Vic started weight training at age 15 weighing 210 pounds while playing football, wrestling and running track.

Unlike most bodybuilders, Vic did not start weight training in order to become a competitive bodybuilder, training was something that came naturally to him. At age seventeen, Vic started training at Gold's Gym in Venice with his mentors David and Peter Paul-- the "Barbarian Brothers". Vic chose to train with Barbarian because of their unorthodox way of training. Unlike most bodybuilders the Barbarian Brothers incorporated power lifting and weight lifting techniques in order to build ultimate muscle mass and density.

After 8 months of training at a bodyweight of 225 pounds, Vic entered his first bodybuilding contest, "The American Cup" held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Vic won the teenage heavyweight class and came in second overall to a nineteen year old veteran teen named Rich Gaspari.

At 18 years of age and weighing 240 pounds Vic competed in teenage Los Angeles winning both the heavyweight and the overall. Then, two weeks later, Vic entered a lesser contest named "The Orange County Muscle Classic". Vic came second to a local teenage contestant who had placed fourth to him two weeks earlier at the Los Angeles Championship. At the Orange County muscle classic young Vic encountered first hand the politics and corruption that plaques the sport of bodybuilding. But politics and ignorance would not stop this young hungry lion from making his statement on stage.

At age 19 and beefed up to 245 pounds, Vic unexpectedly showed up at the "California Gold Cup". But this time this young lion was ready to do battle with the open class instead of teenagers. By the end of the night Vic walked away with the heavyweight and overall class as he was crowned the California Gold Cup Champion. Upon his arrival to the parking lot his trophy fell apart! Vic was understandably disappointed and from there on he decided that competition should come from within and not from outward displays of hype. This unorthodox philosophy (in a sport where athletes are supposed to be physical and not philosophical) has gained Vic Richards lots of fame, infamy, and popularity around the world among bodybuilders and fitness every fitness buff.