Andrew Linch

This Army National Guardsman has gained considerable strength and muscle, not to mention confidence, by training, eating and supplementing properly.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated September 28, 2023

Written by Andrew Linch

The long-term goal for my fitness journey — which I started seven years ago when I was 16 — was to get big enough so that people at school would stop picking on me. I started lifting weights with one of my buddies who I used to work with. He always went to the gym after work, so I decided to go with him one night and the rest is history.

I started seeing results within two months, and when I came back from Christmas break everybody at school was so surprised to see how much muscle I had gained. I've been lifting weights on and off for about three years, but then I got serious about it and I've gained about 40 pounds of muscle overall. I went from 130 pounds to about 170.

Jim Stoppani's programs have helped so much. I'm actually in the middle of 5-3-2 Strength; I'm on Week 7 and I love it! My bench has gone from 275 pounds for one rep to 275 for five reps. I just recently did 315 pounds for one rep on bench. My squat has gone from 315 pounds for three reps up to 355 for three reps as of yesterday. My deadlift is the most dramatic increase — it went from 405 pounds for five reps up to 455 for five reps.

JYM Supplement Science is the best brand, period. Jim's supplements are unmatched. I take Pre JYM, Post JYM and Pro JYM. In the first two months of taking this system of supplements, I gained 15 pounds! I went from 160 pounds to 175 pounds, and I'm now back down to 170 because of cutting season.

I work five days a week, 12 hours a day, most days, selling cars. I'm in the Army National Guard, and I go to school full-time at night and online. I had to make a huge decision to figure out how I was going to fit the gym into my schedule, so I choose to wake up extra early – 4:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 3:45 a.m. on Friday – just to make it to the gym before work.

I'd like to give my wife a lot of the credit for my success in fitness because she's always encouraged me to go to the gym and eat healthy. She started lifting with me a few years back and now she's in great shape! She started out at 145 pounds and is now down to 125 pounds with much less fat and much more muscle! She even uses JYM supplements. My family fully supports me as well.

I would recommend that others looking to achieve their fitness goals like I did to be persistent. Stay consistent. Change doesn't happen overnight. As you can see, I've been doing this for seven years and I'm still changing every day. I'm never satisfied with where I'm at, always wanting more. You have to stay hungry. Remember, the wolf at the top of the mountain isn't as hungry as the one climbing the mountain.

My fitness journey has become a lifestyle now; it's not even a choice as to whether or not I should go to the gym in the morning. It's part of my day. Not only that, but the eating as well. Dieting isn't a temporary thing, it's a lifestyle — you have to live it. Keep pushing and you'll achieve more than you thought you could ever accomplish.

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