Bobby Rich competed in Judo for Team GB and is a BJJ Blackbelt, but is also grabbing headlines as the coach helping David and Victoria Beckham smash their own PRs. As a fitness and wellness consultant, Rich continues to teach martial arts and has also partnered with David Beckham to launch a new supplement brand called IM8.
Here, the trainer talks to M&F about his passion for personal training and the importance of staying healthy to promote our longevity.
Many people will have seen you train celebrities such as Madonna, Jason Statham and the Beckham’s and may be tempted to think ‘of course they look fit, they have all the time and money in the world’. How about such an attitude?
That’s just a BS excuse to be honest, especially now with all the content out there readily available to everyone. I know a bunch of very rich people out there who are out of shape and don’t have the discipline to put in the work. I know just as many people who can’t afford a trainer and all the trimmings, but I see them absolutely crushing their fitness and nutrition day in and day out. Yes, money can certainly support the journey to get fit and healthy, but the person still needs to have the discipline to keep training, stay focused and then put in the work, even when you don’t want it, and it repeats day after day, week after week.
As we move into middle age, there are aches and pains to deal with, and some people reject the idea that they can still be physically active. You know what it’s like to work through injuries. Can you relate to the struggle?
I have suffered many injuries during my judo career, some serious and some not so serious. As I get older, I definitely get a lot of back pain during the day. However, the one lasting result from an injury is on the back of knee surgery in 2008, when they fixed and removed a large percentage of my meniscus in my left knee after it was torn in training.
Despite coming back strong from surgery and fitness, it’s now 16 years and my knee has naturally deteriorated to the point where I have no meniscus left and I was recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Anyone with osteoarthritis knows how painful it can be and how important it is to maintain the health of the joint left, to prolong the function of a joint. So, as you can imagine, I really have to think about what I do with my body and what I put in it to allow me to perform optimally in my daily life.
One of the most famous athletes you work with is David Beckham. As a retired footballer, he also has a lot of wear and tear to deal with, but he’s still in amazing shape at 49. What can the rest of us learn from him and what are some of his favorite ways to train?
His favorite way to train is everyday. David is a former athlete and understands the importance of consistent work, that small steps over time are the only way to get meaningful results and being the best version of yourself is a lifelong journey in health and fitness . That said, he loves weights and strength training, so that’s an area we’re focusing on a lot. As you can imagine David is a coach’s dream, his attention to detail is second to none, when I ask him to execute a move I always have his full attention which is then combined with his drive to execute whatever he does to the absolute better than his ability. It makes my job so much easier when the client wants the best for themselves and really means it.
You’ve also been working with David Beckham on a new line of daily nutritional supplements that he recently launched as a co-founder at IM8. What excites you about this new offering?
There are so many ingredients within the product that can support and improve the well-being of everyone regardless of lifestyle, but in all honesty it is the simplicity of delivering all of these ingredients to the body that makes this product different. Just eliminating having to remember to take the same number of supplements separately from different brands and products is a game changer. It is the key to making wellness, nutrition or fitness accessible, achievable and above all sustainable.
Thinking about longevity, what are some of the vitamins or minerals we should be consuming?
As you can imagine, this largely depends on the individual’s current lifestyle choices and external stressors, but typically as we age, there are several nutrients and vitamins that become more critical to us in order to help us adapt to changes in metabolism and absorption. The following are all packed in IM8 Ultimate Daily Essentials:
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- B12
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin K
- Zinc
You have participated in the IM8 test. What were the benefits for you personally?
For me, the positive changes that stand out so far are my hydration levels, sustainable energy, and my digestive system. Everyone will have their own experience with IM8 but hydration for me was really something I wanted to improve right away since my lifestyle is a high energy lifestyle. Effective daily hydration was imperative. This alone has a huge impact on many other aspects of my well-being such as sleep, muscle recovery and focus.
You’re in your 40s, busy with other projects, have a family, and stay in great shape. What advice do you have for people who want to make positive changes in their lifestyle?
I’m a huge advocate of training fundamentals, especially when it comes to strength training. I make it a point to do deadlifts, squats, a press and a pull of some sort, along with some core rotation. usually wires or tapes, a few times a week.
Cardio-wise, I have most of the improvements in my cardiovascular health from Judo and BJJ training. I get 2 to 3 sweaty sessions in a week that involve some sort of boxing match. Now that I’m older and no longer a world-ranked judoka, I have very different goals. My goals now are to perform for life and be the best I can be in business, parent and enjoy life as much as I can. So whether I’m in the gym or on the sparring mat, I’m constantly listening to my body’s needs. Every session doesn’t have to be killer to make huge changes.
Follow Bobby Rich Instagram and for and more information about IM8, go to im8health.com/
