CT Fletcher is one of the most popular fitness YouTubers of the 2010 era. He has over 2.2 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube. His training videos are so intense they psyche you up for your next workout.
The “Superman from Compton” is a former bodybuilder and powerlifter who holds six world championship titles. Apart from being incredibly famous on social media, CT Fletcher is a successful entrepreneur and owns a chain of gyms in Miami, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
Fletcher’s life has been a roller coaster ride. He has been at the peak of stardom and through struggling times where his family did not have enough money to put food on the table.
Born in 1959 in Arkansas, CT grew up in a strict household and was physically abused by his father.
“My father started preaching in a 4-car garage when I was in grade school. By the time I was in Jr. High, we moved to Lakewood, CA and my father purchased his own church. My mother, my big brother Walt, and I were the choir. Strict is too subtle a word to describe the discipline required in our upbringing. The extreme discipline and the severe physical abuse was our way of life; it was all I knew.”– CT Fletcher
CT Fletcher Stats
Name: C.T. Ali Fletcher
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 225 lbs
D.o.B: 8 June 1959
Birthplace: Pine Bluff, Arkansas
CT Fletcher Accolades
- 3X World Bench Press Champion
- 3X World Strict Curl Champion
- Army Veteran
Joining the Military
As soon as CT Fletcher turned 18, he escaped his father’s abuse and joined the United States Army. Shortly after, he moved to Germany, where he was stationed.
While serving in the army, Fletcher got interested in martial arts, particularly karate. Following in the footsteps of his idols Bruce Lee and Mohammed Ali, Fletcher earned his second-degree black belt in karate in 1979.
Bodybuilding
Although CT Fletcher has powerlifting world records to his name, he did not start his weightlifting journey in the sport. After retiring from the army, CT joined the U.S. Postal Service and started training at a local gym in the early 1980s.
He fell in love with bodybuilding and trained seven days a week. As his physique improved, he participated in several bodybuilding shows, placing in the top 3 in almost all of them.
“Outside of my family, weightlifting was my life.” – CT Fletcher
Switching to Powerlifting
As his strength improved, CT Fletcher started chasing PRs. His focus changed from lifting to improve his muscle mass and conditioning to lifting as heavy as he could.
Fletcher switched from bodybuilding to powerlifting after years of competing in bodybuilding shows.
Realizing his potential, Superman from Compton started participating in powerlifting contests. CT announced his arrival in the powerlifting world by beating many big names.
CT Fletcher and His Unhealthy Diet
While powerlifting, CT’s primarily focused on getting stronger every day. He reckoned the fastest way to get stronger and lift bigger would be to consume as many calories as he possibly could.
Fletcher did not care about the calorie source. At one point, most of his daily calories came from extremely unhealthy processed foods. He ate what he wanted and when he wanted.
As CT Fletcher had expected, he grew bigger and stronger because of his high-calorie diet. He went on to set powerlifting records while following the unhealthy diet. CT’s success in the powerlifting circuit incentivized him to stick to his junk food diet.
Lo and behold, his unhealthy eating habits eventually caught up with him. Fletcher had developed hypertension because of his ‘dirty‘ diet. Assuming his beloved food could not possibly be his kryptonite, the Superman from Compton paid no heed to the doctor’s advice and continued eating a junk diet.
“At the time I did not care and I did not mind as long as the list of powerlifting accolades continued to grow as I did.” – C.T Fletcher
Check Out: C.T Flecher Looks Incredible In Recent TV Interview, Talks About His Surgery & Iron Obsession
Unhealthy Eating Turning Into a Life Threating Health Issue
What happened next was something Fletcher had never expected. In 2001, one of his doctors informed him that his hypertension had become life-threatening. The kryptonite was attacking his heart.
On May 20, 2005, CT Fletcher lay on an operation table in the UCI Medical Center in Long Beach and underwent life-saving open-heart surgery.
The surgery proved to be so complicated that CT had ‘flat-lined‘ three times during the procedure.
After spending the next several months in the hospital under intensive care, Fletcher was told that his powerlifting days were over as his heart could no longer support that kind of lifestyle.
CT Fletcher reminds us of Ronnie Coleman. Both athletes pushed themselves super hard in the gym even when they knew it would put them at risk of injury.
While Big Ron refused to stop lifting heavy, Fletcher ate anything he could get his hands on while training super heavy. In the end, their bodies had to pay the toll for their lifestyles. To sum it up, both the lifters sacrificed everything for greatness.
“After the surgery, I lost my job at the post office where I worked for almost 30 years. I lost my job, my home, I lost everything. At first, I felt like a bum – unemployed and homeless.” – CT Fletcher
Related: CT Fletcher Reflects On Facing His Mortality Through Heart Failure
The CT Fletcher Comeback
After recovering from surgery, CT looked nothing like his former self. While many would have given up on the lifting lifestyle after a major setback, the Iron Addict knew “It Was Still His Mutha Fuckin’ Set!”
CT Fletcher made adjustments to his lifestyle. He started eating healthy and began his lifting journey with light weights. To everyone’s surprise, Fletcher was back on a bodybuilding stage only a few years after his bypass surgery.
CT Fletcher Explains His Signature Line
“My mother suffered many of her last years from congestive heart failure. However, to her last day, to her last hour, to her final seconds of life she remained committed to her life’s choice. It was her decision to put aside adversity and always be what she perceived to be the best wife she could be. It is through her unwavering example I believe, ‘It’s Still Yo Mutha Fuckin Set!’”
Also Read: Legendary CT Fletcher Releases “LAST WILL & TESTAMENT”
A Heart Transplant
After recovering successfully from the open-heart surgery and making a lot of progress in his personal and professional life, CT Fletcher suffered another setback.
Fletcher suffered a major heart attack in June 2017. This time around, the doctors could not repair his heart. His family was informed that he needed a new heart.
According to a post on 24 February 2018 on his Instagram handle, Fletcher’s heart stopped working in January 2018. The pacemaker and defibrillators implanted onto his heart shocked him back to life.
In May 2018, doctors found a suitable heart donor for CT. Fletcher’s heart transplant surgery lasted 11 long hours but finally put an end to his long-standing heart issues.
After a successful surgery and completing his recovery process, the Iron Addict is now back in the gym and kicking some serious a**.
Next Read: C.T. Fletcher Has Successful Heart Transplant Surgery
CT Fletcher Diet Program
Fletcher started sharing his journey on YouTube in 2012. Since then he has inspired millions to lead a healthy lifestyle. He preaches eating healthy and training to become the strongest version of yourself.
CT Fletcher does not eat for pleasure. His diet is designed to get him results. His macronutrient breakdown includes 40% carbs, 50% protein, and 10% fat.
In his prime, the Iron Addict ate up to eight small meals throughout the day to maintain a high metabolism rate.
Fletcher likes to segregate his carbs and protein intake. He alternates between carb and protein foods and does not usually consume both macronutrients in the same meal.
CT Fletcher Diet Plan
Fletcher does not weigh his food or maintain a food journal. He uses his three-decade-long experience as a guide. This is what his diet program looks like:
Meal 1
- Egg White Omelet: 12
- Veggies: 1 Handful
- Turkey Or Chicken Breast: 1-2 Servings
Meal 2
- Protein Shake
Meal 3
- Salad: 1 serving
- Albacore Tuna: 1 can
Meal 4
- Ground Turkey: As desired
Meal 5
- White Rice: 2 cups
Meal 6
- Chicken Breast: 8 oz
Meal 7
- White Rice: 2 cups
Meal 8
- Protein Shake
Tip: Macronutrient Calculator: Count Your Macros Easily
CT Fletcher Training Program
Fletcher is known for his hardcore training style. Even though his personal training style has changed since undergoing a heart transplant, he still trains other people with the same intensity as before.
It’s not uncommon for people (even his YouTube audience) to experience goosebumps while watching him train or putting other people through a workout.
He is one of the very few individuals who can draw a crowd to witness his training sessions. People who train with the Superman from Compton usually report having pushed themselves harder than they usually do in their workouts.
The Iron Addict believes in constantly changing his workouts to ensure his body does not hit a plateau.
“When leaving the gym, you should be exhausted. It should not be easy for you to get into your car.” – CT Fletcher
Watch: Joe Rogan Interviews C.T. Fletcher Talks About the Steroid Use
CT Fletcher Workout Program
If you could not tell by looking at him, CT loves training his arms and chest. He does not confine his sets to a pre-determined number of reps. He continues doing an exercise until he cannot do it anymore.
Fletcher employs the one-movement workout (OMW). It is an effective high-volume and high-rep training method for complete muscle annihilation.
“I don’t know how many reps. I’ma do the mutha fu*ka ’till I can’t do it no mutha fu*kin more!” – CT Fletcher
Here is what CT Fletcher’s Training Routine looks like:
Arm Workout
- Superset:
- Triceps Pushdown: 10 sets of 10 reps
- Standing Biceps Cable Curl: 10 sets of 10 reps
- One-Arm Preacher Curl with Dumbbell: 2 sets until failure
- Seated Triceps Press: 4 sets until failure
- Incline Inner Bicep Curl: 2 sets until failure
- Dumbbell Tricep Kickback: 2 sets of 40 reps (per arm)
- Underhand Chin-Up: 2 sets until failure
- Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extension: 1 set of 20 reps
Chest Workout
- Barbell Bench Press: 20 sets of 1-20 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 sets of 5 reps
- Close, Normal, and Wide Grip Chin-Up: 1 set of 10 reps (in each position)
- Incline Bench Cable Fly: 5 sets of 12 reps
Back Workout
- Bent-Over Row: 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Close-Grip Seated Cable Row: 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps
- Straight Arm Pushdown: 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Hammer Strength Lat Pulldown: 2-3 sets of 10 reps
Shoulder Workout
- Barbell Press: 10 sets of 10 reps
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Press: 10 sets of 10 reps
- Side Lateral Raise: 4-5 sets of 15-20 reps
- Bent-Over Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 5 sets of 20 reps
Leg Workout
- Seated Machine Leg Curl: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
- Hack Squat: 4-5 sets of 6-10 reps
- Barbell Squat: 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Sled Push: 30-40 meters of 4-6 sets
Watch: CT Fletcher Back To Weight Training With Back Squats!
“I command you to grow! You must grow! I’m the boss motha fu*ka! I tell you what to do, you don’t tell me! I told your ass to grow. Grow!” – CT Fletcher
CT Fletcher’s 10 Commandments For Muscle Growth
Fletcher swears by the following principles for building a chiseled physique:
- Train your mind harder than your body
- Never accept anyone else’s restrictions
- Pain is essential
- Listen to your body
- Imagine the figure you want to achieve
- Don’t let your body get used to it
- Angles are essential for growth
- Learn the meaning of “overload”
- Be obsessed
- Never Settle
Supplementation
Since CT Fletcher struggles with poor-diet-induced health issues, he leaves no stones unturned to ensure he is meeting his daily macro and micronutrient needs.
Fletcher uses the following supplements to fill the voids in his natural diet:
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Wrapping It Up
From being a six-time world champion to suffering two heart attacks, the Superman from Compton has seen the highest highs and lowest lows.
Even after going through open-heart surgery and a heart transplant, CT Fletcher did not lose hope. Every time you think of giving up, revisit CT’s story and let his golden words be your guiding light – “It’s Still Yo Mutha Fuckin’ Set!”
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