41-year-old Alan Ritchson called himself a “late bloomer,” while describing his bodybuilding journey. Ritchson has been in shape for the entirety of his acting career. However, he caught everyone’s attention as Jack Reacher. The 6’3 actor bulked up to 240 lbs of almost pure muscle to bring Lee Child’s buff detective to life on Amazon’s Reacher.
Alan Ritchson explained why he decided to start bodybuilding in the first place. The 41-year-old explained that he was around 180 lbs while auditioning for Reacher but knew he had to become way more buff to accurately match the description. However, it took the later bloomer a lot of work and the will to change to get to 240 as opposed to his usual 205 lbs when he was cast as Reacher.
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In high school, the actor felt disappointed with himself. “I wanted to change my body. I wanted to like take control,” said Alan Ritchson. So he started working out. However, the then-high school student stuck to a simple workout regimen to get him jacked. Ritchson started his bodybuilding journey with push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
“I would do four sets of 25 of those and I would run home,” said the 41-year-old. Despite not working out before high school, the genetically gifted actor soon noticed results. His friends did too, but few could keep up with his intense calisthenics workout routine. Yet, for Reacher, Alan Ritchson had to do a lot more to bulk to 240 lbs.
While the bodybuilding enthusiast already had a solid base to work with, he toiled for months to put on more muscle. In fact, Alan Ritchson had to resort to other techniques than just working out and eating after the first season of Reacher. During his appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Ritchson became one of the few celebrities who admitted to taking testosterone.
Morphing into Reacher took its toll on Alan Ritchson
Alan Ritchson explained that he transformed into the living embodiment of Lee Child’s detective for season one. However, maintaining his frame at 40 became a challenge for the actor. He felt he was “slowing down,” but needed to get ready for season two. So, the actor went to a doctor who said he “had no testosterone.”
However, since testosterone is paramount to building and maintaining muscle, Ritchson’s doctor prescribed him Testosterone Replacement Therapy. “It was like… Oh my god! A new me,” said Alan Ritchson while describing how he felt. The TRT helped the actor get even more jacked for season two. He isn’t slowing down either, as Reacher season three is already being filmed. Alan Ritchson is 240 lbs beast on camera today. However, his decision to start bodybuilding in high school helped him immensely.
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Himanshu Sridhar