The Alan Ritchson Workout Program

Alan Ritchson has one of the most impressive physiques of anyone in Hollywood right now. He is very muscular and lean without looking like a typical meat head. So I decided to put together the Alan Ritchson Workout you can use to build his type of physique!

I had no idea who this guy was until a few weeks ago when I started watching one of the funniest shows on television. Blue Mountain State! Alan Ritchson plays Thad Castle, the captain of the college football team who is almost like a Derrick Zoolander in terms of how full he is of himself and his lack of intelligence.

The show is centered around the college football team and it seems that they do a lot more partying than playing football. However, this is not the case off set because Alan Ritchson had to do some serious workouts to build an extremely fit and muscular physique.

Alan Ritchson Workout Routine to Build Muscle 

Currently there is very little information on the Alan Ritchson Workout. I assume that will all change in the future as Alan Ritchson gains more notoriety. However, if you are looking to build a physique similar to that of Alan Ritchson then keep reading.

Build Muscle Quickly and Get the Alan Ritchson Body

When I was in first year university I was fortunate to lift weights with a couple x football player doormen. The two guys I worked out with were built just like Alan Ritchson and were totally jacked.

Over the 6 months that I trained with these guys I added some serious muscle. In fact when I came home from University my family was concerned I had taken steroids. We followed a 5 day workout split and it went like this:

Monday – Chest and Triceps

Tuesday – Back and Biceps

Wednesday – Shoulders and Legs

Thursday – REST

Friday – Chest, Back, Arms

Saturday – Shoulders and Legs

Sunday – Rest

Each muscle group was hit to oblivion 2x per week. This is much more effective than your typical bodybuilding split where you only hit each muscle group once per week.

Therefore, I modeled the Alan Ritchson Workout after this. Although, this type of workout routine requires a proper diet and rest for recovery, so make sure you eat enough food and supplement if necessary.

In addition, the muscle groups are spaced out perfectly throughout the week giving your muscles ample rest between workout sessions. Therefore your workouts effectiveness will be maximized.

The Specific Alan Ritchson Workout Plan

The first two exercises per muscle group in the Alan Ritchson Workout are geared towards heavy weight, lower reps and long rest periods. These are the lifts that you will be adding weight to every single workout. This will ensure long-term muscle growth from progressive overload. 

The last exercise is going to be done for higher reps and with brief rest periods. This is called pump training and this will help increase fluid and glycogen in your muscles making them bigger and fuller. By combining these two different styles of weight training you can maximize muscle growth.

Workout 1 – Chest and Triceps 

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 5 x 4-6 reps (2-3 minutes rest between sets)

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 minutes rest between sets)

Incline Flyes: 4 x 8-12 reps (30-60 seconds rest)

Skull Crushers: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Over-head Dumb Bell Triceps Extensions: 4 x 8-10 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Cable Rope Extensions: 4 x 8-12 reps (30-60 seconds rest)

Day 2 – Back and Biceps 

Weighted Pull Ups*: 5 x 5 reps (2-3 mins rest)

T Bar Rows: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 mins rest)

Seated Cable Rows: 4 x 8-12 / Super set with Bent Over Flyes: 4 x 10-12 (30-60 sec rest)

Barbell Curls: 4 x 4-6 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Incline Dumbbell Curls: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Cable Curls: 4 x 8-12 reps (30-60 seconds rest)

*Note: A high-quality weight belt is a MUST on weighted pull ups to prevent discomfort an distraction from training.

Day 3 – Shoulders and Legs 

Barbell Squats: 5 x 5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Leg Curls: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Calf Raises: 4 x 10-15 reps (30-60 seconds rest)

Seated DB Shoulder Press: 5 x 5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Shrugs or Power Cleans: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Lateral Raises: 4 x 8-12 reps (30-60 seconds rest)

Day 4 – Rest

Day 5 – Chest, Back, Arms 

Flat Barbell Bench: 4 x 5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Incline DB Bench: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Weighted Chin ups: 4 x 5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Barbell Rows: 4 x 6-8 (2-3 minutes rest)

Standing DB Curls: 4 x 4-6 (2-3 minutes rest)

Cable Curls: 4 x 6-8 (2 minutes rest)

Lying DB Triceps Extensions: 4 x 6-8 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Rope Cable Extensions: 4 x 8-12 reps (2 minutes rest)

Day 6 – Shoulders and Legs 

Dead-lifts: 5 x 5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Reverse Lunges: 4 x 6-8 reps per leg (2-3 minutes rest)

Calf Raises: 4 x 10-15 reps (30-60 seconds rest)

Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: 5 x 5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)

Upright Row: 4 x 6-8 reps (2 minutes rest)

Lateral Raises: 4 x 8-12 reps (30-60 seconds rest)

Day 7 – Rest

Notes on the Alan Ritchson Workout:

• This is a high volume program. Make sure to stop a rep before failure on all of your sets to avoid burning out.
• Record your weights and sets/reps every workout to track and ensure steady improvement in strength .
• This program is geared towards someone looking to gain muscle size. Therefore it is imperative that you consume adequate nutrition. You must eat a lot of food if you are going to benefit from this program. Your biggest meal should be consumed 1-3 hours after the workout to maximize muscle growth.  

The Alan Ritchson Diet

Although I don’t know the exact diet Alan Ritchson followed, I can guess pretty accurately as to what it looked like. The Alan Ritchson Diet requires you to be in a calorie deficit so you can lean down and reveal the lean muscle you’ve built.

Alan Ritchson wasn’t eating thousands of calories to get his body, he built a decent foundation of muscle while leaning down. The key here is that you must be in a calorie deficit in order to lose the fat that is covering you’re hard earned muscle. If you want a complete workout and diet program that will help you achieve a body like Alan Ritchson, check out the Superhero Bulking Program