This weightlifting gym grew to 160 members through Instagram

What’s up Gym World?

Olympic weightlifting is one of the hardest gym niches to build because:

• The market is small

• Most members can’t afford premium prices

• It requires highly skilled coaches to teach proper technique

But despite these challenges, Kyle and Jessica Dosterschill built Hunger in the Wild into one of the top weightlifting gyms in Texas using Instagram.

And they did it after:

• Starting in a dark, flooded basement with no windows or electricity

• Losing $50,000 to a scam

• Watching their gym burn down

Here’s their story: 👇

How Hunger in the Wild started

Kyle started a weightlifting program at the gym where he worked, but after things didn’t work out with the owner, he left and moved to Dallas. There, he noticed a lack of weightlifting gyms in the city. So he began teaching Olympic weightlifting classes three days a week at another gym and steadily built his clientele over the following year.

As Kyle got more clients, he started looking for a space of his own. He didn’t have much money, and most places were too expensive to rent.

However, he was working out at a CrossFit gym and knew they had a vacant basement. It was 700 sq ft, but it had:

• Flooding issues

• Broken pipes

• No AC

• No windows

Despite the condition of the basement, Kyle saw potential. He offered the owners a cut of his income to use the space, and—they said yes.

He didn’t pay anything upfront and slowly set it up with:

• Equipment borrowed from the CrossFit gym

• A couple of his own bars and weights

• Flooring from a gym that had just closed nearby

• An extension cord from upstairs for power

• A hand-painted logo on the wall

Hunger in the Wild (HITW) officially opened in 2016. Kyle charged $75 a week for three Olympic weightlifting sessions and later added strength and conditioning classes.

By 2019, Kyle had grown the gym to 60 members and was paying $2,500 a month to use the basement space.

That same year, he and Jessica moved HITW into a 5,000 sq ft facility. But they were only in the new space for six months before COVID shut everything down.

And the week they were supposed to reopen, the building burned down.

A few months later, in August 2020, Kyle and Jessica found a brand-new building they loved. They signed the lease and began transforming the space into their dream gym.

But behind the scenes:

• The landlord was trying to sell the building

• He acted as his own contractor

• Did shady work

• Made mistakes that cost Kyle and Jessica $50,000 to fix

After a year of legal battles, they settled and moved into a new facility in 2021. It’s where they’re still operating today.

Growing through Instagram

When you’re running a gym, posting consistent social media content is easy to neglect. You’re busy, the task feels daunting, and it’s not always clear if it’s worth the effort. But for Kyle, it’s what helped put Hunger in the Wild on the map.

Long before HITW opened, Kyle was posting his Olympic lifts, training progress, and coaching insights on Instagram. He’d been sharing consistently for years, and that helped him build a strong following.

He also ran the Instagram account at the gym where he first worked, so he had a good sense of what kind of content resonated.

By the time HITW opened, people already knew who Kyle was. He looked legit, and they trusted his expertise. He created an Instagram page for the gym on day one and began posting daily.

As the gym grew and Kyle got busier, Jessica took over the Instagram page and now manages all of HITW’s content.

Since she also coaches, she understands what members are struggling with—and uses that insight to create content that speaks directly to them.

Jessica builds content around five main themes:

• Community

• Work hard, make yourself proud

• Educational

• Behind the scenes

• Call to action (promoting services)

She posts 3–4 times a week and showcases:

• Big lifts

• Athlete features

• Motivational quotes

• Day-in-the-life gym moments

Because of their consistency, Hunger in the Wild has grown to 160 members—and most prospects still find them through Instagram.

In addition to Instagram, many prospects come through Google—so Kyle focuses on ranking for keywords like:

• Weightlifting gym

• Olympic weightlifting

• Strength training

The gym today

It’s been 9 years since Kyle started Hunger in the Wild (HITW). What began in a basement most people wouldn’t step into twice has grown into one of the top Olympic weightlifting gyms in Texas.

Let’s take a look: 👇

The space & model

HITW is a 7,200 sq ft custom-designed facility with:

• 24-hour access

• 10 weightlifting platforms

• A recovery room

• Loft spaces for coaches

A standard membership starts at $220 every 4 weeks. It includes:

• Full gym access

• Unlimited group classes (Strength & HIIT, Olympic Weightlifting, and Bodybuilding)

• Personalized programming through the HITW Gym app

And for $360 every 4 weeks, members get:

• Everything in the standard membership

• 100% custom programming

• Weekly progress check-ins

The gym runs 3 to 4 classes a day, with supervised open gym available the rest of the time. Classes are capped at 20 people and usually see 15 to 20 members per session.

The staff

Today, HITW has a team of eight coaches.

Kyle handles the website and focuses on generating leads. He also helps out with classes when needed.

Meanwhile, Jessica:

• Leads sales and consultations

• Manages the gym’s social media and content

• Shapes the branding and atmosphere HITW is known for

Let’s sum it up ⏪

Kyle and Jessica built a profitable gym in a tough niche without running a single paid ad. They leaned into content, stayed consistent, and created posts that actually spoke to their audience.

That’s what brought in the right people—and helped them grow to 160 members organically, despite a ton of setbacks.

So, what’s next for Hunger in the Wild?

Kyle’s focused on delivering a high-quality experience to a smaller group, so he’s not trying to pack the gym with 500 members.

He’s not opposed to franchising someday, but says it’s too complex right now. Fair enough.

For more on the business, watch or listen to Kyle and Jessica’s full interview on Gym World.

cheers,

j

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