3 Workouts to Keep Drivers Healthy

Workout 1: Gravity resistance and cardio

Challenge level: Moderate to intense
Environment: Outdoors preferred, with several exercises possible in the cab
Equipment: None necessary, but enhanced with added weight or resistance bands

Warm up

Jog in place (20 seconds)

• Jumping jacks (20 seconds)
• Windmills (20 seconds)
• Jogging in place (20 seconds)

Pushups

• Choose your difficulty level, 5 to 50 repetitions:
1. Beginner: Hands on the side of the truck, standing
2. Intermediate: Hands on the bunk or truck step
3. Advanced: Hands on the ground

Walking lunges

• Choose your difficulty level, start at the nose of the truck and alternate left and right lunges to the end of the trailer
1. Beginner: Without weight
2. Advanced: Hold weight

Squats

• Choose your difficulty level, 5 to 20 repetitions
1. Beginner: Hold onto the truck for stability
2. Advanced: Squat without arm support

Dips

• Choose your difficulty level, 25 repetitions
1. Beginner: Use the ICC bumper on the trailer on the trailer with knees bent 90 degrees
2. Advanced: Use the cab steps with knees extended

Knee Highs

• Raise knee to hands at waist level, alternating with the left and right knees for 30 - 60 seconds
• Planks- Hold for 20 seconds

Workout 2: Mobility, toning and cardio

Challenge level: Moderate
Environment: Can be performed in cab, with walk/jog performed outdoors
Equipment: Resistance bands

Warm up (repeat 3 sets of 30 seconds per exercise)

• Stretch down toward the ankles, then upward to the sky
• Jog in place
• Jumping jacks
• Punches

Exercise (repeat 3 sets of 40 seconds per exercise, followed by 20 seconds rest)

• Bicep curls with resistance band
• Situps / crunches
• Squats
• Triceps overhead with resistance band
• Trunk side bends (lean trunk, alternating from left to right side, reaching fingertips towards the calf muscles)
• Step back lunges

Walk / Jog, 6 minutes

Workout 3: Flexibility, strength and cardio

Challenge level: Basic
Environment: in cab or at a fuel pump, with walking performed outdoors
Equipment: Resistance bands

Warm up

• Neck rotations (2 sets per day, 5 reps left and right per set)
• Swimmer stretch (2 sets per day, 30 seconds per set)
• Hand/forearm stretch (2 sets per day, 30 seconds per set)
• Gentle back hands (2 sets per day, 10 reps per set)
• Squats (5 sets per day, 20 reps per set)

Resistance training

• Pushups (5 sets per day, 20 reps per set)
• Bicep curls with resistance band (2 sets per day to the point of fatigue)

Cardiovascular

• Walking for 20-30 minutes, weather and safety permitting

Pro Tip: How many laps around a tractor trailer is a mile? 32!