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Conor Heffernan

@physcstudy.bsky.social

1.2K followers 730 following 50 posts

Lecturer At Ulster University. Historian of health, fitness and physical culture. Co-host of Boys We've Seen podcast. I also run history of fitness website, physicalculturestudy.com

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Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · 8h

To mark the release of my new book, When Fitness Went Global: The Rise of Physical Culture in the Nineteenth Century (Bloomsbury, 2025), I’m giving away a copy.

To enter:
💪 Repost
🌍 Comment with your favorite strength tradition

I’ll pick a winner next week.

#StrengthHeritage #SportHistory

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Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · 8h

@bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social @sportinhistory.bsky.social @ulsteruni.bsky.social @irishhistorians.bsky.social @iaphistorians.bsky.social @icshc.bsky.social

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All Muscle and No Brains? What Makes a Fitness Entrepreneur

💪 All Muscle and No Brains?For over a century, fitness has been sold as salvation. From Eugen Sandow’s “curative” dumbbells to today’s influencer detox teas, the same figure stands behind it all — the fitness entrepreneur.This essay digs into what makes that type tick: the body as brand, the myth as marketing, and the belief that transformation itself can be monetised.Sandow’s powdered torso under gaslight became today’s influencer body under ring light. The stage hasn’t changed — only the lighting.

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How Steroids and Supplements Became Inseparable

Walk into any gym today and you’ll see two things that define modern strength culture: the shaker bottle and the whisper of suspicion. Every supplement promises transformation, and every transformation invites the same question—natural or not?

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Henry Downs, How I Trained to Win the Mr. Britain Title (1957)

Or... How a Natty Lifter Trained How far can a natural lifter progress? In 1957, Harry Downs detailed the routine that nearly won him the Mr. Britain title—built on squats, presses, curls, and an old-school 5x5 system. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, just progressive overload and grit.His program gives us a rare snapshot of bodybuilding right before steroids began to reshape expectations. Heavy front squats, cheat curls, French presses—this is how naturals trained when "strong" still meant iron on the bar.

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When Fitness Gurus Become Public Intellectuals

Mike Israetel is brilliant on hypertrophy. But when he turns to race, politics, and AI, his confidence outpaces the evidence. This isn’t about one man, it’s about expert creep. From Eugen Sandow to today’s influencers, fitness figures have consistently used their physical prowess into medicine, politics, and philosophy. The risk? Audiences mistake opinion for science.

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What is your Favorite Feat of Strength?

This year Rayno Nel won the World Strongest Man for the first time. This is an incredible feat, given that it was his first WSM show. For those who don’t religiously follow the sport, and shame on you, Mariusz Pudzianowski currently holds the most victories with 5 titles. There is a very good chance that his record will never be overtaken given how com…

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Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · 17d

Thanks so much Nicholas. The editors were very... very.. patient with me!

Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · 17d

Rachel that means so much thank you! Governing Bodies was an absolute godsend when I used to teach PC history in the US so I am thrilled to hear that, as it remains one of the works I continue to refer grad students to when citing good fitness studies

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Old School Reads: John McCallum, 'Training for Gaining', The Keys to Progress

This week I’m sharing a gem from the golden age of muscle writing: John McCallum’s account of watching Reg Park train. First published in the 1960s, it’s a reminder of how old-school lifters thought about size, power, and the squat as the king of all exercises.

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Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · 18d

@historians.org @ulsteruni.bsky.social @iaphistorians.bsky.social

Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · 18d

🚨Published in the American Historical Review!🚨

My article argues that historians can treat the body as an archive. Using my own training alongside J.C. Hise’s 1930s squat experiments, I explore how fitness culture reshapes bodies, identities & anxieties.

👉 bit.ly/46xlcVw

Mistakes I Carried: Building Strength in a Time of Crisis

Abstract. My critical mistake as a historian was ignoring the physical body as a site of knowledge production. For years, I analyzed fitness history in arc

bit.ly

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Lee Moran And the Thousand Pound Squat

"The first official 1000lb squat nearly killed the man who did it.Lee Moran - Hell's Angel, powerlifter, legend - passed out mid-lift, cracked his head on the bar, bit through his tongue... then got up and finished the lift anyway. Then the bar exploded and sent 100lb plates flying like missiles.This is powerlifting history at its most insane."

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Reposted by Conor Heffernan

David Storey @davidstoreygeog.bsky.social · 24d

'Myth, music and muscle':
@physcstudy.bsky.social on sport, Irish identity, and the (re)invention of tradition
@rtebrainstorm.bsky.social
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Why the Tailteann Games are returning this month

The story of the Tailteann Games reveals how Irish identity is made, remade and sometimes forgotten

www.rte.ie

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What Old Training Methods Can Teach Us About Ourselves

I’ve just had the honour of publishing a new essay in the American Historical Review (AHR), the flagship journal of the history profession. The piece, titled “Mistakes I Carried: Building Strength in a Time of Crisis,” appears in a special edition of their

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Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · 25d

The Tailteann Games return this Saturday at Kells Priory.

I wrote for RTÉ Brainstorm about why this revival matters for Irish identity, heritage and mythology in 2025.

👉 www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Reposted by Conor Heffernan

RTÉ Brainstorm @rtebrainstorm.bsky.social · 25d

Why the Tailteann Games are returning this month. The story of the Tailteann Games reveals how Irish identity is made, remade and sometimes forgotten, writes @physcstudy.bsky.social @ulsteruni.bsky.social @researchireland.ie www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Why the Tailteann Games are returning this month

The story of the Tailteann Games reveals how Irish identity is made, remade and sometimes forgotten

www.rte.ie

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The Strange History of Pre-Workouts

Ever wondered what lifters used before tubs of neon powder took over the gym floor? Today pre-workout supplements feel like a rite of passage — scoop, shake, lift. But it wasn’t always that way.In the early 1900s, strongmen like Eugen Sandow swore off stimulants altogether, while others like Minerva and the Saxon Brothers fuelled their training with nothing more than coffee (and sometimes beer). By the time Arnold and Sergio Oliva were dominating the “Golden Era,” the thermos of coffee had become as essential as the dumbbell.The real explosion came in the 1980s with Dan Duchaine’s Ultimate Orange — a supplement hyped as miracle fuel but later banned after health scares. From there we got creatine blends in the 1990s, BSN’s NO-XPLODE in the 2000s, and the infamous Jack3d craze that defined a generation of gym bros.This post traces how pre-workouts went from taboo to must-have, why they became so addictive, and whether they’re actually helping lifters — or just another crutch in the pursuit of the pump.

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The $20 Torture Device

A History of the Foam Roller It’s cheap, simple, and utterly brutal — the $20 torture device that found its way from obscure therapy rooms to Broadway dance studios and finally to gym floors worldwide.This week, I dig into the strange history of the foam roller: from Moshe Feldenkrais’s body-awareness experiments, to Broadway dancers in the ’80s, to the “self-myofascial release” craze that made it a fitness staple.Next time you’re crying out while rolling your quads, you’ll know exactly who to blame.

Reposts 0 Sep 8

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Strongman Isn’t Supposed to Kill You… But It Almost Did

Strongman has always walked a fine line between spectacle and disaster. From Franco Columbu shattering his leg under a refrigerator to Bill Kazmaier nearly dropping a 200-pound barrel on teammate O’D Wilson’s head, the sport’s history is littered with moments where entertainment came dangerously close to tragedy. This post dives into one of the least-remembered near-misses in strongman history — the 1989 Pure Strength contest — and asks what it tells us about the chaotic roots of the sport we love.

Reposts 0 Sep 3

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When Did Bodybuilders Stop Doing Olympic Lifts?

Before bodybuilding and CrossFit carved their own paths, every serious gym rat trained the clean & jerk, the snatch, and the press. From Vasily Alekseyev’s world-shaking lifts to Bob Hoffman’s crusade to keep bodybuilding tied to Olympic weightlifting, these movements once shaped the strongest bodies of an era. So what happened — and could Olympic lifting ever return to the mainstream?

Reposts 0 Sep 1

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When Did People Start Rucking?

I’ve spent years studying and engaging with fitness culture, but I never imagined walking would become a sexy fad. Yet here we are. And not just walking either, but rucking — strapping on a heavy backpack and trudging along like you’re late for school again.I’m not here to sneer. I ruck twice a week myself. It’s simple, effective, and oddly addictive. What interests me most is how something as old as Roman legionaries marching with their kit has been reborn as a 21st-century fitness identity. Soldiers, coal miners, and schoolkids did it out of necessity. Now people do it for health, challenge, and community.In this piece I trace rucking from its military roots to its rebranding through GoRuck, its rise during lockdown, and its strange position today as both a lifestyle and a business success story. Like CrossFit and Hyrox, it has become more than just training. It’s a culture.

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Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · Aug 26

Haha well, my chipper was equalling challenging for my heart!

Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · Aug 25

Not crying Bingo!

Was great having you here Raf. And I have now recovered thanks to a diet of fish & chips and sleep

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Conor Heffernan @physcstudy.bsky.social · Aug 25

A thank you sir. I have just about recovered so I can now clearly say it was a great time!

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When did Strongmen Begin Using Atlas Stones?

Few events in strongman stir the crowd like the stones. For decades they’ve separated champions from contenders, from Brian Shaw’s record-breaking runs to Tom Stoltman’s jaw-dropping 602 lbs lift. But the stones weren’t always part of the show. In fact, it wasn’t until 1986 that the World’s Strongest Man introduced them—though not the Atlas stones we know today.In this post I dig into how stone lifting entered strongman competition, trace its roots back to Scotland’s testing stones, and explore why the event remains the ultimate test of power and grit.Read on to discover the true birth of the Atlas stones…

Reposts 0 Aug 25

Reposted by Conor Heffernan

Raf Nicholson @rafnicholson.bsky.social · Aug 22

Thank you so much to @physcstudy.bsky.social for hosting us in Belfast. #BSSH2025 has, as always, been a brilliant few days - stimulating and fun.

See you all next year, BSSH-ers ❤️

a cartoon dog with a sad look on his face is standing in the dark

ALT: a cartoon dog with a sad look on his face is standing in the dark

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Conor Heffernan

BSSH @bssh.bsky.social · Aug 22

Sofie Remijsen opens day two of the BSSH conference with the Derek Birley Memorial Lecture on Mediterranean sports

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Sport in History Podcast @sportinhistorypod.bsky.social · Aug 22

We’re underway for day 2 of the @bssh.bsky.social conference at @ulsteruni.bsky.social with Sofie Remijsen of the University of Amsterdam discussing the decline of sport in the Ancient world and in particular, perspectives from the ancient Mediterranean.

A woman talking to an audience with a PowerPoint on screen with the title
“The decline of sport: perspectives from the ancient Mediterranean”

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Reposted by Conor Heffernan

BSSH @bssh.bsky.social · Aug 22

Conor's going away pres and prize winner at BSSH dinner ending a successful first day at conference

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