As a history major who has recently come to enjoy studying nutrition and exercise sciences, I'm curious as to how these factors played a role in making the Roman Army (of the Late Republic - Early Empire) the most superior fighting force in the world. The historiography is rich with attributions to Rome's strategy, tactics, doctrine, etc., but I have encountered relatively little material covering the Roman Army's ability to breed physically superior warriors.
There are some good answers on this already:
What did the diet of a solider in the early Roman Empire look like?
How did various Roman infantry engage other infantry?
What are some examples of Roman infantry tactics being countered effectively?
How did the Roman Kingdom manage to conquer its neighbors?
All by /u/Celebreth.
I'm interested in this question too, but weren't Romans quite physically small? Especially compared to the German tribes?