Alan Ritchson has serious screen presence, which is especially evident in the various action projects he works on. Of course, part of what makes the star so distinctive is his physique, which makes him quite imposing. The rippling muscles – including the rock-hard abs – are the results of Ritchson’s efforts in the gym. While I’ve certainly long been aware of just how strong Ritchson is, I still wasn’t expecting a wild clip I just stumbled upon. The video in question shows Ritchson snapping a zip tie with just his strength.
Yes, you read that correctly. Ritchson apparently proved his strength while promoting Reacher (which is available to stream with a Prime Video subscription) on The Talk in 2022. Ritchson took part in a segment involving co-host Akbar Gbajabiamila, who restrained the actor’s hands with a securely fastened zip tie to see if he could break loose. Initially, Ritchson dropped a few jokes while his hands were being tied up, but the energy in the room changed quickly after he got free. Take a look at the video:
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If someone still doesn’t find themselves being impressed with the War Machine alum after seeing that clip, then I just don’t know what to tell you. Seriously, he snapped that zip tie like it was a twig. He did, of course, cut himself just a tad, but even that was just a small wound. Also, the amazing feat was further put into perspective when Gbajabiamila’s hands were also zip tied, and he didn’t even come close to freeing himself. To put it simply, Ritchson is just built differently (both figuratively and literally).
The Fast X alum has never exactly been one to hide his body, as he’s shared more than a few shirtless photos on social media. Aside from that, though, he’s also shared insight into his workout regimen, which can include four sets at 25 reps of a specific exercise. The notion of doing 100 Reps of one piece of training is downright wild to me, but it definitely seems to work for Ritchson. After all, this is a guy who manages to keep himself at under 10% body fat. Talk about commitment.
Of course, much of the hard work Alan Ritchson puts in these days is due to his continuing gig as the eponymous character on Reacher. A few years ago, the star got real about having put on 30 pounds to play the Lee Childs’ famous action hero, though he also couldn’t say for sure exactly how much of that was lean muscle. Nevertheless, that's impressive, and that’s only the work he puts in ahead of principal photography. Filming also gets rough, and Ritchson even recalled breaking his shoulder amid Season 1 and not being able to get surgery until the season was done.
Ritchson has been staying quite busy as of late, as he’s seemingly been landing gigs left and right. As far as the 2026 movie schedule goes, he has three films on it, including an upcoming holiday movie, The Man with the Bag. Of course, Ritchson has also been filming the fifth season of Reacher and has posted quite a bit about it on social media. His “proof of life” videos from the set have been particularly entertaining.
As wild as Alan Ritchson’s on-screen heroics might be, though, I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the sight of him breaking that zip tie with such ease. The man is honestly making me want to get back to the gym and start exercising regularly again. Of course, if I want to get to where Ritchson is, I’ll have to pump iron for some time.
