CT Fletcher is a former drug-free Bench Press champion turned motivational speaker. He rose to fame following a YouTube interview, seen below.
The opening credits contain my absolute favourite clip. A young CT, casually talking to the camera during pause reps with 180kg (405lbs) on the bench press. In his prime he managed a 295kg (650lbs) Bench Press and 102kg (225lbs) Strict Curl, which was a long-standing world record.
I’m a big fan of CT Fletcher. His YouTube videos might be full of people using poor form, particularly deadlifts, but he’s incredible as a motivator. Sadly this documentary is really lacking in substance, with very few moments worthy of watching.
CT discusses his abusive father, tough upbringing and stories of his younger self as the weightlifting machine that he once was. We get an insight into his old lifestyle as he mentions putting away 4 Big Mac & fries, 2 strawberry milkshakes and several apple pies in an average lunch. His diet and lifestyle contributed to health problems in his early forties. To compound matters, an inherited heart condition led to him having open heart surgery aged 46. The main reason people find CT motivating is how he doesn’t use surgery as an excuse. He continues training in the gym, lifting heavier than doctors advise, and claims he’ll do so even if it kills him.
One of the main draws is supposedly following him as he opens his new gym, Iron Addicts, though this only features sporadically. Opening the gym is all about him creating a legacy to leave behind, a way to be remembered. We see the struggles obtaining a licence for the premises, and the fact it doesn’t officially open in time is likely why it takes a back seat as a narrative.
The best part of CT is seeing how he interacts with his fans and hearing stories of how he’s improved their lives. We see him signing autographs at an Expo, meeting the cardiac surgeon who operated on him and conducting an unofficial opening of the gym to appease his followers.
Sadly that wasn’t nearly enough to make this worth my time. The clip at the top is a much better overview of CT as a man in a fraction of the time. Speaking of fractions, I rate this 2.5/10
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Check out CT on Youtube
