically targeting the shoulders, chest, and lats, Ritchson achieves a striking V-taper, creating the illusion of a larger upper body,” an F45 trainer told GQ.
“Compound exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, activate multiple muscle groups simultaneously, ensuring a broader range of muscle stimulation and growth. A balanced diet with lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats, for maintaining a slight caloric surplus for muscle growth.”
The trainer then recommended doing the following exercises twice a week, doing three to four sets of 8 to 12 reps: Deadlifts, Bench Presses, Overhead Presses, Lat Pulldowns, and Lat Raises.
Ritchson has admitted he didn’t bulk up entirely naturally, though, as he told Men’s Health in a recent interview that he uses testosterone and that he’s a “big advocate of it for people in their forties or above.”
“Getting on testosterone was huge for me. I had none by the time I was done with season one, due to the stress and the fatigue and what I had done to my body. For me, it’s a long game. I want to do Reacher for 15 years… I don’t want to have to have surgery after every season, and testosterone helps,” Ritchson said.
While Ritchson might not play Jack Reacher for 15 years, he’ll certainly play the character for at least one more as the series was renewed for a third season before the second even concluded.