A former world champion powerlifter who won titles in the bench press and strict curl, CT Fletcher knows what it takes to get big and strong. Unfortunately, in his younger years, this meant eating a fast food diet to bulk up, which may have contributed to having emergency open-heart surgery in 2005. Now, at age 56, the YouTube sensation and gym owner is the star of a documentary that details his upbringing, health complications, rise to fame and of course includes hardcore new and old training footage. M&F is no stranger to CT; he’s been featured on our “Over 40” page, yet the film shows us CT’s story in a way that can motivate anyone to hit the gym.
Get Addicted
My Magnificent Obsession validates the fact that CT is an international fitness phenomenon. The movie features former professional wrestlers “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Bill Goldberg, the latter of which had some kind words to say about Fletcher in a M&F interview earlier this year.
“I stopped training after I tore my bicep and my deltoid in the ring doing muay thai and I was looking at YouTube and this video popped up of this guy CT Fletcher, I had never heard of him,” Goldberg says. “I watched a video and then picked up the phone and got a hold of him. He got my ass back in the gym and he and I since have become very good friends.”
The film’s story eventually centers on the grand opening of Iron Addicts Gym in Signal Hill, California, which Goldberg mentioned he would be attending in our interview. M&F has visited another Iron Addicts Gym, the one in Las Vegas, NV. That gym had paintings of Fletcher pointing at you to “grow” that enclosed deadlift platforms, monolifts, tractor tries, bands, chains, and more of the gear required to get super strong. My Magnificent Obsession highlights just how important opening a gym can be to a person; Fletcher invested every cent into the original Iron Addicts.
It’s hard to imagine how My Magnificent Obsession won’t invoke any emotional response from the viewer since the backstory of Fletcher’s family life and upbringing is so descriptive. If you already enjoy Fletcher’s YouTube videos, you’re going to really like the rawness of this film. But beware of showing the movie to kids, Fletcher curses seemingly in every sentence.
More Than a Hobby
Overall, My Magnificent Obsession gives people who simply enjoy lifting weights hope that their “hobby” will yield real benefits in the long run. Even at rock bottom, Fletcher still stuck to weightlifting as a source to revive his life and it worked. Fletcher’s message is that obsession can be a good thing, if you’re enamored with pumping iron.
