Charjo Grant is one of the most unusual stories in modern bodybuilding — a decorated U.S. Army officer who also stood on the Mr. Olympia stage four years in a row. 🇺🇸
His full name is Charlton “Charjo” Grant, and he is an American IFBB Pro League Men’s Physique bodybuilder from South Carolina.
Between 2019 and 2024 he competed in 23 professional shows, won three of them, and finished 4th at the 2022 Mr. Olympia — all while serving as a full-time Army National Guard officer.
Here is his complete, verified story: the Army career, the tragedy that pushed him into bodybuilding, the pro card, the wins, and where he stands in 2026.
📋 Charjo Grant Quick Facts
| Full Name | Charlton “Charjo” Grant |
| Nickname | Charjo |
| Nationality | American (United States) |
| Division | IFBB Pro League Men’s Physique |
| Height | 6’0″ (per BarBend, from Grant himself) |
| Contest Weight | ~205 lb |
| Off-Season Weight | ~235 lb |
| Pro Card | 2018 NPC Nationals, Men’s Physique Class F, 2nd place |
| Pro Wins | 3 — DC Pro 2021, Vancouver Pro 2022, San Antonio Pro 2023 |
| Mr. Olympia Appearances | 4 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) — best finish 4th in 2022 |
| Military Career | U.S. Army National Guard officer; enlisted 2002; promoted to Lieutenant Colonel |
| Family | Married (wife Angelique), three daughters |
| @iamcharjo | |
| Date of Birth | Not officially published (see FAQ below) |
🪖 A Soldier First: The Army Career
Long before the stage, there was the uniform. Grant enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard in 2002, working in sustainment and logistics.
He deployed once, to Kosovo, and spent his college years at Newberry College, where he played outside linebacker on an academic and athletic scholarship and went through ROTC.
That path led to a commission as an Army National Guard officer — the start of a second career running alongside everything else in this story.
After nine years as a traditional guardsman, he took an active-duty tour at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia, and in 2018 he was accepted into the full-time AGR program.
His roles have included Senior Marketing Officer of the National Guard and Team Chief in the Joint Operations Center — senior staff work, not a side job.
In 2021 he was selected for the prestigious Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, graduating in the summer of 2022 with a Master’s in Operational Studies. 🎓
His honours include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. By January 2022 he held the rank of Major.
In early 2024, he shared his own promotion news with the words “To God Be The Glory… We Have Pinned The Rank Of Lieutenant Colonel” — a rank the official Mr. Olympia account also celebrated.
💔 Tragedy, Then a Pro Card in One Year
Grant’s bodybuilding career began in grief. In 2017 his father was tragically killed, and Grant has said bodybuilding pulled him out of a dark place.
He started competing in 2018 — by his own admission, “that first year, I had no idea what I was doing.”
Beginners are not supposed to move this fast. At the 2018 North American Championships he placed 5th in Men’s Physique Class F.
Then, at the 2018 NPC Nationals, he finished 2nd in Class F — and that runner-up finish earned him his IFBB Pro Card. 🏆
The official NPC pro-card winners list records him under his full name, Charlton Grant. Twelve months after picking up the sport, he was a professional.
🏋️ The Pro Grind: 2019–2020
Grant’s pro debut season in 2019 brought three solid placings: 10th at the Tampa Pro, 8th at the San Antonio Classic, and 5th at the San Antonio Pro.
Then came 2020 — a season that would break most part-time athletes. Grant competed eight times in a single year.
He finished 2nd at both the Battle in the Desert and the Chicago Pro, took 4th at the Wasatch Warrior Pro and the Optimum Classic Pro, and placed inside the top eight at the Tampa Pro, the Southeast Texas Pro and the New York Pro.
That relentless run earned him his first Olympia qualification. At the 2020 Mr. Olympia he placed 12th on debut — a remarkable result for a full-time soldier.
🥇 First Pro Win and the Olympia Peak: 2021–2022
In 2021, Grant broke through. At the DC Pro he took 1st place — his first professional title, ahead of Adrian Horton.
He returned to the Olympia that year and repeated his 12th-place finish, proving the debut was no fluke.
💪 2022 was the peak of his career. He won the Vancouver Pro, and added podium finishes with 3rd place at both the Chicago Pro and the Texas Pro.
Then came the big one. At the 2022 Mr. Olympia, Grant placed 4th in the world — behind only Erin Banks, Brandon Hendrickson and Diogo Montenegro.
For a man who had graduated from Command and General Staff College that same summer, it was an extraordinary double achievement.
🏆 One More Win: The 2023 Season
Grant stayed busy in 2023, opening with 8th at the New York Pro and 4th at the Palmetto Pro.
After a 6th-place finish at the DC Pro — the show he had won two years earlier — he struck gold again at the San Antonio Pro, taking 1st place for the third pro win of his career. 🥇
That victory carried him to his fourth consecutive Olympia. At the 2023 Mr. Olympia he placed 16th in a deep international field.
That same Olympia line-up featured several athletes covered on this site, including Edvan Palmeira, who placed 11th, and Riccardo Croci, a veteran of six straight Olympias.
📅 2024 and His Status in 2026
Grant’s most recent recorded season was 2024, when he placed 9th at the Phoenix Pro and 5th at the Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro in August of that year.
Since then, he has not competed in 2025 or 2026, and he has made no retirement announcement. The honest description is competition-inactive since August 2024 — not retired.
His focus is the Army. He currently serves as an advisor to the Transcend Foundation and, per his bio there, remains an active-duty officer in the Army National Guard, living in Virginia with his wife and children.
Men’s Physique continues to grow around him — athletes like Ali Bilal, who shared that 2023 Olympia stage, have gone on to win Arnold Classic titles — but Grant’s dual-career chapter remains one of a kind.
🔥 How Charjo Grant Trains
Grant’s training week was documented in detail by BarBend in January 2022, during his Olympia-level prime, under coach Omar Ventura and trainer Dwayne Turner.
Monday — Chest: a push-up warm-up totalling 100 reps, bench press (5×12), incline flyes, incline dumbbell press, cable crossovers, dips to failure, 100 core reps and 30 minutes of cardio.
Tuesday — Legs & Triceps: leg extensions first to pre-exhaust the quads, then hack squats, leg press and calf raises, plus one triceps exercise. Grant has no dedicated arm day — his arms are a strong point.
Wednesday — Back & Biceps: assisted pull-ups, rack pulls, seated rows, lat pulldowns, Hammer Strength rows, dumbbell rows and back extensions, one biceps exercise, and 30 minutes of cardio.
Thursday — Rest. Recovery is scheduled, not skipped.
Friday — Shoulders & Chest: Arnold presses, lateral raises, military presses, front raises, rear-delt flyes, shrugs and high-volume cable flyes.
Saturday — Legs again: walking lunges, goblet squats, leg press and 100 more core reps. Sunday — Rest.
Two of his own lines sum up the approach: “Time management is the key to success. Prioritize the important factors in your life and make a plan. Execute.” ⏰
📊 Charjo Grant Full Contest Record
| Year | Competition | Division | Placing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | North American Championships | Men’s Physique Class F (amateur) | 5th |
| 2018 | NPC Nationals | Men’s Physique Class F (amateur) | 2nd — earned IFBB Pro Card |
| 2019 | Tampa Pro | Men’s Physique | 10th |
| 2019 | San Antonio Classic | Men’s Physique | 8th |
| 2019 | San Antonio Pro | Men’s Physique | 5th |
| 2020 | Tampa Pro | Men’s Physique | 6th |
| 2020 | Wasatch Warrior Pro | Men’s Physique | 4th |
| 2020 | Optimum Classic Pro | Men’s Physique | 4th |
| 2020 | Southeast Texas Pro | Men’s Physique | 5th |
| 2020 | Battle in the Desert | Men’s Physique | 2nd |
| 2020 | Chicago Pro | Men’s Physique | 2nd |
| 2020 | New York Pro | Men’s Physique | 8th |
| 2020 | Mr. Olympia | Men’s Physique | 12th |
| 2021 | DC Pro | Men’s Physique | 1st 🏆 |
| 2021 | Mr. Olympia | Men’s Physique | 12th |
| 2022 | Vancouver Pro | Men’s Physique | 1st 🏆 |
| 2022 | Chicago Pro | Men’s Physique | 3rd |
| 2022 | Texas Pro | Men’s Physique | 3rd |
| 2022 | Mr. Olympia | Men’s Physique | 4th |
| 2023 | New York Pro | Men’s Physique | 8th |
| 2023 | Palmetto Pro | Men’s Physique | 4th |
| 2023 | DC Pro | Men’s Physique | 6th |
| 2023 | San Antonio Pro | Men’s Physique | 1st 🏆 |
| 2023 | Mr. Olympia | Men’s Physique | 16th |
| 2024 | Phoenix Pro | Men’s Physique | 9th |
| 2024 | Lenda Murray Atlanta Pro | Men’s Physique | 5th |
Career totals: 23 professional shows, 3 pro wins, 4 Mr. Olympia appearances (2020–2023), best Olympia finish 4th (2022).
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is Charjo Grant’s real name?
His full name is Charlton Grant. “Charjo” is the nickname he competes under, and the NPC’s official 2018 pro-card winners list records him as Charlton Grant.
How many times has Charjo Grant competed at Mr. Olympia?
Four times: 2020 (12th), 2021 (12th), 2022 (4th) and 2023 (16th). His 4th place in 2022, behind Erin Banks, Brandon Hendrickson and Diogo Montenegro, is his career best.
What does Charjo Grant do in the Army?
He is a career U.S. Army National Guard officer who enlisted in 2002, deployed to Kosovo, served at the National Guard Bureau, completed Command and General Staff College in 2022 with a Master’s in Operational Studies, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in early 2024.
How tall is Charjo Grant and how much does he weigh?
Per BarBend (January 2022, sourced from Grant himself), he stands 6’0″, competes at around 205 lb and weighs about 235 lb in the off-season.
What is Charjo Grant’s date of birth?
It is not officially published. Some aggregator sites claim he was born in 1992, but that cannot be correct — he enlisted in the Army in 2002, which would have made him about ten years old. No authoritative source publishes his birth date, so we don’t print one.
Is Charjo Grant retired?
No retirement has been announced. His last recorded contests were in August 2024 (Phoenix Pro and Atlanta Pro), and he has not competed in 2025 or 2026. He remains an active-duty Army National Guard officer and an advisor to the Transcend Foundation.
🏁 Final Word
Very few athletes have stood fourth in the world in their sport while holding senior rank in the military. Charjo Grant did both — in the same year. 🎖️
His story runs from a father’s loss in 2017, to a pro card just a year later, to three pro titles and four Olympia stages, alongside a two-decade Army career that is still going.
Whether or not he returns to the stage, Lieutenant Colonel Charlton “Charjo” Grant has already built one of the most remarkable dual careers bodybuilding has ever seen.