ABOUT Me

Hi there!

I’m Connor, founder and head coach of Ember Physiques. I’m an ANBF natural bodybuilding pro, and I have been a physique development coach since 2021.

My mission with Ember Physiques is to equip both natural bodybuilders and aspirational men with the tools, training, and resolve needed to pursue excellence and achieve elite-level physique goals.

Comparative photo of a man showing his muscular progress: left, before at home, right, after years of lifting, at the beach in shorts, with significantly increased muscle mass and definition.

A little about my story…

I grew up in Rockford, Illinois (about an hour from Chicago) and from very early on I was taught about the importance of discipline, integrity, and challenging yourself. I knew these values were important in my head, but I didn’t realize how impactful and necessary for life they were until I was older.

I played soccer and ran track through high school, but was always the scrawniest kid in the lineup. I wanted to become the type of man that was regarded as strong and determined, but I didn’t know where to even begin.

Young boy participating in a track and field race, holding a relay baton, on a black running track.

Fast forward to college and I quickly lost my zeal for life. My competitive drive from playing sports had mostly dissipated, and I settled into an existence that felt void of purpose. I floated from class, to work, and back home to play video games until I couldn’t stand being alone with myself. Life became all about passing time until the next social event, and I had no real passion or desire for anything.

A young man taking a selfie inside a car with three other boys in the back seat, all making peace signs and smiling.
A shirtless young man wearing a large beige cowboy hat and a headset with a microphone, lying on a bed, holding a video game controller, with a focused expression.
A young man with shoulder-length brown hair taking a mirror selfie with a smartphone, wearing a gray t-shirt

This all changed for me in 2020, when God snatched me out of my complacency and lit a spark in my soul that has only grown stronger year after year. He rescued me from a path of purposelessness and gave me a reason for living. It was this same time that I fell in love with the gym, because it gave me something to take pride in and work hard towards. That year I also started dating my now-wife, Megan.

A young man taking a mirror selfie showing his muscular upper body and flexed arm in a bathroom.
Two people smiling, one carrying the other on their back, at a stadium entrance with a sign for the NCAA Men's College World Series in the background.

That fire quickly drove me to make a habit of setting challenges and knocking down goals.

I began coaching in 2021, competed for the first time in 2022, started coaching online in 2023, and left my job in corporate finance in 2024 to pursue turning my passion for bodybuilding and coaching into a long term career.

Two shirtless men with muscular builds standing in front of a mirror at a gym, with one flexing his arms and the other posing with one hand on his hip.
A muscular man in a black posing suit, flexing his biceps and showing defined abs, smiling in a gym or fitness environment.
Two shirtless men with muscular builds standing in a gym with red equipment and black walls. One man is on the left, holding a barbell, and the other is on the right with hands on his hips.

5 years since snapping out of sleepwalking through my life, and I’ve given everything I have to bringing God into the world of natural bodybuilding, both as an athlete and a coach. My coaching style is built upon forming friendships with my clients and getting to know what lights their fire of purpose, even if it isn’t fully forged yet. Whether you’re competing or not, the goal is to kindle the burning embers of passion within you and turn them into a roaring flame.