London-born fitness personality Rob Riches has already made quite a name for himself in the world of health and fitness. As the 2009 World fitness model champion, he is appearing on magazine covers and in numerous publications, and hosting and producing a series of shows for Sky TV, as well as building a following of fans across a range of social and video sites for his knowledge in health and fitness.

From a young age, Rob proved himself in a range of sports, including windsurfing, snowboarding and motor sports. During a mountain bike race at 15, he fractured his shoulder after a bad fall. Once healed, he joined a gym to rebuild his strength and saw wis body was quick to respond to weight training. Rob soon started being asked by his peers to help them get fit and change how they looked. Soon he became a certified fitness and group exercise instructor.

As active as he was on the gym, Rob was also putting in the hours at school.  He graduated the college of London with a bachelors degree with honors in Video Production.

Next, rob worked a number of jobs.  He earned his bartender's license and ran a bar, then worked in a top London advertising agency managing key accounts. His passion for fitness soon found him putting his certifications to good use.  He started working as a personal trainer in a large health club chain, quickly building a reputation for delivering results and attracting a large and varied clientele base.

In 2005, Rob was sponsored by LA MUSCLE, Europe’s largest sports supplement company, and was soon appearing in ads in magazines such as Men’s Health. After a few years of solid training under his belt, he entered his first bodybuilding competition and took first place. Thanks to his golden tan, and clean-cut look, Rob earned the nickname ‘Hollywood’ from one of the judges.

Rob’s profile in the UK fitness scene rose as he appeared in other fitness magazines.  He was chosen to be the face and body for the men’s fitness section of a new sports agency called WModels, now WAthletics, one of the biggest agency’s of its type in the UK.

Rob continued to grow his personal training business, launching his website http://www.robriches.co.uk (now http://www.robriches.com) as both an online portfolio and training tool for others. A year after first competing, Rob stepped back on stage and won again. Throughout 2006, Rob won 2 more competitions, including the Musclemania world title at Hollywood, CA.

In late 2006, Rob's image appeared on the back of 60 London red buses as part of a marketing campaign to showcase top UK athletes. Rob produced this DVD for his title sponsor, LA Muscle. Later that year, Rob started training TV personalities and professional athletes in a private training studio in London.

In the summer of 2007, Rob went back to Los Angeles for 2 weeks to see what fitness career opportunities were available. Little did he realize that just after 1 week he would decide to move there permanently.

His competition achievements earned him a prestigious 01 Visa that allowed him to live and work in the United States. Rob created his own corporation, Rob Riches LLC, as an umbrella organization for all the work that he was doing, including fitness training, modeling, and working alongside the World Natural Sports Organization, acting as a judge for competitions and running workshops for new competitors.

In April 2008, Rob stepped on stage for the ‘America’s Fittest Model’ competition, and was awarded with the ‘Best Body’ title. It was from this that LA Muscle launched a supplement called ‘Norateen Hollywood Body’, displaying Rob’s image and available in stores around the UK. Shortly after, LA Muscle launched its own fitness TV channel, LA Muscle TV.  "The Rob Riches Show" began in Beverly Hills, California, with Rob interviewing high-profile fitness personalities. The show quickly spread to 5 European countries with more than 2 million views within its first 6 months.

Over the next year, the channel grew and launched on Sky TV throughout Europe to over 11 million homes. As both producer and host of many of the ‘on-location’ shows, Rob was working with TV personalities again.  But instead of training them, he was interviewing them at Launch parties and red carpet events. Traveling across the country, Rob was reporting at events including the Mr. Olympia fitness weekend and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, as well as producing mini-documentaries of some of the biggest names in the industry.

Being surrounded by those in the industry, Rob continued with his training.  Still itching to get back on stage, Rob decided to enter a WNSO fitness model show, winning a Pro card in both the fitness and muscle model category, and placing 2nd at the World Finals in 2008.

In 2008, Rob signed with sporting agency, Sports Unlimited, to represent him for print work and commercials. Throughout the year, he was a featured athlete in several magazines:  "Muscle & Fitness," "Ironman," "Men’s Workout," and  "Sense," an LA-based lifestyle magazine. "Better Bodies," a Swedish sports apparel line, featured Rob in their clothing, on their website's training video, and in several issues of their magazine "BODY."

In the summer of 2008, Rob was asked by Bodybuilding.com, a fitness super-site, to film a web series showing him training Ron Lester, a Hollywood actor.  "Rebuilding Ron Lester" lasted 6 months and earned Rob the title of ‘Trainer of the Month’.

2009 was to be another good year for Rob, both in fitness and in business, as he launched his fitness website – http://www.robrichesfitness.com. He frequently posts training video’s, nutrition tips, and answers questions for the thousands of members that have joined from all over the world. To help better inform and educate others about health and fitness, Rob offers workshops in both London and LA, as well as continuing to build on his clientele by offering consulting, and producing several fitness and nutrition DVD’s.

Rob stepped back on stage again, at the WBFF World Fitness Model Championships in Canada in September and won the World Title against 20 top competitors. Following his win, Rob graced the covers of “Inside Fitness”, and “Maximum Fitness”, two of Canada’s top selling Fitness magazines.

2010 looks certain to be another good year as Rob became the face and body throughout the US for Italian underwear brand –ES. He also appeared as their promotion model at the annual Men’s Apparel Guild in California  held at the Las Vegas convention center.

Rob continues stays in great shape year-round, and continues to help better inform and educate those around him on how to lead a healthier lifestyle. Rob is now working towards having his articles published and has several projects on the go, including fitness DVD’s, an online training tool, and a book to help others understand proper nutrition and exercise, as well as continuing to shoot for international magazines throughout the year.

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