Alan Ritchson vs. Prime Arnold Schwarzenegger: Physique Comparison

Although Alan Ritchson has been acting for nearly two decades, the actor’s breakthrough role undeniably came with Amazon Prime’s 2022 show, Reacher. With his success in portraying Lee Child’s stoic ex-military detective, Ritchson also upgraded his physique. Although the actor always sported an athletic physique, he bulked up significantly to play Reacher. After gaining even more muscle mass for season two, Ritchson has drawn comparisons with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While Hollywood has no dearth of jacked leading men, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the one who started it all. The seven-time Mr. Olympia-winning bodybuilder was a towering and intimidating presence on the silver screen. In fact, Schwarzenegger laid down the foundation of the modern superhero physique that Ritchson and others sport today with Conan the Barbarian. While the 41-year-old action star’s height and weight are similar to the Austrian Oak, how does he stack up against a prime Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Does Alan Ritchson hold his own against Arnold Schwarzenegger?

One of the hallmarks of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher is the perfect mix of brains and brawns. While Reacher can dismantle even the most heinous posts with his Sherlock Holmes-like deduction, he is more than capable of flatlining bad guys with sheer strength. In Never Back Down, Child describes Reacher as “6ft 5in and 250lbs… a six-pack like a cobbled city street, a chest like a suit of NFL armour and biceps like basketballs.” While that’s a tall order to live up to Alan Rtichson, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stats won him seven Mr. Olympia titles.

The Austrian Oak was among the biggest bodybuilders of his time. At his biggest, Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed 250 lbs during the offseason and is believed to have possessed 22-inch biceps, 57-inch chest, 34-inch waist, 28.5-inch thighs, and 18-inch calves. While many are skeptical about these measurements, Arnie officially measured his stats before the 1967 Mr. Universe. His biceps were 20.5 inches, chest 54.5 inches, waist 31 inches, thighs 26.2 inches, and calves 17.7 inches.

We know that Arnie worked to further improve his physique as per the recommendations of bodybuilding legends like Reg Park. Hence, Arnie’s widely accepted measurements might not be such an exaggeration after all. Meanwhile, Alan Ritchson stands an inch taller than Arnie at 6’3″ and weighs in at 245 lbs for his Jack Reacher physique. However, information on his stats isn’t that easy to find.

The actor reportedly sports a 34-inch waist, 46-inch chest, 18-inch biceps, and 16-inch calves. Even with a wide margin of error, it’s clear that Ritchson doesn’t match prime Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, Robert Patrick, who has worked with Arnie in Terminator 2 and Ritchson in Reacher season 2, shared an interesting insight.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger had to play by Hollywood’s rules

While the superhero physique might have become a common sight, in the 80s, the seven-time Mr. Olympia had to downsize his physique. As odd as it might sound, with actors pushing how muscular and shredded they can become, Arnold Schwarzenegger had to get smaller for Conan the Barbarian (1982). So Arnie didn’t go back up to his previous Olympia-winning physique after starring in Conan.

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So when Robert Patrick worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1991, he no longer carried his biggest physique. After working with Ritchson on Reacher, Patrick claimed that the 41-year-old is bigger. “Alan’s bigger. Don’t tell Arnold I said that, but right now, Alan in his present stage and age is bigger,” said Patrick, according to Screen Rant.

So, while Alan Ritchson might no beat the five-time Mr. Universe at his best, Robert Patrick thinks at 41, Arnie was smaller than the Fast X actor. Although it’s impossible to verify if Patrick’s deduction is on point, the two action stars will soon star alongside one another.

Alan Ritchson will soon share another similarity with The Terminator

Near the height of his Hollywood career, Arnold Schwarzenegger shocked everyone by starring in a comedy. While it might sound odd, the move worked out, and fans loved the legendary bodybuilder-turned-action hero in a comedic role. In fact, Twins (1988) became one of the former governor’s most successful films. Alan Ritchson is doing the same and with Arnie beside him.

The 76-year-old is no stranger to Christmas films, and the Christmas comedy Jingle All the Way (1996) has become a cult classic. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Austrian Oak will star alongside Alan Ritchson in Adam Shankman’s The Man With the Bag. Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger found success pivoting to comedy, Ritchson is also doing the same.

While the 76-year-old may no longer have his physique, he still trains regularly. Arnie also has a habit of training with his co-stars. With Alan Ritchson already being a fitness and bodybuilding enthusiast, one can only imagine that Arnold Schwarzenegger will not pass up the opportunity to give a few insights to the 41-year-old Reacher star.

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