Alan Ritchson surprised his fans, who believed they had already seen him at his physical best and in action at Reacher, but he recently pushed himself further.

The actor has tested his limit for his new sci-fi movie, War Machine, that released on March 6. It is directed by The Expendables 3 director, Patrick Hughes. To provide an idea about the intense filming process, Netflix shared a behind-the-scenes video on YouTube on February 5.

In the clip, Ritchson was seen saying, “I am the most tired I’ve ever been. This is a tough one,” while shooting in the jungle and catching his breath. In the meantime, director Hughes said, “He’s not acting,” primarily because Ritchson was performing all the stunts by himself. 

Although no specific workout routine was shared in the video, the Hunger Games actor was seen doing movements like:

• Pull-ups
• Sprinting
• Tire pulls
• Core work

The film tries to replicate the Ranger Assessment Selection Program (RASPS), where, instead of names, candidates were called by number, and Ritchson is playing “81.”

The actor said, “There’s something about the spirit of 81 that has captured me so much. That character that just inspires us to be the best version of ourselves.”

One jaw-dropping scene was when Ritchson dove into grade-5 rapids with full gear. The movie was shot in the fantastic landscapes of Australia, Victoria, and New Zealand’s South Island. 

To make the shot perfect, the 43-year-old actor was seen saying, “One more, one more, one more.”

However, this is not the first time Alan has shown such a level of dedication to justify his role in the movie.

Alan Ritchson’s Workout and Diet for Reacher

According to Generation Iron, Ritchson put on almost 30 pounds of muscle for The Reacher, along with following an intense workout regimen. For his upper body, he includes movements with the EZ bar:

• Upright rows
• Bicep curls
• Overhead tricep extensions

He performed 12 to 20 reps of 4 sets of each exercise. The actor said, “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.”

Apart from the workout, Ritchson also shed light on his diet. He revealed, “The real requirement is you need to get the calories, proteins, and macros, so it was a conveyor belt of food.”

The 43-year-old said, “It’s a full-time job to get 4,500 calories and 300 grams of protein in your body. I was lucky that I had help with that.”

He followed an 80-20 diet routine for the movie, where 80% of the time he ate clean and 20% of the time he ate whatever he wanted.

So, do you know about any other actor who showcased a Ritchson-level dedication to justify their on-screen role?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy