Jeffrey Steiner works out at Leisure World Health Club in Bethalto, Ill. or at the campus gym at Lewis and Clark Community College.

BETHALTO - For some people who hit the gym, losing weight and maintaining physical fitness is the ultimate goal.

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For 23-year-old Jeffrey Steiner, the goal wasn’t to lose weight. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Jeffrey Steiner in 2011, before his fitness journey began. In late 2011, when he was 19 years old, Steiner weighed a staggering 118 pounds.

Although his weight was relatively healthy for someone his age and activity level, he wished for more confidence and strength. He was aware that he probably ate too much junk food, but has always abstained from temptations like alcohol or cigarettes as a part of his straight-edge lifestyle.

“At the time, I had really low self-esteem and bad anxiety,” he said. “I honestly just wanted to be healthier.”

Since 2012, Steiner has hit the gym every single weekday, with the exception of the rare sick day or emergency. The changes that he has made with his body are astounding and an inspiration to anyone who has ever found themselves self-conscious or disappointed with how they look.

Since introducing his heavy weight lifting routine and a more balanced diet into his regimine, Steiner has gained 32 pounds of muscle and currently weighs in at around 150.

“I have seen a total change in my body, from my strength to running,” he said, “especially when you’re carrying around 30 more pounds than before.”

In his transformation, he has realized that his confidence has been boosted tenfold. His anxiety, which can be bothersome from time to time, has become more manageable with his lifting routine.

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“I was weaker and I had less self-confidence,” he said. “It’s not a cure-all for my anxiety, but it has definitely helped. Overall, I am healthier. I have textbook blood pressure and heart rate and perfect oxygen levels.”

In order to gain weight, one may think that he would have had to overload himself on calories and massive protein shakes.

Jeffrey Steiner at 150 pounds, over 30 pounds heavier than before.“It was too hard to eat that much day, especially since I’m such a picky eater” he said. “I make sure I eat around 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day and try to avoid junk food.”

In Steiner’s pursuit of finding his strengths, he also found his calling. After taking a break from his studies at Lewis and Clark Community College, he entered into the school’s Exercise Science program to study his true passion.

“It made a total difference learning about kinesiology,” he said. “I wasn’t doing things wrong, per say, but I did learn that I could have been doing things better since the beginning to benefit myself, like adding reps or weight each week instead of doing the same routine each and every time I did it.”

Steiner will be graduating from LCCC with his Associate’s Degree in Exercise Science in May 2016 and hopes to begin training individuals who wish to better themselves like he once did after he is certified.

“I always tell people to do their research or to ask someone who knows what they’re doing before they start lifting,” he said. “You don’t want to injure yourself like I did early on by doing something the wrong way. I would also suggest working by the ‘Overload Principle,’ which is where you add reps or add weight to each lift each week.”

In the three years of Steiner’s fitness journey, he has learned the skills and information necessary to keep himself healthy and help others become their best selves along the way.

“I’ll do this for the rest of my life,” he said.

Before and after Jeffrey Steiner's amazing weight gain journey.

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