8 Great Exercises Truckers Can Do Without a Gym

Truck drivers spend so much time on the road that it can be difficult to find an opportunity to go to the gym. While some gyms are open 24 hours, there is a limited number available and they may not be convenient on any given route. Many truck drivers don’t want to pay for a gym membership when they can’t use it regularly. This results in truck drivers neglecting their health and fitness.

However, truck drivers can perform many exercises without equipment or a gym. Research shows that regular exercise improves truck drivers’ physical health and mental health. To keep their minds and bodies in top condition, truck drivers can perform the following eight exercises almost anywhere and at any time:

1. Dips. Dips are great to tone triceps, delts, and pecs. Trucker drivers can use a chair, tire, bumper, step or even perform this exercise directly on the ground.
2. Lunges. This foundational bodyweight strength exercise is great for developing leg muscles. The lunge is suitable for beginners and can be used with additional weight to increase intensity. If truckers keep a set of dumbbells in their rig, they can get even more out of their lunge routine.
3. Planks. This core exercise also works drivers’ arms, backs, and legs as well. It’s a great exercise to target a lot of muscles on the body. Much like push-ups, so long as drivers have room to extend their legs and brace their hands shoulder width apart, they can perform this exercise.
4. Push-ups. Individuals can scale this exercise to meet their fitness level. So long as there is room for drivers to extend their legs back and space their hands shoulder width apart, they can perform the standard form of this exercise. Drivers just getting started on their physical fitness journey can perform push-ups from their knees or by leaning against a wall. Drivers can pass the time waiting on a load by doing a few sets of push-ups.
5. Sit-ups/crunches. Drivers can perform these exercises straight from their sleeper. This makes it an ideal exercise to start the day. Waking up ten minutes earlier than usual to knock out a few sets of sit-ups can improve drivers’ abdominal strength and overall health. Drivers can even incorporate abdominal squeezes while they’re stopped at red lights or for the duration of certain songs on the radio.
6. Squats. The squat is a lower body strengthening exercise that truckers can perform almost anywhere. It’s a highly functional exercise movement working major muscles of the hips and legs. To execute a superman, simultaneously raise your arms, legs, and chest off of the floor, then hold this contraction for 2 seconds. Drivers should remember to exhale during this movement.
7. Superman. It may take truckers a while before they feel like superman, but they will definitely get in better shape if they add the superman exercise to their workout. The superman is a bodyweight movement that targets the posterior core and lower back muscles.
8. Walking. Don’t underestimate the benefit of walking. Many truck stops include walking trails for this exact reason. However, in lieu of walking trails, truck drivers should try to increase the number of steps they take in any given day by parking in the farthest spot from their destination, and using stairs instead of elevators whenever possible.

Keeping truck drivers healthy has long-reaching effects. Healthy truck drivers are less prone to illness, which allows fleets to operate at optimum levels. Contact the experts at Interstate Motor Carriers to learn how we can help your trucking company.