Alan Ritchson Put On 30 Pounds Of Muscle For ‘Reacher’: “All I Did Was Eat And Workout”

Alan Ritchson was extremely motivated to transform his physique.

Alan Ritchson has put on she for roles in the past but for his job in “Reacher,” the actor was able to take it to another level. Ritchson recently shared that he ate upwards of 4,500 daily to help put on 30 pounds of muscle for the role.

Ritchson has been featured in other roles that required size, such as plating linebacker Thad Castle in Blue Mountain State. Here, Ritchson put a gym in his house and dedicated himself to maintaining a strict diet plan that focused on adding muscle and shredding his physique.

“I DID AN ATTACK ON ALL FRONTS TO GET READY FOR THIS ONE. I DO WHAT I CAN TO STAY HEALTHY AND IN SHAPE ALL THE TIME SINCE A LOT OF MY PROJECTS ARE IN THAT SUPERHERO GENRE.”

Ritchson sat down with Men’s Journal for a discussion about his role and the preparation for it.

Alan Ritchson Talks Diet & Exercise Plan

Alan Ritchson began by explaining he added 30 pounds for this role to get up to 235 pounds.

“FOR THIS, I WANTED TO BULK UP. I ENDED UP PUTTING ON 30 POUNDS TO END UP AT 235 POUNDS. I WAS GRINDING IT OUT FIVE DAYS A WEEK FOR THE EIGHT MONTHS THAT WE HAD TO PREP.”

Ritchson continued to discuss how he went above and beyond with weight training and that is something he does not usually do because he “gets big so quick.” Outside of the gym, it was all about making sure his diet plan was strict.

“THE REAL REQUIREMENT IS YOU NEED TO GET THE CALORIES, PROTEINS, AND MACROS, SO IT WAS A CONVEYER BELT OF FOOD. IT’S A FULL-TIME JOB TO GET 4,500 CARLOEIS AND 300 GRAMS OF PROTEIN IN YOUR BODY. I WAS LUCKY THAT I HAD HELP WITH THAT.”

Alan Ritchson had to get creative during Covid and ended up moving furniture around in his house in order to build a gym.

“THE RULES WERE VERY STRICT IN CANADA SO THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF GETTING OUT TO TRAIN ANYWHERE ELSE. I MOVED THE DINING TABLE OUT OF THE PLACE THAT WE WERE RENTING AND WE BUILT A FULL-SIZED GYM IN THAT SPACE.

THERE WAS NO AVOIDING TRAINING IN THE MORNING BECAUSE IT WAS STARING RIGHT AT ME WHEN I WOKE UP. NO COMMIT. NO EXCUSES.”

Alan Ritchson is one of many actors who has been able to transform his physique for a role and he has done it well.