--- title: "Teddy Roosevelt is the reason for military PT tests" description: "Teddy Roosevelt committed himself to being physically fit. He expected U.S. military members to do the same." date: "2022-08-28" modified: "2026-02-20" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/first-military-pt-test/" categories: - "Army" - "Fitness" - "History" - "Join the Military" tags: - "Military History" - "Presidents" --- # Teddy Roosevelt is the reason for military PT tests ![teddy roosevelt pt tests]() You don't get to be a person of [Teddy Roosevelt's stature in history]() by being lazy. The president who could barely breathe as a youngster never took his body for granted. He was an avid outdoorsman, athlete, and boxer. When he became president in 1901, he was appalled at the lack of fitness among Navy sailors at the time. As commander in chief, he set out to do something about it. **Related:** [**That time a US general challenged Teddy Roosevelt’s orders with a 90-mile ride**]() Roosevelt loved boxing, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, polo, rowing, tennis, swimming, weightlifting, and even jiu-jitsu. The president might have been the first potential mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter in history, if he had so chosen. ### What the Test Entailed ![Theodore Roosevelt on horseback]() *Theodore Roosevelt, the United States' 26th president, embraced an active lifestyle. (Library of Congress)* When he took the White House, he moved in all the equipment necessary to maintain his physical fitness regimen. By 1908, he told Navy Secretary Truman Newberry[ ]()that the Navy [should test its sailors]() to ensure they met the fitness standards of the U.S. military. Newberry and the Navy's chief of medicine and surgery developed a plan for the new Navy. After being cleared to take the test by a Navy Medical Board, sailors had three options: - A 50-mile walk within three consecutive days and in a total of 20 hours; - A ride on horseback at a distance of 90 miles within three consecutive days; or - A ride on a bicycle at a distance of 100 miles within three consecutive days. For the first time, officer promotions became dependent on passing the PT test. "This [order] will give the corpulent sea fighters who have long occupied swivel chairs an opportunity to get into fit condition for the ordeal," one newspaper said. No joke. ### Standards Also Established for the Army ![Naval Academy training]() *Former football stars and coaches train at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to serve as physical instructors for Navy personnel. (Library of Congress)* He implemented [standards for the Army]() as well and even led the Army General Staff in its first-ever "fun run" of sorts. In November 1908, after an address at the Army War College, the commander in chief led the Army's top brass in an expedition through dense forests, deep streams, and even climbing a 200-foot pitch in what Roosevelt called a "bully walk." The brass said it left officers "nursing their tired muscles… and wondering if they will escape pneumonia." At first, ranking members of the Navy pushed back, complaining that the test would cause depression and hurt general readiness. Instead, they thought golf courses, bowling alleys, and tennis courts were a better answer to fitness. Somewhere in the middle, the Navy decided to open gymnasiums for its sailors to exercise. In the end, the order was revised at almost the moment Roosevelt left office. The new orders applied to Marines as well, but only called for a 25-mile walk over two days. Two years later, it was modified to 10 hours a month. By 1917, the order was suspended entirely. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty ##### **• Watch this woman destroy the Army PT test without training** ##### **• [An Army officer was why Teddy Roosevelt had to quit boxing]()** ##### **• Staying fit on a military schedule** ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()