Reacher's Alan Ritchson on the effects training for the show had on his body
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Reacher star Alan Ritchson has talked about the effects that getting so jacked for the show has had on his body.
The actor went on an intense training regime to achieve the physique of the former army man who still sees plenty of action. Speaking to GQ, he admitted that it definitely took its toll.
"I want to clarify one thing, because in every interview someone says '30 pounds of muscle'. I put on 30 pounds!" he said. "I don't know how much of that was lean muscle.
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"I went from 205lb to 235lb in eight months. I was eating a tonne. I don't think all of that was muscle. A good chunk was – a little more than half, maybe. But I didn't take steroids, I didn't take testosterone. There was only one way to get where I needed to be and that was hard work.
"I f**king wrecked my body, dude. It was too much. I didn't have time to heal. I would strain something and I was like, 'I don't care! I'm working through it!'. I suffered the consequences.
"When I finished [season 1], I needed surgery. I couldn't breathe well. I got a blood panel done and found out I had no testosterone left [because of overtraining].
"My doctor was like, 'You need to be on testosterone'. [Testosterone therapy] was a real gift because now I'm able to easily maintain that size. My workouts are short and sweet – maybe 30 minutes a day."
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While he is aware that viewers, press, and promotional materials may focus on Ritchson's huge stature, the actor is quick to stress that "the character is much more than that".
"The heart of the character really lies in his sardonic sense of humour, which is incredibly fun to play," he explained. "He's a smart guy, and isn't afraid to be a smart-ass. That underlying humour is what brings depth to him as a character, and also keeps audiences entertained."
Reacher is available to stream now on Prime Video.
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