Conor Heffernan is a professor of the sociology of sport at Ulster University in Ireland, a historian specializing in physical culture and fitness, and the author of several books including The History of Physical Culture in Ireland, The History of Physical Culture, Indian Club Swinging and the Birth of Global Fitness, and When Fitness Went Global. He is also the writer behind the outstanding substack - The Physical Culture Study.
Conor’s work focuses on the origins of fitness including the prominent figures, equipment, supplements, and programs that influence today’s fitness culture. Willing to be brutally honest, open-minded, and hilarious, his writing reveals there is often much more to history than we assume.
In this conversation, we discussed:
Definitions mattering
Adaptation specificity
The fitness industry
Good enough metrics
Progressive variability
And much more
Conor is as entertaining as he is brilliant. This was such an interesting, fun, and funny podcast. He’s been on many more shows diving into the fascinating personalities, systems, and origins of fitness and they’re all great. Search his name on Apple and they’ll pop up.
Shout out to Scott Shetler, my favorite personal trainer, whose name came up several times throughout the podcast.
Read a fantastic interview of Conor by my buddy Chris DeMuth Jr here.
If you’re interested in learning more about historical figures and programs, Conor recommended visiting strongmanproject.com which is an online library of resources and articles focused on the origins of strength training.
