Who were the most physically fit presidents?

Q: In celebration of Presidents Day Monday, Feb. 21, I thought I’d ask a question that only a person with your credentials could answer. In light of the fact that you are a history teacher and personal trainer, who do you think were the most physically fit presidents ever to hold the office? - Matt

Matt: In the past 234 years, there have been 44 men to hold the title of commander in chief, but only a few took their health as seriously as their oath to uphold the Constitution.

Here are the five men I consider the most physically fit presidents to ever grace the Oval Office:

5. Harry S. Truman, 33rd president

President Truman liked to stay active, and he refused to let the job of president get in the way of his quest for good health. During his time in Washington, he was known to regularly walk and swim to stay fit. He even went as far as to have a two-lane bowling alley and some horseshoe pits added to the White House to keep himself occupied when he had free time.

4. George W. Bush, 43rd president

To this day, George W. Bush is the only U.S. president to ever run a marathon. He finished the race with a time of 3:44 and averaged an 8:30-minute mile. Not bad time for anyone, much less a U.S. president. His normal workout regimen consisted of six days of running, and he was known to hit the roads even on days when temperatures reached 100 degrees.

3. Gerald Ford, 38th president

President Ford definitely holds the distinction of the most athletic person ever to hold the title of leader of the free world. As a lineman for the University of Michigan football team, he was selected for the 1935 All Star game and was even scouted by the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers before being elected president.

2. Abraham Lincoln, 16th president

Most people know Abraham Lincoln as the president who held the country together during the Civil War, but few know of his exploits as a backwoods wrestler.

At 6-feet-4-inches tall and 185 pounds, he was an impressive sight. As a wrestler, Lincoln took on all challengers and gained the well-earned reputation as one of the best grapplers on the Illinois frontier.

According to historical records, Lincoln was defeated only once in 12 years. He was later inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

In a well-documented story, witnesses tell how Lincoln thrashed the town bully and then challenged a mob of hoodlums, telling them if anybody else wanted to give him a try they could come get some of the same.

1. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president

As a child, Teddy suffered from severe asthma and was often sick.

On the advice of his father, he designed his own fitness plan that consisted of running, lifting weights and swimming to strengthen the parts of him that were weak.

He slowly built his frail body into solid muscle, and he sported a barrel chest and impressive biceps.

In college, his quest for health motivated him to join the Harvard boxing team, where he placed second in the lightweight division championship.

After college, he went west to become a cattle rancher, where he rode horses, roped cattle, climbed mountains and explored some of the most treacherous terrain the young nation had to offer.

As our 26th president, he continued his training by constructing a gym in the basement of the White House, where he practiced boxing, fencing, wrestling and jujitsu.

To top it off and solidify his place as the toughest and most physically fit president, Teddy was shot in the chest in 1912, while giving a speech.

He refused medical attention until he was finished talking to the crowd.

When asked later by a reporter how he felt, he said: “I feel as strong as a bull moose,” and you know what? He probably was.