Man Crush Monday: Trevor Van Uden

Trevor Van Uden is more than just a pretty face. NCAA athlete went to school and graduated with a degree in Sports Medicine at a California school before moving to New York a year and a half ago to pursue a modeling career. Van Uden discusses what it was like to work with the famous Kylie and Kendall Jenner, his diet & fitness routines to stay photo shoot ready and more.

LJ: You recently did a cover with Kylie Jenner for Interview Magazine. What was it like to work with her?

TVU: Kylie was awesome to work with. I mean it seemed like she was just as happy to be there as any of us. I was definitely glad to be there that day, and have the opportunity to work with Steven for the second time, and this time with Kylie, having been part of a shoot last year with her sister, Kendall. It was great to work with her, she was easy to talk to and approachable, especially in the shots that we had. It was also powerful to see her transform in the moment to create the strong images that she did.

The set was pretty alive that day and there were a lot of last minute decisions which made it really interesting and fun. One of the shots was pretty technical — the image when I was lifting her up as if she were a doll. We really had to time it properly to make the image work. She stood an apple box as she leaned into me, and then, when the team was ready, they pulled the box out and she created the stiffness in her body as I held her for as many frames as I could. It took us a few tries and I may have been sweating a little bit under that suit and those lights, but we got it, and Kylie was a great sport the entire time.

LJ:  Did the negative criticism, regarding the wheelchair photo, have any backlash on your career?

TVU: No it had not. I had seen a few of the articles regarding the photo but that was all.

LJ: Who is a photographer that you’ve loved working with?

TVU: I love working with most photographers that I get the opportunity to shoot with. If I had to mention one I would have to say it has been amazing to be on set and working with Steven Klein and his team. He has created some of the most iconic images out there, and being on set with him and watching the shoot develop is like watching a story unfold or being on a ride. It truly is a creative process. He has been doing what he does for some time and it seems like you are really there to create art, which is exciting.

 

 

Want a body like Trevor’s? Here’re a few tips:

TVU: I like to mix it up in my training and have had to do so in order to change my body type after playing volleyball and doing so much training in college.  I enjoy weight lifting, Olympic lifting, yoga, cycling, jump training, and a good run outdoors and like to mix it up by taking on new challenges like training for a marathon or triathlon or something that gets me out of my routine and comfort zone. What I am into mostly at this moment is a combination of calisthenics and endurance-type weight training. So, I’ll superset light weights at higher rep ranges (12-20) with a complimentary body-weight exercise.  For example, a weighted dumbbell row followed by pull ups or TRX inverted row.  Depending on how I am feeling, or my goals at the time, I will start or end a session with some cardio like cycling or lately, something I was really bad at to start, the stairclimber.