Without focus or a plan, it can be hard for truckers to fit in a workout and stay in shape. When you’re out on the road it can be tempting to skip workouts or put them off for later. But truck driver exercise offers important health benefits when consistently done.
Even a few minutes of exercise at stops can improve circulation, boost mood, and have long-term health pay-offs. If you can fit in somewhere from 15 to 20 minutes a day, you can start feeling better and sleeping better.
This article explains how to make it work on the road, and offers simple suggestions for truck driver workouts.
Key takeaways
- Regular exercise is essential for truck drivers to mitigate health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
- Brief workouts of 15-20 minutes or even short bursts at stops can greatly enhance physical and mental health.
- Truckers should prioritize nutritious meals and snacks to support their health and avoid unhealthy eating habits.
- Incorporating exercise using available resources, like truck stop facilities or portable equipment, can be effective for staying active.
- Establishing a regular exercise and healthy eating routine is key to achieving long-term health benefits while on the road.
Why is truck driver exercise important?
Working out as a trucker is crucial for many reasons. Here are some of the main benefits of truck driver exercise.
Physical health
- Avoiding the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle: Trucking often involves long hours of sitting, which can lead to health problems like obesity, heart disease, and back pain. Regular exercise helps counteract these risks.
- Maintaining strength and endurance: Physical labor, like loading and unloading cargo, requires strength and endurance. Working out helps build and maintain these qualities.
- Improving flexibility: Stretching and flexibility exercises can improve posture, prevent injuries and increase overall mobility, especially after long hours behind the wheel.
Mental health
- Stress reduction: Exercise is a natural mood booster and can help reduce stress, which is common in the trucking industry due to long hours, tight deadlines, and unpredictable schedules.
- Improved sleep: Regular physical activity can enhance sleep quality, leading to better rest and reduced fatigue.
- Increased energy: Working out can boost energy levels, helping truckers stay alert and focused on the road.
Overall well-being
- Enhanced self-confidence: Regular exercise can improve self-esteem and body image.
- Increased productivity: A healthier body often leads to a more productive mind.
- Longer lifespan: Maintaining physical fitness can contribute to a longer and healthier life.
Incorporating exercise into a trucker’s lifestyle can be challenging, but it’s essential for overall health and well-being. Even short workouts can make a significant difference, and make your time behind the wheel more enjoyable.
Length of daily workouts
Truckers should aim to do an intense workout for at least 15 minutes a day. Over the course of the week, that can add up nearly two hours of intense exercise. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference a short time makes in truck driver workouts.
Truckers can also do as few as two- to three-minute bursts of squats, lunges, or other exercises at each stop. This is an easy way to increase your exercise time.
How your diet can help
Working out is important for health, but so is diet. Whether you want to lose weight, feel better, or prevent disease, diet can play an important role.
It can be tempting for truckers to stock up on chips, cookies, and other portable snacks. Instead, focus on eating three meals, even on the road. Healthy snacks and eating three meals a day can help you stay on goal for a healthy lifestyle.
If you skip meals, it can lead to extra unhealthy snacking or overeating later in the day. To prevent this, choose well-balanced meals that are rich in nutrients from fruits and vegetables.
Consider packing healthier snack options that are low in sugar and not fried. Stocking your truck with fruit, veggies, nuts or peanut butter, yogurt, jerky, and wholegrain crackers are examples of healthy options, when eaten in moderation.
How to work out as a truck driver
Ready to start a trucker workout? Here are some of the simplest ways to fit exercise into your routine..
Use what’s around you
The easiest way to fit in trucker exercise is to use what you have around you. Run sprints, walk around the truck stop, do lunges, or practice your dips on a bench. There are even truck stops that have gyms! You can search ahead of time to see if there are any truck stop gyms on your route.
Here are a few examples of mobility exercises that you can do in a small space:
- Stretch: Twist in your seat, roll your head, or cross your arms to stretch your shoulders
- Implement built-in cardio: The simplest act of stepping up and down from the cab counts as a workout. You can also use the curb or any other step available to do a short step workout.
- Find parks: Many truck stops have green spaces or nearby parks. Take advantage of these and get in a short outdoor workout.
Invest in small truck driver exercise equipment
Trucker workout equipment is versatile and flexible. Truckers can store small exercise equipment in their cab to fit in a workout anywhere.
You can follow videos on YouTube for free or download apps that can coach you through your workouts. Here are a few pieces of equipment that can be useful for truck drivers to have with them at all times:
- Free weights
- Kettlebells
- Exercise bands
- TRX bands
- Medicine ball
- Rebounder
- Folding bike
- Weighted vest
- Ankle weights
You can start with just one and build up! Truckers can create custom workouts or follow workout videos with free weights, kettlebells, and exercise bands. TRX bands can be used anywhere, and they provide an intense strength workout in as little as 15 minutes.
You can lift and throw a medicine ball to increase heart rate. For other cardio options, a portable rebounder or folding bike can help you get moving and don’t take up too much space. There’s no limit on truck driver workouts.
Isolated movements
Also called bodyweight exercises, isolated movements can be done anywhere, making them the perfect option when it comes to truck driver exercise. Just park your truck in a safe and legal place and get moving.
Here are a few simple exercises to get you started:
- Push-ups
- Walking lunges
- Squats
- Wall sits
- Calf raises
- Bench dips
- Squat variations
- Narrow squats
- Wide squats
- One-legged squats
You can step up your workouts from there by increasing the time or intensity of your truck driver exercise routine. There are so many examples of extreme strength training that can be done via isometric exercises.
Cardio truck driver workouts
Truckers can get their heart rate up with cardiovascular activity, and the best part is that it can be done anywhere. Cardio requires no equipment, making it an easy way to get your 15 minutes of daily exercise in.
Here are a few examples of cardio exercises that are easy to do wherever you’re parked.
- Jumping jacks
- Jogging in place
- Punching
- Doing windmills
- Kickboxing
- Jumping rope
- Skipping
- Running
- Sprinting
All of these exercises can be done continuously, or alternated with rest for a high intensity interval workout (HIIT).
Take a walk
Going on a walk is a simple and beneficial step anyone can take for their health. In fact, research shows that regular walkers enjoy many of the same health benefits as those who frequently engage in various other types of exercise.
In general, exercise can lower blood pressure, increase your lifespan, help you get to a healthy weight, improve your mood, and so much more. And since walking isn’t as intense as the other activities we’ve listed, you can do it for a longer time without exhausting yourself. Try walking for at least 30 minutes each day, even if you need to split the time into two 15-minute walks.
Truck driver exercise: small steps with big results
Whether you start by taking a daily walk or you focus on lifting up those dumbbells, adding exercise to your daily routine breaks up a long trip while laying the foundation for long-term health. Coupled with regular meals and healthy snacks, truckers can get into great shape, even while on the road.
Trucker workouts can make your job more enjoyable, too. While it takes a firm resolve to consistently perform the truck driver exercises we’ve outlined, they can make a big difference in your health, happiness, and longevity in the long run!
FAQ
If you’ve wondered how to squeeze in truck driver exercise, you’ll be surprised with the options. You can do any portable exercise in a semi truck. Consider even lifting your legs in a walking motion within the cab, or stepping outside for isometric exercises, a walk, or a jog. You can also back weights, kettlebells, or other portable equipment to get a complete workout.
Truck drivers can lose weight by focusing on a healthy diet and building in more regular exercise. Reducing sugary drinks and snacks, and committing to eating well-balanced regular meals can help truck drivers lose weight. Try to add even a few minutes of daily exercise to increase strength and improve weight loss results.
Yes, truck drivers can build muscle. Bring along some free weights, kettlebells, TRX bands, or commit to doing isometric exercises to build strength. Try to workout for at least 15 minutes a day to start building muscle. Truck driver workout plans can be any existing training plan you enjoy.
Assuming an average length of 75 feet and width of 8.5 feet, one lap around an 18-wheeler is about 167 feet. To cover a mile of ground (5,280 feet), you’d need to take approximately 32 laps around the truck.
Truck drivers can lose belly fat by incorporating regular physical activity into their routines, like taking walks for cardio and working out abdominal muscles during breaks. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding excessive snacking on junk food is also important, along with staying hydrated and managing stress effectively.
