“06880” recently profiled Westport teenagers working hard at businesses they created: a concierge car service, window washing and grill cleaning.
Ryan Tzou has a different clientele.
Growing up in Westport, the 2025 Staples High School graduate felt very insecure about his skinny body.
Ryan Tzou in 2023 …
Then he discovered fitness content on social media.
Aesthetic influencers like David Laid and Jon Skywalker inspired him. “They showed me it was possible to have a crazy transformation from skinny to jacked,” Ryan says.
He spent “hundreds of hours” researching scientific studies, and watching YouTube videos. He learned everything he could about optimizing muscle hypertrophy while staying lean.
Ryan spent years tracking his macronutrients (calories, protein, fats, carbs, etc.), and training almost every day.
… and 2026.
During 4 years of lifting and eating well he put on 50 pounds of lean muscle. while “keeping a 6-pack completely naturally.” He used no peptides or performance-enhancing drugs. Those pose “very severe health risks despite their recent popularity surge,” Ryan says.
Adding that weight the right way “completely changed my self-esteem and sense of discipline,” he says.
To share what he learned — and inspire younger teens who felt the way he once did — Ryan went on Instagram. He’s got 20,000 followers.
A different 2026 angle.
He also launched an online 1-on-1 fitness coaching business.
Clients receive:
- Direct access via his personal phone number, so they can text any time with questions or concerns
- Weekly check-ins and video calls
- A fully customized training program, built around individual schedules and goals
- A personalized meal plan aligned with each person’s fitness goal
- Regular progress photo reviews (front, side, and back), so Ryan can make ongoing adjustments to your training and nutrition.
A client’s 2-month transformation — from May to June of this year.
Clients also get “a coach who keeps you accountable, and actually cares about your progress,” Ryan says with confidence.
It’s confidence he’s earned — and that he wants everyone else to develop too.
(For a free consultation, DM Ryan via Instagram, @ryan_tzou; click here. For a 1:1 coaching application, click here.)
(“06880” regularly highlights the achievements and adventures of local teenagers. We rely on reader support to do what we do. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here. Thank you!)
