The 3 A.M. Deadlift Isn’t Discipline. It’s Content I recently stopped following a fitness coach I liked.

New Substack Post:

open.substack.com/pub/physical...

Dressed to Pull: The Hidden History of the Deadlift Suit The deadlift is pushing into territory once thought impossible. But behind the 500kg pulls and Enhanced Games hype lies a quieter story — how a piece of fabric helped redefine what strength actually m...

New Substack Post

physicalculture.substack.com/p/dressed-to...

Riding the Waves of Change: The History and Culture of Women’s Surfing in Ireland While surfing in Ireland is a sport on the ascendancy, both in terms of recreational and competitive participants, a great deal more work needs to be done on the sport’s origin within the country. ...

New article out now 👇

‘The History and Culture of Women’s Surfing in Ireland’

It was such fun writing with Clare Ablett and Rachael Telford. This all began, and sprang from, Clare's work and exhibition in this space! @ulsteruni.bsky.social @bssh.bsky.social

🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Why Is Everyone So Weird About Pull-Ups? The social media age puts the move in the spotlight – but it’s been a fitness flashpoint for years

Pull-ups are one of the most policed movements in fitness — historically and culturally. Really enjoyed chatting to Men’s Health about that tension

www.menshealth.com/uk/building-...

@ulsteruni.bsky.social @bssh.bsky.social

The Strongest Men in Britain Didn’t Train the Same Way Most people think the problem is finding the right training program. A century ago, Britain’s strongest men had already solved that. They trained completely differently. Same gym. Same coach. Same ...

New Substack Post:

The Strongest Men in Britain Didn't Train the Same Way!

open.substack.com/pub/physical...

The Most Cited Squat in History Was a Marketing Stunt Everyone thinks the 1992 squat-off proved something about strength. A bodybuilder versus a powerlifter. Reps versus max weight. Case closed. Except one of the men involved called it a “marketing gim...

physicalculture.substack.com/p/the-most-c...

When Fitness Went Global: The Rise of Physical Culture in the Nineteenth Century Published in The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History (Ahead of Print, 2026)

New book review published advance access by @jich.bsky.social

Andrew T. Jarboe reviews 'When Fitness Went Global: The Rise of Physical Culture in the Nineteenth Century' by @physcstudy.bsky.social

@bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social @bloomsburyacademic.bsky.social

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Awaiting book reviews is the part of publishing I dread. Many thanks to @jich.bsky.social and Andrew Jarboe for this positive review of my latest book When Fitness Went Global! If anyone would like a reviewer copy please do not hesitate to ask! @bloomsburyhist.bsky.social

How the Upright Row Became the Most Hated Exercise in the Gym Okay, you pencil-neck geeks, listen up.

New Substack Article. How the upright row became the most hated exercise in the gym!

Link: physicalculture.substack.com/p/how-the-up...

Recently listened to a wonderful article discussing research on online influencers by psychologists. High levels of narcissism and a low level of conscientiousness are two high markers which would track in the 'look at me' driven algorithms. Never let geopolitics get in the way of hustling

‘A whole lost culture’: the Irishman reviving the forgotten sport of stone lifting For centuries in Ireland lifting huge boulders was a way to test strength and bond communities, says Instagram sensation Indiana Stones

‘A whole lost culture’: the Irishman reviving the forgotten sport of stone lifting
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Banner for the book ''When Fitness Went Global' by Conor Heffernan, published by Bloomsbury Academic.

🌍🏋‍♀ From yoga and gymnastics to Jiujitsu, the 19th century turned many local exercise traditions into global trends.

Discover how imperial networks, militaries, new print culture and trade routes spread them in When Fitness Went Global by @physcstudy.bsky.social.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qExUKF

It was an era of body-moralising in Ireland, when obesity was a personal failure In a culture that treats bodies as projects to be improved, the idea of simply caring for them feels almost radical

New piece in the Irish Times on how Ireland learned to treat obesity as a moral failure rather than a social outcome. The panic preceded the prevalence - anxiety about discipline and control dressed up as a health concern.

Link here:

www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...

@ulsteruni.bsky.social

Banner for the book ''When Fitness Went Global' by Conor Heffernan, published by Bloomsbury Academic.

How did fitness, exercise and physical culture become a key part of our modern lives?

In When Fitness Went Global, @physcstudy.bsky.social explores how the 19th century was critical for the development of the modern fitness industry.

ᯓ🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️ Find out more: https://bit.ly/4rcoMNp

Had a really fun chat on The Gist with Mike Pesca about fitness culture. It’s always nice when a conversation about lifting heavy things turns into a broader chat about bodies, culture, and history.

My book When Fitness Went Global pops up, if you’re curious.

Link: open.spotify.com/episode/3aW4...

*me reading a book* “ok ok we get it, it’s complicated. NOW TELL ME YOUR CONCLUSIONS”

*me writing a book* “tis beneath me to burden my reader with anything so crass as a ‘takeaway’ or ‘summary’, they shalt all read mine whole book and make theyn own conclusions”

Step Into the Slipstream of History and Get Jacked with Dr. Conor Heffernan Podcast Episode · Weirdly Helpful (formerly The Best Advice Show) · 01/14/2026 · 12m

I was on the Weirdly Helpful podcast recently, talking about historic stone lifting and why I drifted away from modern gym culture.

No mirrors. No apps. No optimisation. Just effort, history, and people being supportive.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

Your fitness resolution is 200 years old Humans have been obsessed with fitness for centuries. But how did this fascination start? In the new book “When Fitness Went Global” historian Conor Heffernan examines the rise of physical culture wor...

Your fitness resolution isn’t new — it’s about 200 years old 💪
I joined On Point to talk about how modern fitness culture emerged, and why it still shapes how we think about movement, health, and ourselves today.

A genuine to be on a show I’ve listened to for years.

🎧 www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026...

Defining Success in American Fitness: Physical Culture in Early Twentieth–Century America Abstract. This article examines how American physical culture entrepreneurs between 1880 and 1918 transformed ideas of health and success by merging commer

Really happy to see my new article published in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.

It looks at how early twentieth-century American physical culture defined success through measurement images and commercial claims to science.

Free access: bit.ly/4qvlswy

Thanks David :)

Measurement, morality, and the display of bodily perfection:
@physcstudy.bsky.social on the origins of the 'gym selfie'
@rtebrainstorm.bsky.social
www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

I am always glad to raise awareness of half naked bodybuilders from a century ago

I mean. Do we do Colm calendars yet? Feels like Daniel has the market cornered

How the Victorians invented the gym selfie. British and Irish men in the 1890s mailed their portraits to fitness guru Eugen Sandow, who created a global business with gyms, books and training kits, writes @physcstudy.bsky.social @ulsteruni.bsky.social @researchireland.ie www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

How the Victorians invented the gym selfie British and Irish men in the 1890s mailed their portraits to fitness guru Eugen Sandow, who created a global business with gyms, books and training kits

How the Victorians invented the gym selfie. British and Irish men in the 1890s mailed their portraits to fitness guru Eugen Sandow, who created a global business with gyms, books and training kits, writes @physcstudy.bsky.social @ulsteruni.bsky.social @researchireland.ie www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Lauren! It's been a minute. Thanks so much and hope you're keeping well

Thanks Chris! Hope you're keeping well

Thanks Vanessa!

Today marks publication day for my book When Fitness Went Global!

It explores how physical culture travelled the world, how ideas about health circulated across continents, and how we arrived at today’s global landscape.

Bloomsbury have it at 10% off today:

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/when-fitn...