About Dr. Conor Heffernan

Dr. Conor Heffernan is a Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Ulster University. When not in the gym or in the library he likes to try his hand at writing, often with mixed results. He divides his time between his research and his website, which is dedicated to the history of fitness and exercise — read all about it at Physical Culture Study.

Bodybuilding

• 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Started as Bodybuilders
• How Strong Was Arnold Schwarzenegger? We Look Back at the Oak’s Short-Lived Powerlifting Career
• How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Train? A Chronicle of the Austrian Oak’s Favorite Workouts
• The Evolving History of Bodybuilding Poses
• From Golden Idols to Mass Monsters: Every Bodybuilding Era, Explained
• How Strong Was Jay Cutler? Examining the Four-Time Mr. Olympia’s Approach to Training
• Kings, Chemists, and Oaks: The 10 Best Bodybuilding Nicknames of All Time
• How 6-Time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates Changed the Sport of Bodybuilding
• The Story Behind the Great American Squat-Off
• Why the 1980 Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Contest Was So Controversial
• The History of the Ms. Olympia Contest
• The Fascinating Story of the First Bodybuilding Show

Featured

• Lou Ferrigno’s Hulking Comeback at the 1992 Mr. Olympia
• How Strong Was Ronnie Coleman? Looking Back at the Incredible Strength of the 8-Time Mr. Olympia
• How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Train? A Chronicle of the Austrian Oak’s Favorite Workouts
• The Evolving History of Bodybuilding Poses
• The History of Treadmills — From Torture Device to Your Home Gym
• How Strong Was Tom Platz? Examining ‘The Quadfather’s’ Prolific Squatting Power
• The Real Story Behind the 1975 Mr. Olympia Is Far More Fascinating Than “Pumping Iron” Ever Portrayed
• The 10 Best Bodybuilding Documentaries to Stream in 2025
• Serge Nubret — Bodybuilding Career, Contest History, and Biography
• How Strong Is Phil Heath? Examining the Seven-Time Mr. Olympia’s Training Style
• From Jumping Jacks to Burpees: The Origins Behind 7 Common Exercise Names
• Who Is the Strongest Mr. Olympia Winner?
• 7 Old-Timey Feats of Strength That Still Impress
• How Strong Was Franco Columbu? Looking Back at the Two-Time Mr. Olympia’s Unbelievable Power
• How Strong Was Lou Ferrigno? Looking Back at the Bodybuilder’s Hulking Feats
• How Strong Was Dorian Yates? Breaking Down the 6-Time Mr. Olympia’s Training Style
• How Strong Was Eugen Sandow? Examining the Fitness Pioneer’s Feats of Strength
• The Story Behind the Chaotic Drug-Tested 1990 Mr. Olympia
• Bodybuilding’s Uncrowned Mr. Olympia: Nasser El Sonbaty
• Franco Columbu’s Controversial 1981 Mr. Olympia Comeback
• 9 Underrated Golden Era Bodybuilders You Should Know About
• Paper-Thin Skin: The Legacy of Bodybuilder Andreas Münzer
• 10 Facts About the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition
• 9 of the Most Controversial Moments in Olympia History
• Kings, Chemists, and Oaks: The 10 Best Bodybuilding Nicknames of All Time
• The Man Who Gained 63 Pounds of Muscle in a Month: Looking Back on Arthur Jones’ Controversial ‘Colorado Experiment’
• 12 of the Most Underrated Bodybuilders of All Time
• 9 Old School Natural Bodybuilders Who Are Still Inspiring Today
• How Jay Cutler’s “Quad Stomp” Pose Became the Most Iconic Photo in Mr. Olympia History
• These Are 10 of the Strongest Wrestlers of All Time
• How Bodybuilder Charles Atlas Sold the Greatest Fitness Advertisement of All Time
• 8 Old-School Bodybuilding Supplements That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
• From Internment Camp to Olympic Champ — The Story and Successes of Weightlifter Tommy Kono
• How Larry Scott, the First Mr. Olympia, Changed Bodybuilding Forever
• The Birth and Growth of the Arnold Sports Festival
• Pioneers of Power — These Are Some of the Strongest Women in History
• The Story of John Grimek, the Renaissance Man of Fitness
• Bodybuilder and Powerlifter Bev Francis Was a Game-Changing Athlete
• Is 5-Time World’s Strongest Man Winner Mariusz Pudzianowski the G.O.A.T?
• Intensity and Insanity: The Story of Bodybuilder Steve Michalik
• Why Iris Kyle is Undoubtedly in the Bodybuilding G.O.A.T Conversation
• Mohamed Makkawy is the Most Aesthetic Bodybuilder You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
• The True Story of Eugen Sandow’s Wrestling Match With a Lion
• Mike Mentzer Was a Bodybuilding Maverick Who Changed the Game
• Phil Heath Vs. Kai Greene and 9 Other Fiery Bodybuilding Rivalries That Shaped the Sport
• The Man, the Myth, the Legend — Sergio Oliva’s Rise and Fall in Bodybuilding
• The Story of How Body Part Splits Rose to Popularity
• The Untold History of the First Mr. Olympia Contest
• The Unbelievable Life of Naim Süleymanoğlu, the Strongest Pound-for-Pound Weightlifter Ever
• The Tale of the First 1,000lb Bench Press
• The Surprising History of 20-Rep Squats
• The Untold History of Functional Fitness
• How the Ancient World Lifted Weights
• The History of Vince Gironda, Low Carb Pioneer and Bodybuilding Great
• The Untold Story of Louis Cyr, the Original “Strongest Man on Earth”
• The Untold History of Women in Strength Sports
• The Untold History of the Barbell
• The Untold History of the First Weightlifting Competition
• The Untold History of Weight Machines
• Why Jack LaLanne Is One of the Most Influential Athletes of All Time
• The Untold History of Workout Supplements
• The Untold History of the Overhead Press
• The Untold History of the Back Squat
• The Untold History of the Bench Press

News

• 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Started as Bodybuilders
• Big-Screen Bulk: How Sylvester Stallone Ignited Hollywood’s Physique Transformation Craze
• How Strong Was Arnold Schwarzenegger? We Look Back at the Oak’s Short-Lived Powerlifting Career
• How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Train? A Chronicle of the Austrian Oak’s Favorite Workouts
• The Evolving History of Bodybuilding Poses
• From Golden Idols to Mass Monsters: Every Bodybuilding Era, Explained
• How Strong Was Jay Cutler? Examining the Four-Time Mr. Olympia’s Approach to Training
• Kings, Chemists, and Oaks: The 10 Best Bodybuilding Nicknames of All Time
• How 6-Time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates Changed the Sport of Bodybuilding
• The Story Behind the Great American Squat-Off
• The 8 Strangest World’s Strongest Man Events
• Why the 1980 Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Contest Was So Controversial
• The History of Strength Competitions — From 6000 B.C. to 2020
• The History of the Ms. Olympia Contest
• How Barbell Magnate Bob Hoffman Transformed American Fitness
• The Historic Road To The First 1000-Pound Deadlift
• The Thrilling History of the First 1,000-Pound Squat
• How Arthur Jones’ Nautilus Machines Transformed the Fitness Industry
• The History of Bodybuilding’s Messy Journey to the Olympics
• The Fascinating Story of the First Bodybuilding Show

Nutrition

• How Protein Powder Became a Supplement For Athletes

Op-Ed

• Mark Henry Tells How He Won the First Arnold Strongman Classic
• The Untold History of Vegan Athletes
• The Fascinating History of the Keto Diet

Powerlifting

• The Story Behind the Great American Squat-Off
• The Historic Road To The First 1000-Pound Deadlift
• The Thrilling History of the First 1,000-Pound Squat

Pushly

• Big-Screen Bulk: How Sylvester Stallone Ignited Hollywood’s Physique Transformation Craze
• How Strong Was Arnold Schwarzenegger? We Look Back at the Oak’s Short-Lived Powerlifting Career
• How Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Train? A Chronicle of the Austrian Oak’s Favorite Workouts
• The History of Treadmills — From Torture Device to Your Home Gym
• From Golden Idols to Mass Monsters: Every Bodybuilding Era, Explained
• How Strong Was Tom Platz? Examining ‘The Quadfather’s’ Prolific Squatting Power
• The Real Story Behind the 1975 Mr. Olympia Is Far More Fascinating Than “Pumping Iron” Ever Portrayed

Strongman

• The 8 Strangest World’s Strongest Man Events
• The History of Strength Competitions — From 6000 B.C. to 2020
• The Historic Road To The First 1000-Pound Deadlift

Top Athletes

• How Arthur Jones’ Nautilus Machines Transformed the Fitness Industry

Training

• How Protein Powder Became a Supplement For Athletes
• The History of How the Modern Day Gym Came to Be
• When Bodybuilding Met Wrestling: The Bizarre Tale of the World Bodybuilding Federation
• The Incredible Life Story of Bodybuilding Legend Frank Zane
• The History of Circuit Training Goes Back Way Before Your Favorite Bootcamp
• Bill Kazmaier and the Birth of the Modern Strongman
• The Fascinating Untold History of Powerlifting

Weightlifting

• How Barbell Magnate Bob Hoffman Transformed American Fitness

Workouts

• When Bodybuilding Met Wrestling: The Bizarre Tale of the World Bodybuilding Federation