Dogpound Founder Kirk Myers Overcame Obesity and Addiction to Open Hollywood Gym (Exclusive)

Kirk Myers, the sought-after personal trainer responsible for whipping superstars like Taylor Swift, Hugh Jackman and Adriana Lima into fighting shape, almost took a very different path in life.

Nearly two decades ago, he was going to school to be an elementary school teacher, Myers, 45, tells PEOPLE exclusively during an interview at the chic Los Angeles location of his buzzing Dogpound gym. My parents are primary school principals and he’s a great role model for me, so I’ve always wanted to do something rewarding. It’s funny how the universe works.

Growing up in Kansas City, Myers also played football. I wouldn’t say I was ever an amazing athlete. I played with the nose because it was very heavy, he says. When I was in high school I delivered pizza. Not a good idea if you’re 300 pounds like I was when I was 16. My weight continued to increase.

Years later, when he was 21 and studying to follow in his father’s footsteps, I became very ill, he says. I basically went into heart failure due to cardiomyopathy. It seemed like the worst thing that could happen at the time, but it was actually the biggest blessing. It helped me focus on myself and change my habits. This is what got me on the path to health.

Myers says she started walking and limited her sodium intake. And I discovered how to do it in the most effective way,” he says. Soon, after seeing great improvements in his health, he wanted to pass this knowledge on to others.

Many of my friends asked me how I lost so much weight. So I studied [physical fitness] and received my certifications. I was very busy training people from 23 to 30 years old. It was also during this time that he started partying, which, Myers says, is not a good thing if you have heart disease.

He explains: I used to drink and do drugs, and I got sick again when I was 30. But this time it was worse. I lost everything.

Spending three weeks in the ICU with heart complications, that was my rehabilitation, he says. Myers temporarily moved with her sister to Memphis to fully recover before moving to New York City to spend time with her brother and refocus on her health.

I had no money, a heart condition, a drug problem in the past, but I moved to New York anyway because I felt it was the right thing to do, he recalls.

I wrote down my goals in 2013, adding to list things like Believe in myself, Get closer to family, “Help kids get fit” and Train celebrities.

I would get it sooner than I thought. The first celebrity client I landed was a huge act, he says he was connected to Hugh Jackman. He was training Wolverine, and found me only by word of mouth. Again, the universe.

Myers’ business grew exponentially from there, and in 2016 she established Dogpound, which offers group classes, personal training and recovery sessions tailored to each client’s individual needs. The gym also welcomes customers’ furry friends, a tradition that started with Jackman and his dog Bomber and inspired the company’s name.

It blew up, he says of Dogpound’s popularity. The goal was not even to open a gym. It was just to be the best coach I could be, but that led to this.

In 2019, Myers opened Dogpound LA in West Hollywood, which features state-of-the-art machines, a basketball court and a private driveway. It’s where he works with a huge clientele of superstars, including Swift, who he recently trained for his Eras world tour. But to Myers, it doesn’t matter if you’re famous or not, he just wants to help.

Celebrities are one thing, but there are all kinds of people who come and they can just come in because the most important thing is that they make an impact on people so that they feel better when they leave and they leave with a smile.

One such customer is Rich Altemus, founder of Sugar Free Rich Meal Prep. Before starting her health food service company, she weighed almost 500 pounds, she says. I grew up cooking fried chicken and pizza at my family’s restaurant. When his friend took him to the gym in 2019, I look to my left and it’s like Victoria’s Secret models and then Steve Harveys working out and I’m like What the…?’

But that same day, Kirk took a break from this premiere session he was having and came over to talk to me. She has a special place in her heart for people who struggle with their weight. He offered me 25 sessions, so I committed.

Altemus says that after 10 months of training with Myers and also overhauling his diet, he lost 200 pounds. The trip inspired him to start his own company that helps others create healthy eating habits. If you ask him, it’s been like one miracle after another.

These days, Myers admits that his own health has taken a backseat to the demands of his work schedule.

“Honestly, right now my heart function isn’t that good again,” he says of the recent test results. “But just like in the past, he’s focused on doing everything he can to stay strong.

I’m super happy. This past year, I’ve been spending more time on myself, trying to get my health back,” she says. “I’m thinking about what’s most important.