--- title: Review: Walt Whitman's "Manly Health and Training" description: The American poet's recently discovered 1858 writings about fitness, diet and preparing a nation of fighting men on the eve of Civil War canonical: https://time.com/4657669/walt-whitman-manly-health-review/ author: Nate Hopper article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-02T11:24:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T03:05:52.642Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Walt Whitman Workout Plan og:description: A review of the poet's newly discovered "Manly Health and Training" og:url: https://time.com/4657669/walt-whitman-manly-health-review/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8055f7e67cfa8284/6988b87c86f68e2cc76e35fd/walt-whitman-leaves-grass-manly-health-training-book.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Walt Whitman og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Walt Whitman Workout Plan twitter:description: A review of the poet's newly discovered "Manly Health and Training" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8055f7e67cfa8284/6988b87c86f68e2cc76e35fd/walt-whitman-leaves-grass-manly-health-training-book.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Walt Whitman Workout Plan  by [Nate Hopper](/author/nate-hopper/)  ## Nate Hopper Feb 2, 2017 11:24 AM CUT  Walt Whitman circa 1880. Walt Whitman circa 1880.Apic—Getty Images  by [Nate Hopper](/author/nate-hopper/)  ## Nate Hopper Feb 2, 2017 11:24 AM CUT In 1858, [Walt Whitman](http://time.com/4471685/when-edward-westons-photographs-met-walt-whitmans-prose/ "undefined") saw an America that was gorging itself on information and [condiments](http://time.com/4313243/walt-whitman-paleo-diet/ "undefined"), roiled by political tensions and, just as bad, physically weak. This drove him, three years after the first edition of [_Leaves of Grass_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486456765/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined"), to write a newspaper serial titled [_Manly Health and Training_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1682450759/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined"), which had been lost but now is found and will soon be republished. The manual proves that little has changed in the ever rebranded fitness industry. But Whitman, as punchy and commanding as a [SoulCycle](http://motto.time.com/4443593/mottovation-monday-soulcycle/ "undefined") instructor, was selling more than a lifestyle. He was selling an ethos, albeit one with the eugenic undertones that plague his legacy. Whitman wrote from and for the North on the eve of the Civil War, seeking a “nation of fighting men” with not only magnetism but also morals. “History is full of examples of intellectually developed nations … falling a \[sic\] prey to others of inferior mental caliber, but of daring and overwhelming physique.” It raises the question: What good is an age of information if you cannot defend it with brawn? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4657669/walt-whitman-manly-health-review/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4657669/walt-whitman-manly-health-review/"},"headline":"The Walt Whitman Workout Plan","datePublished":"2017-02-02T11:24:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:05:52.642Z","description":"A review of the poet's newly rediscovered \"Manly Health and Training\"","url":"https://time.com/4657669/walt-whitman-manly-health-review/","keywords":["Books","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8055f7e67cfa8284/6988b87c86f68e2cc76e35fd/walt-whitman-leaves-grass-manly-health-training-book.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nate Hopper","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nate-hopper/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8055f7e67cfa8284/6988b87c86f68e2cc76e35fd/walt-whitman-leaves-grass-manly-health-training-book.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Walt Whitman","caption":"Walt Whitman","creditText":"Apic—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4657669/walt-whitman-manly-health-review/","name":"The Walt Whitman Workout Plan"}}]}] ```