Truck Driver Workouts: The Best Trucker Fitness Plan

Truck driving isn’t easy work. It involves long hours, limited sleep, and minimal physical activity. Those long hours in the cabin put drivers at risk of various ailments, including back pain, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.   

It’s not easy to fit in a workout on the open road. However, finding time to exercise is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health. This is where a good workout for truck drivers comes in. Read on to discover why fitness matters in this profession and discover some simple workouts for truck drivers that can be done anywhere to stay healthy on the road. 

Why Truck Driver Fitness Matters 

Many things have radically changed in the last 20 years, but our reliance on truck drivers in America has remained steady. Our economy and comfort rely on moving goods from one end of the United States to the other, and the drivers doing the hard work often suffer for it.  

Truck drivers are at high risk of obesity, fatigue, and depression due to their long work hours and the small amount of physical activity they get while working. Making an effort to move just a bit more each day relieves work-related stress and improves overall wellness. Let’s take a closer look at why truck driver exercise is important. 

Benefits Health 

Truck driving involves sitting for long periods, putting drivers at risk of chronic diseases and cardiovascular issues. But regular exercises, even while seated in the truck, promote fitness and overall health. Exercise also offers benefits like reducing stress hormones and increasing endorphins, thus improving mood and mental well-being. Research shows that 15 minutes of regular physical activity can eliminate the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle.  

Reduces Fatigue  

Physical activity increases blood flow to your brain and muscles. It also boosts oxygen circulation, allowing your body to function better and use energy more efficiently. This makes drivers feel energized and helps them focus better during long drives. 

Combats Stress 

Five or more hours of monotonous activity can put anyone in a bad mood. However, trucker exercises help the body release “feel-good” hormones like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, which reduce stress, boost the mood, and act as natural painkillers.  

Making the Time and Finding a Place for a Trucker Workout 

While long drives may seem to leave little room for exercise, truck driver workouts are adaptable to any time and many places. Here are some tips for fitting in fitness on the road. 

Manage Time Carefully 

Being out on the road means limited access to gyms for extended workouts. Luckily, instead of long, extended sessions, truck driver workouts can be broken into multiple 5-10-minute sessions that can be completed throughout the day. For instance, at a rest stop, take a short walk. Before you start driving, do neck stretches. After your shift, do 20 push-ups.  

Seek Out Creative Solutions  

Driving for long hours is monotonous. Fitting your trucker fitness exercises into the same time every day can make life even more boring. Make sure you spice things up – turn on funky music and do shoulder shrugs while you drive or set a daily movement goal (e.g., 5,000 steps per day). You’ll have something to look forward to every time. 

Take Advantage of Rest Stops 

Rest stops are for taking breaks, eating, and refueling your vehicle. They’re also great for quick truck exercises. For instance, you can jog around the gas station to stretch your muscles after filling up your tank. Or, while your truck is parked for the night, do bodyweight exercises in the parking lot. 

Truck Driver Fitness Routine 

Fitness routines can’t be one-note. Not only is this approach boring, but it fails to give the body everything it needs. An effective truck driver fitness routine incorporates a mix of cardio, strength training, balance exercises, and stretching, ensuring a well-rounded approach to fitness. 

Seated Exercises for Truck Drivers 

For those extra-long shifts, seated exercises offer a solution. They target specific muscle groups, enhance circulation and flexibility, and ultimately boost health and productivity. Here are some to try out:   

1. Seated leg lifts: This exercise works the ankle, knee joints, and calf muscles. Straighten your back and flatten your feet on the floor. Slowly lift your heels upward until only your toes remain on the ground. Hold for a few seconds and flatten your feet again. Repeat as many times as possible.  
2. Neck stretches: Neck stretches loosen your neck and shoulder muscles. Sit upright and tilt your head back until your nape touches your back. Then, tilt your head forward and touch your chest with your chin. Hold for 3 seconds. Repeat 15 times.  
3. Shoulder shrugs: Shoulder shrugs release tension in the upper shoulders and arms from holding the steering wheel for hours. Lift your shoulders to your ears and hold for 10 seconds, then release. Repeat until your shoulders feel less tense.  
4. Hand grip exercises: Hand grip exercises relieve the pain and tension of holding the steering wheel. Stretch out your palm. Pull back on each finger for 10-20 seconds. Repeat on the other hand as many times as required. 
5. Seated torso twists: Twists work your pelvis, shoulders, and upper back. Sit upright and flatten your feet on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and gently rotate right and left, keeping your buttocks firmly in the chair. 

These exercises are Ideal for long drives with short breaks because they promote blood circulation and muscle activity while combating soreness and fatigue. 

Cardio Activity  

Cardio activity elevates your heart rate, burns calories, and enhances blood flow to the brain and muscles. Here are some cardio activities you can add to your trucker workout routine:   

• Walking and jogging: Walking and jogging are great ways to stretch your body and get your blood pumping. A few laps around the rest stop area or around your truck for 5–15 minutes will go a long way.  

• Jump rope routines: Another excellent cardio activity is jumping rope, which is one of the easiest ways to exercise your whole body at once. It burns calories and improves your heart health, coordination, and balance. Fun fact: 10 minutes of jumping rope is roughly equivalent to running a mile!  

• High knees or marching in place: In addition to those already mentioned, consider doing high knees or marching in place. To do high knees, stand in a spot and raise your knees one after the other as high as you can while keeping your feet pointed toward the ground. This exercise stretches your quads and hamstrings, improving your knee flexibility.  

Stretching 

Stretching, ideal as a warm-up before cardio or a cool-down after cardio or strength training, helps prevent cramps and stiffness in joints and muscles. 

• Simple stretches: Stretches increase blood circulation to specific muscle groups, reducing soreness from inactivity. Muscle groups that need stretching include the hamstrings, quads, back, and neck.  

• Yoga poses: Yoga poses like the downward dog, child’s pose, and seated forward bends work all muscles and joints and increase flexibility.  

• Pilates: Pilates is a great truck driver workout to add to your routine. It focuses on correcting posture and loosening up any aches or stiffness caused by long hours of sitting and driving. 

Strength Building 

Strength-building workouts for truck drivers increase muscle strength and resistance, strengthen bones, and promote cardiovascular health. They include:  

• Side leg raises: Lie on your side. Raise one leg until you feel the muscles in your back and buttocks engage. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Practice on each leg for up to 20 times.  

• Step-ups: Target glutes, core, quads, and hamstrings. Use your truck’s side step: step up with one leg, bring the other up, then step down. Repeat. 

• Yoga poses: Yoga poses like the tree, mountain, and downward dog poses target the core and stabilize muscles, improving your balance and posture. 

Balance Exercises 

Balance exercises target the core and legs. They increase body coordination and help you maintain good posture. These balance exercises easily fit into a truck driver workout routine:  

• Push-ups: Push-ups strengthen muscles in the arms, shoulders, back, chest, and upper body. The best part is that you don’t need special equipment, just your body weight and the floor/truck’s side.  

• Squats, lunges, and calf raises: These exercises strengthen the muscles of the lower body. They target the quads, hamstrings, calves, and buttocks and tighten the core.  

• Resistance band training: Resistance bands add an extra layer of difficulty to a workout. This can be used to build legs and upper body.  

Recommended Portable Truck Driver Workout Equipment 

You can’t easily fit fancy gym equipment into a truck cabin, but that doesn’t mean all is lost. Smaller, easily portable workout equipment can be just as effective without wasting precious space. Here are six items we suggest for the road. 

1. Resistance bands: Resistance bands are elastic bands with various force resistance levels used in cardio workouts and strength training. 
2. Yoga mat: Yoga mats are used for yoga, pilates, meditation, and strength-building exercises.  
3. Barbells and dumbbells: They come in different sizes, so you can get the most suitable size for you.  
4. Jump rope: Jump ropes are great for strength training, cardio, or balance exercises.  
5. Suspension trainer: A suspension trainer is a set of ropes and webbing that allow you to train against your body weight. The ropes and webbing can be attached to your truck’s body, allowing you to get a quick workout in at every stop.  
6. Foam rollers: Foam rollers are used in balance training. They’re small and easy to carry.   

Other portable equipment for trucker fitness includes kettlebells, folding bicycles, stress balls, and portable pull-up bars.  

Creating a Sustainable Trucker Fitness Program 

Now that you know what a truck driver workout entails, the next step is implementing and sticking to a routine. Here are some tips to help start and stick with new habits:  

Build a Routine 

A great trucker fitness routine includes cardio activity, strength building, balance training, and stretching. Getting that all into one day isn’t easy, but you don’t need to. Instead, focus on hitting all forms of exercise at least once a week. Here’s a sample truck driver workout routine:  

• Monday: Jog for 30 minutes 

• Tuesday: Seated exercises 

• Wednesday: Yoga and leg raises  

• Thursday: Seated exercises 

• Friday: 100 squats and lunges 

• Saturday: Jump rope for 20 minutes 

• Sunday: Pilates or Yoga 

Choose exercises that fit your current level of physical fitness so you don’t strain your body. You can also switch things up depending on your schedule, adding more or less routines as you see fit.  

Get Motivated  

Starting an exercise routine is easy, but staying committed to it is no walk in the park. Motivation is tricky. How can you get started and stay motivated on a fitness journey? 

1. Set realistic goals: Set goals that are easy to accomplish and merge with your schedule. For example, 5,000 steps and 50 squats per day — which you can split into 15 minutes of jogging and squatting twice a day. 
2. Track your progress: Keep a fitness journal or use a fitness app to record your fitness goals and daily experiences. This will help you track your progress over time.  
3. Make exercise a habit: Make exercising a fun break from the monotony of sitting all day. Do it consistently until it’s ingrained into your daily routine. Reward yourself with something nice when you meet your fitness goals. For instance, jam to your favorite songs while exercising. 

Stay Healthy and Happy with Tenstreet 

The sedentary nature of truck driving poses health risks, but incorporating regular exercise, even in short bursts, can significantly improve well-being. Start small, stay consistent, and prioritize your health on the road.