Alan Ritchson has been widely viewed by fans as the perfect actor to play the starring role in the hit series Reacher. He stands 6’3” and weighs 235 pounds, give or take, although that’s what he told Military.com back during the Amazon Prime Video show’s early days. Various places have Ritchson listed at between 240 and 250, following the show’s first three seasons, which would make sense. However, what may leave many fans at a loss for words is how the face of Reacher managed to pack on the weight (if we’re being honest, he’s packing on muscle).
Ritchson’s 6’3” frame towers over castmates in the show, along with photos of the actor spotted in public or even on his own social media accounts. The assumption is understandably that to play the part of someone who’s the type of physical force Ritchson is throughout Reacher, it’d take a lot of time in the gym. Surprisingly, that apparently isn’t exactly the case.
Alan Ritchson’s Surprising Workout Routine Features Less Daily Time Than You’d Expect
Among the not-so-surprising aspects of Ritchson’s workout routine is the fact that he’s consistent with lifting weights or exercising five days per week. He explained this previously while giving a walkthrough of his home gym to Men’s Health, stating that he tries to do workouts Monday through Friday, but if he misses a day, he will make it up on Saturday. The Reacher star is consistent, there’s no question about that.
However, the part that flew under the radar a bit is how much time he spends working out daily. Spoiler alert, it’s only 25-30 minutes.
“I work out five days a week. If I need to skip a day and hit a Saturday, I do,” Ritchson said. “But I try to keep it Monday to Friday so I have time to recover. I don’t spend a ton of time in the gym, 20 [to] 30 minutes tops. Less wear and tear on the body [and] leaves you feeling good.”
If you were to put out a poll to fans of the Reacher series, asking each person to guess how much time Ritchson spends in the gym to remain as fit as he is, I’d bet less than five percent of people would have guessed 30 minutes or less. Five percent is probably generous, but it’s safe to say that Ritchson knows exactly what he’s doing, why he’s doing it and how to approach gym sessions.
While many constant gymgoers, weightlifters, and anyone in between who are in that type of peak physical shape often say they spend up to two hours in the gym, Ritchson’s approach sounds like the polar opposite. Obviously, the 42-year-old actor likely maximizes every bit of time over his 20 to 30 minutes in the gym.
Based on his results, though, I think if Ritchson wrote a book detailing his workout routine, approach to building muscle and how he eats, it’d be a must-read.
Latest Updates on ‘Reacher’ Season 4: Release Date & More
Although filming for Reacher Season 4 began in June 2025, there’s no official release date yet. However, some details have been released about the beloved series and what to expect from Ritchson’s character in Season 4, which is expected to return to Amazon Prime Video in 2026.
According to Fandom, the new season will be based on the 13th book in Lee Child’s series, titled Gone Tomorrow. Based on the plot of the book, fans of the television series should be in for a treat, as Reacher returns to New York City when an early morning encounter on the subway goes haywire.
To summarize, here’s what we currently know about Season 4 of Reacher:
- Filming for the fourth season of Reacher began in June 2025.
- The new season is expected to begin streaming sometime in 2026.
- Season 4 of Reacher will be based on the 13th book in Lee Child’s series, titled Gone Tomorrow.
- It’s expected that Season 4 will take place initially in New York City.
The Reacher TV series as a whole has earned high praise from critics and fans. It received a stellar average score from critics specifically on Rotten Tomatoes, checking in at 96 percent for all three seasons. Each of the last two seasons earned a 98 percent rating from critics on the site, although Season 3 saw a slight dip in fan reviews, earning a 74 percent score.
For comparison’s sake, Season 1 received a 91 percent fan score on Rotten Tomatoes, while Season 2 was rated at 77 percent by fans.
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