PLAYING A SUPER-JACKED vigilante requires a great deal of effort in the gym and discipline away from it. Man mountain Alan Ritchson epitomises this ethos, living up to the lead role in Reacher with a strict diet of hard work and dedication.
Last week, Ritchson shared an image of a script for season four of Reacher, confirming there will be another instalment of the series. And he’s already putting the work in in the gym to get in shape for filming, after releasing a video showcasing him performing a giant set of barbell curls, overhead tricep extensions and upright rows.
How Alan Ritchson trains for Reacher
He completed 4 rounds of the giant set before stating that he finished the session with some legs and core work. ‘Low(ish) weight [and] higher volume [equals] hypertrophy and longevity,’ he wrote on Instagram. ‘I can’t get pregnant or injured right now. Too busy. This works for me.’
Ritchson hasn’t always had such an incredibly impressive physique, though. Before filming season one of Reacher, he needed to pack on over 13kg of size in just eight months. The stress and fatigue he accumulated as a result of such a build meant he needed more help to continue playing the character thereafter. He told Men’s Health UK how he used a low clinical dose of testosterone to get into shape ahead of the second season of the series, with the high-volume approach he now uses further helping his portrayal of Jack Reacher.
Alan Ritchson’s upper body workout
A1. EZ Bar Bicep Curl x 4 sets of 12-20 reps
A2. EZ Bar Overhead Tricep Extension x 4 sets of 12-20 reps
A3. EZ Bar Upright Row x 4 sets of 12-20 reps
How to do the movements
EZ Bar Bicep Curl
Stand by holding an EZ bar with your arms hanging by your sides. Ensure your elbows are close to your torso and your shoulders are unshrugged. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale as you curl the weight up to shoulder level, contracting your biceps as you do so.
Place your thumb on the same side of the bar as your fingers to increase peak contraction in the biceps at the top point of the movement. Hold the weight at shoulder height for a brief pause, then inhale as you slowly lower back to the start position.
EZ Bar Overhead Tricep Extension
Holding an EZ bar overhead, bend your arms at the elbows, slowly lowering the bar towards the back of your head while keeping the upper arms locked in place. Stop just short of the bar touching your neck before extending back up explosively and then repeating.
EZ Bar Upright Row
Holding the EZ bar in both hands, let it rest in front of your thigh. Lift the bar vertically until it’s in line with your collar bone, with your elbow pointing towards the ceiling. Lower the bar back down and repeat. For a peak contraction of the delts, try to get your elbows higher than your hands.
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.
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