Robbie Smith took over the reins of the former fitness gym Mount's Bay Fitness six months ago and has been busy through the summer, giving the place a makeover and rebranding it as RS Fitness.
Robbie moved down to Cornwall from Luton in 1990 and started working for Mount's Bay Fitness as an apprentice in 1999.
He has a background in tennis and football and played for Cornwall County at both sports until the age of 16.
Ambitions
He progressed to play football for Plymouth Argyle Youth team, but knee injuries put an end to childhood ambitions of becoming a professional footballer.
However, still keen to pursue his interest in fitness, he attained a sports science qualification at Penwith College and became a trainee fitness instructor.
RS Fitness is a fully-equipped gym in the former Sutton Stores, Newlyn and boasts a 17-piece cardio-vascular area, 12-piece resistance area, Olympic free weight area and is currently the only gym in the area to specialise in kettlebell training.
The gym also benefits from a newly-refurbished mirrored aerobic studio with top class boxing facilities, Saltwater Hair and Beauty salon and The Juice Bar.
Robbie says: "Over the years I have developed my skills in many areas and specialised in cardiac rehabilitation, becoming the first fitness instructor in Cornwall to gain a British Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation qualification.
Classes
"I'm also qualified as a personal trainer and this forms a large proportion of my working week.
"I work with people of all ages, fitness abilities and backgrounds and this is the most rewarding aspect of my job as it quite often feels more like a hobby than a job."
In the studio, members have access to a variety of classes to suit all interests, including abdominal and core toning, spinning, kettlebell circuit training, Pilates, step aerobics and boxercise.
The studio is also home to the boxing and kick-boxing club, Pure Class which runs adult and child classes on a regular basis.
Robbie paid tribute to the support of his girlfriend, Caz Brixton, who also has a background in leisure management and has helped with the gym, and says that he will continue to strive to create a fun and friendly atmosphere at the gym.
article copyright THE CORNISHMAN