Truck driving can be a long and tiresome career, while drivers can travel to new areas and make good income it can become exhausting sitting in a car all day everyday and lead to some serious back problems down the road. To cater to our local truckers, we have provided a list of easy exercises to get those muscles moving and ensure that drivers can still get exercise in while being in a vehicle the majority of the day.
Out of the Truck
Walking
- Walking is one of the best and easiest type of exercise. While being in a vehicle everyday it makes it hard to keep track of a daily step count and get those muscles moving. Since truck drivers are only allowed to drive a max of 11 hours without a 30 min break one of the best ways to make the most of that 30-minute break is to take a walk. Getting fresh air is good for the mind, body and soul by producing endorphins and having a positive impact on the mood. Using that 30-minute break at the local rest area can help improve weight loss and increase your level of energy.
Push-Up
- Push-ups are a quick simple exercise that does wonders for the body. Making a goal of starting simple with only 10 push-ups a day can help improve posture as well as flexibility and core strength. Doing a few push-ups can even help to support bone health and improve muscles. The best part about this though is just staying consistent with it will improve mental and physical strength.
Jumping Jacks
- The higher and faster you jump during your off the road jumping jack session the more strength you are gaining in your arms and legs. I commit to 25 jumping jacks a day, a small and simple enough number to not make your body sore the rest of the day but to still feel the difference. Doing jumping jacks frequently can actually improve strength which comes in handy when you are responsible for loading and unloading a heavy trailer.
Triceps Dip
- To do a triceps dip you want to hold yourself up on the front end of your semi, with your palms pressed in on the side of the truck holding you up slowly lift your body forward ensuring that elbows are between anywhere between 45-90 degrees and then slowly work on pushing yourself back up till your arms are almost completely straight and continue. This is one of the best and easiest exercises for truckers since you can do the triceps dip on the side of the truck. Doing these daily is helping to build strength throughout the arms, triceps and shoulders.
Step- Ups
- Surprisingly enough the truck step is perfect to get a few steps in. All you need to do to complete this successfully is to maintain good posture while holding one foot on the bottom step of truck and then continue to use the other foot and step up to the top step and repeat. This exercise only requires a driver to physically get out of their truck and step on and off readily. This is also a great cardio exercise and saves money on potential cardio equipment.
In the truck exercises
Feet Lifting
- Driving for long time periods has been known to cause foot problems and make the muscles in the feet very tight. To practice feet lifting is simple and can help getting the toes moving and blood flowing. Have one foot flat on the floor and move your heel up so pressure is underneath the toes. Continue to do this readily to maintain movement in the feet and get a little exercise while still maximizing those driving miles and hauling that freight.
Deep Breathing
- While this article mainly focuses on increasing the physical activity of the driver it’s important to practice breathing exercises to help keep the mind calm too. Doing some breathing exercises only require a deep breath inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. This helps clear the mind of stress and anxiety and will relieve pressure to help relax muscles.
Arm Rotation
- Holding your arm outward vertically and slowly rotating it can help to turn the muscles at the top of the arm and hear the muscles move. This can create a healthy movement in the joints and helps increase flexibility and can easily be done by driving.
Shoulder Shrugs
- To do a shoulder shrug all you need to do is life your shoulders as if you’re trying to touch them to your chin, comparable to a giant shrug and keep them held there for 3-5 seconds and then slowly release them. What we often tell drivers is to try and do this at every red light, then its almost like a game see how many times on the journey you can get the shoulder shrugs done and how long you can keep them held there prior to releasing.
We wanted to provide some simple to do and beneficial exercises that can be completed either outside the truck on a break or while actively driving to help improve the physical health of our drivers. Exercise is important and often neglected in this industry, but by using their quick ideas we hope we can best prepare you for some body movement outside of being trapped in the driver’s seat.