Amotti is now preparing for his next flex – fatherhood. Photo: ANN
The Lululemon Training Ground event, a sold-out high-intensity training session on Jan 24 fronted by Amotti, marked his third time in Singapore.
And each time the South Korean fitness star and ambassador for Canadian activewear brand Lululemon is in Singapore, he must have bak kut teh.
Describing the pork rib soup dish as one that is similar to gomtang (Korean beef soup), which he eats very often as part of his muscle-building diet, he says he loves bak kut teh so much that his air stewardess wife will prepare it for him at home.
When asked if she is a good cook to make authentic bak kut teh, Amotti laughs it off, telling The Straits Times on Jan 23 at Clarke Quay via a translator: “My wife cooks it for me using premix powder.”
Other than local cuisine, the 33-year-old – whose real name is Kim Jae-hong – is also grateful for his popularity here.
“I’m very thankful to my Singapore fans. When I was here for Hyrox in November, so many people came to support me,” says Amotti, who participated in the gruelling AIA Hyrox Singapore fitness challenge on Nov 29, 2025.
After being crowned the winner of Netflix’s hit reality fitness competition series Physical: 100 Season 2 – Underground (2024), the chiselled CrossFit athlete and YouTuber with the winning smile experienced a meteoric rise to fame.
He is starring in another South Korean reality variety show 'Muscle Farmers'. Photo: Amotti/Instagram
His stardom further skyrocketed following the success of the spin-off Physical: Asia (2025), which pit South Korea – the eventual champ – against teams from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand and Turkiye.
Together with his Physical: Asia teammate Kim Dong-hyun, Amotti went on to star in another spin-off, Physical: Welcome To Mongolia (2025 to 2026), where Team Mongolia played tour guides to their South Korean counterparts.
Acknowledging that the Physical franchise has changed his life, Amotti says he was never seeking fame when he started sharing his love for fitness on his YouTube channel in 2020. “I was just working out for myself,” he says.
However, thanks to the Netflix shows, he was able to build a fan base and show them that fitness is enjoyable and that one can have fun while exercising.
“The key is to always enjoy your training and not see it as stressful,” he adds.
Amotti has amassed an online audience of more than 1.3 million between his YouTube and Instagram channels alone.
He is also starring in another South Korean reality variety show, Muscle Farmers (2026), which features strapping celebrities like mixed martial artist Choo Sung-hoon aka Sexyama and K-pop idol Baekho tackling physical farm work in rural communities.
“I do not actively seek out work in variety shows as my personality is not as fun as Sexyama or Kim Dong-hyun,” says Amotti. “But if such opportunities come my way, I will take them with gratefulness.”
Daily grind
Amotti’s enviable He-Man physique is a product of daily training, says the gym rat. He works out twice a day without fail, at 9am and noon. On Thursday mornings, he goes for a 15km run.
Amotti has always enjoyed sports, and played soccer when he was young.
“I went full time into CrossFit after my military service in special forces,” he says, explaining that being in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps built his mental resilience and discipline.
He is now preparing for his next flex – fatherhood. His wife shared a gender-reveal reel on Instagram on Dec 5 that they are expecting their first child, a girl. The couple tied the knot in August 2024.
He is already looking forward to introducing sports to and exercising with his daughter – once she starts walking.
“I want her to work out with me. If she doesn’t want to, that’s her choice, but I hope she will want to,” he says with a laugh. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
