So much has been written about Abraham Lincoln that he is perhaps the best-known American president. What may not be so well-known, however, is that as a young man he was renowned for his exceptional physical strength, and from all recorded accounts of all the presidents to date, he was, from a physical standpoint, the strongest.
Perhaps the reason for his amazing strength lies in the fact that much of his early life was spent at hard physical labor. Shortly after his birth in Kentucky in 1809, his father moved his family to Indiana. There, young Lincoln became toughened with various kinds of manual labor from chopping down trees to splitting rails for fences, and anything between that related to the life of pioneers in the wilderness.
Anyone who has swung an axe all day need not be told that it is far from being the easiest job in the world. It requires not only strength, but endurance and coordination. Young Lincoln soon developed these qualities so that he could fell more trees and split more rails than any one else for miles around.
As the years passed, Lincoln grew in stature and in strength. He eventually reached a height of 6 feet, 4 inches, and was rather gaunt, with long arms and legs; hardly a build that one would associate with great physical power.
As students of health know, however, one’s strength does not depend on bulk alone, or bone structure; in other words, outward physical appearance; but in tendon and ligament strength. The big-boned 250-pound football player may not be as strong in proportion to his size as a man weighing 100 pounds less, with greater tendon-ligament strength. Thus, Lincoln’s exceptional strength was a by-product of the years of hard labor that had toughened the sinewy fibres – the seat of strength.
One example of Lincoln’s strength was his ability to grasp an axe handle at its very end, then slowly raise it at arm’s length to shoulder height, a feat which may sound simple to those who have never attempted it, but one requiring extraordinary arm and shoulder power, as well as a vise-like grip.
As a young man, Lincoln distinguished himself as a wrestler and weight-lifter (not barbells, of course, but unwieldy objects such as rocks, pieces of iron, etc.) in whatever neighborhood he happened to be. On one occasion, the acknowledged county-wide wrestling champion, one Jack Armstrong, got wind of Lincoln’s wrestling prowess, and decided to add one more victim to his unbeaten list. He challenged Lincoln to a contest which Lincoln, always a modest man, at first refused.
This was not a matter of cowardice, for Lincoln was never lacking in courage; but because he did not care for ostentatiousness. Armstrong continued to press the matter, however, even hinting that Lincoln was of slightly yellow hue. This, Lincoln took good-naturedly enough, as was the nature of the man, but finally at the insistence of friends who would like to see Armstrong get this come-uppance, he accepted the challenge.
The two men faced each other on an empty lot, surrounded by a substantial audience, many of whom were laying bets as to the outcome. Lincoln was a man who did not believe in dilly-dallying, he preferred the direct approach. Within seconds after the two came to grips, Lincoln tipped Armstrong by the heels and pinned the former county-wide wrestling champion’s shoulder to the ground, holding him there until he hollered “Uncle.” It was a match that made the Clay-Liston affairs seem like drags.
Armstrong arose sheepishly and acknowledged begrudgingly that there was a better man than himself, after all. At last report, he was seen, gripsack in hand, trudging for the county line, in quest of new territories to conquer.
Another recorded incident concerning Lincoln’s physical abilities concerns that of the time a number of rowdies decided they would fix Lincoln’s wagon, but good. After a consultation, they decided that the wisest way would be to gang up on him rather than have a go at him individually. Fortified by a liberal intake of spirits, they set out in search of their intended victim and found him walking along a street. They then moved in menacingly towards him, having announced their intentions, whereupon Lincoln backed up against a wall and countered with a proposal that each man take him on individually and so even up the odds.
Immediately, an amazing transformation took place among the would-be vanquishers. As a group, they had displayed some show of bravery, but when Lincoln challenged their courage as individuals, they were cut to the quick. One of the group decided that it was milking time and that he had best be about his chores; another suddenly recalled that his Aunt Lavina was due in from Kansas City on the 3:15, and that he should get down to the station to help her with her luggage; a third thought he had better hurry home to see if he had received a letter from his cousin Jack, whom he hadn’t heard from in twenty years – etc. Soon, the entire group had faded into the horizon, leaving Lincoln still the undisputed wrestling champ.
Another example of Lincoln’s prodigious strength occurred while he was working on a farm, doing odd chores such as splitting wood, pitching hay, etc. The owner of the property remarked that he was going to get some help to move an unwieldy 300-pound hen house from its present site to another some distance away. Lincoln casually said that he thought he did not need any help, and to prove his point, picked up the hen house, carried it to its new site and deposited it gently on the ground as though it were a piece of the finest porcelain. The farmer’s reaction has not been recorded for posterity, but it is supposed he suddenly went off the wagon.
Abraham Lincoln was truly one of America’s greatest men, and one of its most beloved. His strength was not confined to the physical, for he was strong of character as well.
He was a modest man, and humble, and compassionate. He would hurt no one intentionally, neither by word nor deed. All of the events of his physical power recorded in these passages have been over-shadowed by his power as a humanitarian. This is not the place to delve into the many facets of this great man; indeed, nothing more can be said that has not already been said.
In essence, perhaps Abraham Lincoln can be summed up thusly: He was a man’s man.
This article originally appeared in Iron Man magazine
To learn more about a variety of different training routines click on the following link:
