Who is C.T. Fletcher?
CT Fletcher is an American bodybuilder and a fitness influencer who is active on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other social platforms. His real name is C.T. Ali Fletcher, and he was born on 8th June 1959 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He is known for posting motivational fitness-related videos on his YouTube channel called CT Fletcher Motivation.
Early life and background of C.T. Fletcher
CT grew up alongside his parents and brother. His father was a Korean war veteran who worked in a field until switching to Christianity. His mother had been a housewife since her teenage years. CT’s father started preaching, and since there wasn’t any other place available, he practised in a garage. After their family moved to Lakewood, his father was accepted by the church and started to preach there. Although his father was religious, he didn’t have a soft spot for his sons. He regularly beat them and physically and psychically abused them. CT’s mother was always kind and loving, but it wasn’t enough to shut down their father. To escape from home for just a while, CT found a job at a local gas station, but his father forced him to quit and help at the church instead. Needless to say, CT impatiently waited to leave the house.
Early career of C.T. Fletcher
Once he celebrated his 18th birthday, CT left the house and immediately joined the US Army. He was stationed in Germany, where he discovered the beauty of martial arts. While serving in Germany, CT started attending karate classes, ready to learn a new skill. CT idolised Bruce Lee and was motivated by the thought of getting as good as him. He worked hard, and after some time, he earned a second-degree black belt in 1979. After he got discharged from the Army, CT found a job at a local Post Office.
While working at the Post Office, CT didn’t plan on quitting his fitness career. Since he was already great at karate, he decided to try some other activity. He got passionate about weightlifting, which kept him coming to the gym daily. If there was something that described CT, it was dedication. Once he got his mind on something, he needed to become the best at it. Once he mastered weightlifting, he turned to powerlifting, which became his new obsession. He was determined to grow huge muscles and become as strong as he could.
Personal life of C.T. Fletcher
CT married his high school sweetheart right before joining the Army. They had a child and stayed together until 1990, when they, unfortunately, broke up. After their separation, CT wasn’t searching for love and just focused on work. But as usual, love found him when he expected it the least. In 1995, he married his second wife, whom he met at the Post Office. Nowadays, they have seven adult children and one grandchild.
C.T. Fletcher as a Profesional Powerlifter
Since he wanted to become as big as possible without using any steroids, CT figured that he had to massively increase his calorie intake. It was the only way to gain enough mass, which he could transform into muscle. But since his wife often worked late, he was responsible for his own food choices. At that time, CT didn’t care about his food being healthy or nutritious as long as it provided him with calories. He transformed his guilty pleasure into a daily meal plan, resulting in eating mostly fast food. His plan seemed to be working as CT started attending various powerlifting competitions, ranking in the highest positions. He became the World Bench Press Champion three times in a row.
Did C.T. Fletcher have a heart transplant?
Although his career was at its peak, CT started to experience some health problems. His doctor informed him that his unhealthy lifestyle was catching on, but CT ignored him because he only saw success. He continued eating loads of junk food until 2001 when his doctor informed him that he might become completely disabled if continuing this lifestyle. CT finally tried to change his habits, but it was too late. In 2005, CT was admitted to the UCI Medical Centre, where he was rushed to an emergency open-heart surgery. Thankfully, he made it but found out that he almost died three times during the procedure. Even though the surgery was successful, it took its part in CT, who suffered from consequences for another few months. He had trouble breathing and often experienced excruciating pain. In 2017 he suffered a heart attack, which ended in a need for heart transplant surgery. Luckily, CT moved up on the waiting list and received a new heart in 2018.
C.T. Fletcher on YouTube
CT created his YouTube channel called CT Fletcher Motivation in 2013 while he was in recovery. He realised how lucky he was to survive his unfortunate life choices and wanted to inspire others to not repeat his mistakes. Although he became a World Powerlifting Champion, his journey almost cost him his life. To avoid that, he tries to teach younger people to exercise responsibly. His audience grew in popularity after a short period of time, hanging on CT’s every word. He took the responsibility of raising a responsible gym generation upon himself.
Interesting facts about C.T. Fletcher
- As of 2022, he is 63 years old.
- His zodiac sign is Gemini.
- His height is 5'11' or 180 cm.
- His weight is 106 kilograms or 235 lbs.
- He was abused by his father, who was a priest and a Korean war veteran.
- He found his first job at 12 years old.
- He joined the US Army when he was 18 years old, serving in Germany.
- He earned a second-degree black belt in karate.
- He is a three-time World Bench Press Champion.
- He started having heart problems due to his poor diet.
- He had an emergency open-heart surgery in 2005.
- He had a heart transplant surgery in 2018 after suffering a heart attack.
- He has over 1,51 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
- His most popular video is Hulk Smash! CT Fletcher Introduces "Da Hulk", with over 23 million views.
