C.T. Ali Fletcher

A former US Army, CT Fletcher is a well-respected bodybuilder and trainer in the YouTube Fitness Community—some referring to him as the “godfather.” He joined the Army when he turned 18 in 1977 and was stationed in Germany, where he’d discovered his love for martial arts. After his service, he returned home and found his greatest passion: weightlifting and bodybuilding. In the early 2010s, he launched his YouTube channel, where he’d share brash yet highly motivational workout content. He rose to prominence as a multi-year champion powerlifter and titleholder of 3-time World Bench Press Champion and 3-time World Strict Curl Champion. He founded the Iron Addicts Gym, with his first branch in Signal Hill, California.

Austen Alexander

US Navy veteran Austen Alexander rose to prominence on the YouTube platform when he and his girlfriend provided home workouts during quarantine. He launched his channel in 2016 and grew from more than 80,000 to a million subscribers. Aside from his fitness advice, Alexander is also known for challenging YouTube celebrities and other social media influencers on obstacle courses inspired by military boot camps. He’d also challenge himself by trying out the new Army Combat Fitness, going against fellow active-duty servicemen members for an obstacle course challenge, conquering the Navy SEAL Screening Test, and more. His content is not only limited to workouts and fitness, as Alexander also shares his perspective during his active-duty service, a sneak-peek vlogging into his personal life, and health tips on proper diet and nutrition. Before leaving the service in 2021, he reported to the Harbor Patrol Unit at Seal Beach, California, since enlistment in 2013. For seven years, he served in Bahrain in the Naval Security Forces.

Nick Bare

Shortly after founding his company Bare Performance Nutrition in 2012, alongside the launching of his YouTube channel, Nick Bare joined the U.S. Army as an infantry officer. He was deployed overseas, in Japan for a year, and briefly in South Korea, where he simultaneously worked on “creating high-quality, great-tasting, and effective performance supplements” for his business. He began posting videos in 2014, sharing his eating habits, how to stay in shape, his military life, and some health and workout tips. Bare left the Army in 2017 and, since then, continued growing his channel and fitness journey.

Max Philisaire

Another inspiring Army veteran on the list, Max Philisaire, a.k.a. Max “The Body” Philisaire, has been sharing his passion for fitness since 2006. In an article, Philisaire said he suffered from being underweight in high school, only stuffing himself with junk foods such as pizzas, burgers, and chocolate. Having enough teasing, Philisaire began hitting the gym and eventually joined the Army as a combat war Soldier. After serving overseas, he returned home and started building his career in the fitness industry. He was soon recognized as a fitness model, celebrity coach, and businessman, alongside his YouTube career with more than 400K subscribers. He has been in the industry for nearly two decades.

Greg Plitt

With over 170,000 subscribers, US Army Ranger veteran Greg Plitt is among the first fitness personalities to cross over from YouTube into the mainstream media. After serving in the Army, Plitt worked on becoming a certified personal trainer and was an official member of MET-Rx athlete. His channel uploads workout routines, heavily focused on muscle-building and motivational vlogs, on his channel. Unfortunately, Plitt’s uprising career ended after a tragic accident in 2015. Nevertheless, you can still check out his previous content on his channel, as it remains active up until this date.