The Good Gym Guide Podcast • Series 2, Episode 1

The first interview of this special series of the Good Gym Guide, made to support Bristol Co-operative Gym’s crowdfunder, is with Conor Heffernan, a historian of strength currently based at Ulster University whose blog Physical Culture Study is the best resource I know of for learning about the origins of many of the characteristics of gyms nowadays, as well as some of the fascinating things that have been lost to history.

We cover a lot of ground - the lost history of co-op gyms, historical trends in classes and changes in the coaching relationship.

Learning about the history of these common gym features can help us see how recently they occurred, and this in turn can hopefully help us feel more confident in challenging them and imagining alternatives.

Similarly, knowing that there have been many co-operative gyms in the past, and that this was in fact the dominant form of governance for a while, can give us confidence that what we're doing is not impossible.

Hopefully we can also learn a little from the demise of those historical co-op models too - to prioritise being welcoming and accessible, and to keep our finances in good order.

There is something particular about this time in history that feels as though it may be a good time for a revival of community-owned fitness spaces. The pandemic demonstrated the importance of those "third places" that are not home or work, and we have noticed how much our members have valued being able to train together again rather than being online. We feel that community-led gyms could be an important "third place".

We also believe that co-op gyms may potentially be more resilient than profiteering models - we were extremely grateful to our members for continuing their subscriptions through out the lockdowns to keep the gym going and this was in real contrast to what happened at the discount gyms, where the majority of members cancelled or froze their payments and many gyms closed.

• Physical Culture Study - a fantastic resource for strength training history

• If you’d prefer strength history in podcast form, Conor has appeared on the No Lift podcast many times

• Strength & Health magazine

• Globo Gym - the archetypal grim gym from Dodgeball

• Hercules Gym - the historic co-op gym in Dublin

• Ivy Russell - pioneering English weightlifter

• Pumping Iron - the documentary that inspired the ‘80s bodybuilding boom

• Jane Fonda Workout - the video that inspired the ‘80s aerobics boom

• Nautilus - classic resistance training machines

• Turnverein - 20th century German gymnastics-and-nationalism political movement

• Hippolyte Triat - early French physical culturist

• Saxon brothers - Arthur, Kurt and Hermann, the Saxon Trio of performing strongmen

• Legs, Bums and Tums - the article I link to describes the class as having “stood the test of time” even though it started in the 1990s ha ha

• R.E. Morgan and G.T. Anderson - Conor’s article on the sports scientists in Leeds who started modern circuit training

• Zumba - form of dance aerobics class created in Colombia in the 1990s

• Richard Simmons - iconic fitness class video instructor

• Planet Fitness “lunk alarm”

• The “Grecian ideal” - could refer to holistic self-development in classical gyms or the mathematical approach to bodybuilding based on Greek sculpture

• Eugen Sandow's Institute of Physical Culture

• Bourneville - model village built by the Cadbury company for their workers, including recreational facilties to improve their health

• The Pathé clip of the hired personal trainer that Conor referred to

• Vic Tanny - pioneer of the modern expansionist chain gym model

• Dan John on carries

• Old Man Yells at Cloud - top-tier Simpsons reference

• Most photographs on this website were taken by Paul Samuel White

• Production support by Yas Clarke

• Graphic design by Steph Weise