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Ryan VanDyke (or RVD, as his clients call him) was born and raised in the midwest in the middle of the corn and bean fields of Decatur, Illinois. "I have had every job under the sun, from a bean walker, kids party clown, garbage truck driver for one day, tuxedo salesman, logistics analyst, R & D lab technician for a food and beverage corporation, marketing/advertising Rep, Hard Rock Cafe Waiter, shirtless bartender, promotional brand rep, actor, model, and even a guest on The Ellen Degeneres Show as an underwear model," he reveals. Although he's only lived in LA for eight years, he actually caught the Hollywood bug at five years old when he was cast as the lead in a Cinnamon Toast Crunch commercial. "The agents wanted me to get a tutor and pull me out of school, but my mom said no way!"
While he certainly could have charmed our starry city at a young age, he stuck around his hometown through his teens, experiencing his first taste of training at Richland Community College. "I needed an elective course, and weightlifting sounded easy," he explains. "After the course, I immediately became hooked on an active and fit lifestyle. My original career path was to be a news anchor. I would have been very disappointed had I not let go and let life takes it path."
![[8/17, 11am] LA's Hottest Trainer 2015 Contestant #11: Ryan VanDyke, Ultra Body Fitness](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y8eOubW52TlPGB2_SGF2fZBFGEM=/0x0:5021x3586/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5021x3586):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3958088/IMG_5807.0.jpg)
These days, the very buff RVD leads one-on-one private training sessions at Ultra Body Fitness on La Brea Boulevard, where he gives his clients a little tough love to reach their desired results. "I find its usually best to push someone a little more than they let me, he tells us. "In each session, I give them tools to make healthier decisions throughout their day to keep their progress moving forward. However, I'm definitely not a pushover and will fire your ass shall you give me lip and grief!"
When he's not whipping butts into shape, you can catch RVD getting "jacked up on any kind of dirty, down-low stank hip-hop beat" or applying his beloved Crest Whitestrips. "I have fantasies about being in one of their commercials."