Training for the Legion was Very Demanding
Even though the Legion was a conscript and volunteer force they demanded the same level of performance from everyone in the Legion and would continue to train recruits until they met those standards. Training was considered to be so important that instructors were given double rations and large training halls were built so that the men could continue training even through the winter. The first thing a recruit was taught was how to march at pace in any weather. The historian Vegetius remarked that the most important thing for the Roman army was that it could march at speed. An army with stragglers or in a spread out formation would be more vulnerable to attack. Beyond marching, soldiers were required to be fit, they not only had to march 20 miles in 5 hours, they had to run, long and high jump and even swim. Most of it had to be done while carrying heavy packs.
Once the army learned how to march they would then be taught to fight. They trained with training weapons which were created to be twice as heavy as the weapons the soldiers would use in battle. If a soldier could effectively fight with the heavy weapons then it was reasoned they would be twice as good with the regular weapons. Weapons training was so important that soldiers who did not meet the standards were given inferior rations until they could meet the standards. Once a soldier mastered the sword they would then be trained on the spear. Like the sword training the training spear was twice the weight of a normal spear.