Check Out Where Celebs Like Hugh Jackman Work Out In New York

Inside the ever-bustling, busy city of New York has seated a gym specially established for Victoria’s Secret models. They work out here from time to time alongside the president of the New York Stock Exchange, Hugh Jackman.

Hugh is also one of the famous Hollywood finest cats. But have you ever heard the name ‘The Dogpounds’?

The Founder of The Dog Pound

The Dogpound is a restrictive Manhattan gym where the who-is-who in New York City meet to exercise. It was launched in March 2016 and has Tom Farley, one of the executives at New York Stock Exchange, and actor Hugh Jackman as its pioneer members. Dogpound is loved by Victoria’s Secret models and Wall Street residents.

Founder of Dogpound, Kirk Myers, tells the exclusive story of how the gym became a reality.

According to him, the younger Kirk was fleshy with fat during his childhood days. He weighed approximately 300 pounds while he was in High School.

Then at the age of 21, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. That news changed everything about him. “It dawned on me that I needed to change my lifestyle else I’ll be slammed with more health problems so I started visiting the gym and miraculously, I was 130 pounds lighter in two years,” he said. That experience marked the beginning of his vision of becoming a fitness expert. He continued to help his friends as well to realize their fitness dreams. He soon found his true passion for making people become fit.

His relocation to New York made him a personal fitness trainer, and he started training his clients at different gyms in New York. “My group opened with four people at first, then they increased to 8 and then to 16,” he said. “Later the number rose to 31 members after I partnered with my friends Brey and Dawin, Brey’s brother. Since then, we never stopped growing,” he added. Consequently, his ever-increasing team gave him the idea to own his personal gym. The genesis of the Manhattan’s West Village gym began with a group that consisted of 14 male members who converge every day (except Sundays) at 5:45 am to exercise.

The name ‘Dogpound’ was inspired by Hugh Jackman’s French bulldog who always accompanied them to the gym so indirectly. ” I have Hugh Jackman to thank for the name,” Kirk joked.

Apart from basically working out at the gym, boxing is also among the training components models find really enriching at Dogpound. Former America’s Next Top Model judge, Nigel Barker, was also among the first team in Dogpound. Kirk showed off the deadlift that initiated him into the 1000lb Club.

Hugh Jackman got involved in the 1000lb club in 2015. He achieved a huge fit when he completed a bench pressed 235 pounds, 355 pounds squat, and deadlifted 410 pounds. Myers recalled that the gym began its association with the top Victoria’s Secret’s models when he was an ordinary personal trainer in the city.

“I was training Marty Christopher Harper, a highly-influential hair stylist back then. This was even before I met Brey,” he said. “Through my support and guide, Harper lost about 40 pounds. He was an extremely amiable guy. He would advertise me to his contacts and encourage them to give me a try,” he added.

Through the help of Harper, Kirk met 26-year old Jasmine Tookes, Victoria’s Secret model who came to “give me a try”. “She really enjoyed the experience. She referred a friend who also brought a friend, and the chain kept going,” Myers said.

11 out of the 14 “headliners” in the last Victoria’s Secret fashion show train at The Dogpound. The list of A-list personalities who are regulars at the Dogpound gym is endless, but we can still note some New York’s prominent names.

• Conor Dwyer is a 23-year old acclaimed athlete who has found fitness solace at Dogpound. Conor’s profile on the USA Swimming profiling showed his long list of accolades.
• Marianne Fonseca is a Brazillian model who doesn’t joke with her time at the Dogpound.
• Adorable angels like Elsa Hosk, Adriana Lima, Josephine Skriver, and Lais Ribeiro are not missing from the list.

It was widely reported by a popular journalist, Harper Bazaar’s Chrissy Rutherfords, that models who frequent Dogpound have come to trust the gym so much whenever they are preparing for their fashion shows.