Body Weight Exercises
Push-ups, Pull-ups, sit-ups, and leg lunges or squats remain among the most effective exercises anyone can get, not just drivers. Each of these has countless modifications to work slightly different muscles in slightly different ways, but it is important to start with the basics.
Variations: Wide arms, Narrow arms or Diamond, Clap or Plyo push-ups, Incline (feet on bunk), etc.
Pull-ups—This will be a challenge for many. Where the heck are you going to mount a pull-up bar in a truck? Where will you mount one outside a truck? Do you have the strength? One solution is to find an anchor point to mount resistance bands which I will discuss below. At different angles you can pull down on these bands and get quite a back workout. Bands come in varying resistances from 5lbs to 50lbs so make sure you get the right set. In stores I seldom see bands over 35lbs, so call me if you need more resistance.
Outside the truck you can crawl under your trailer and pull up on your trailer or chain rack or whatever you have. Dad and I are working on a pull-up bar to mount to ladders for tanker-drivers, so stay tuned. If you have other suggestions, please keep them coming!
Variations: Wide-grip, narrow grip, fingers away, fingers toward, switch-grip, etc.
Sit-ups or crunches—by now we should all know how to do a crunch. There are thousands of varieties but one similarity: they flex the core.
Resistance Bands
Rather than reinvent the wheel, let me paste what my vendor says:
B-LINES Bands Complete Kit
Get lean and ripped even faster with our pro-grade resistance bands instead of dumbbells. This set contains the entire range of resistance levels from 5 to 50 pounds. It includes 10 bands and 3 sets of handles
Maximize your workouts!
Resistance bands have been proven to help you burn fat and tone lean muscle faster. Just as effective as free weights, resistance bands are much more portable and convenient, so you can work out anytime, anywhere. And with increasing levels of resistance, you can keep ramping up your workout as you get into better and better shape.
These color-coded bands come in a range of resistance levels and attach to soft foam-covered handles for maximum comfort. These pro-grade bands will get you lean and ripped even faster! Used with most Beachbody® workouts.
Special features
* Provides variable resistance throughout entire range of motion
* Control the tension by shortening or lengthening the band
* Portable and convenient—perfect for travel or at home
* Used for total-body sculpting, toning, and fat burning
* Includes 3 sets of soft B-LINES® Comfort-Grip Handles—good for all bands
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
We want you to be 100% satisfied or your money back! If you're not satisfied with the performance of this product, please contact Customer Service to return it within 30 days for a full refund of the purchase price, less s&h—no questions asked.
B-LINES® Resistance Bands contain natural rubber latex which may cause allergic reactions.
Anything you can do with weights you can do with bands and they will take up way less weight and room. There are things you can do with bands that you can't do with weights like pull-downs mentioned above.
Dumbbells
I like to recommend the Bowflex® SelectTech® Dumbells. I make no money for this recommendation. Here's what Bowflex says about their 552 dumbbell set:
Powerful results at the turn of a dial.
With just the turn of a dial you can automatically change your resistance from 5 lbs (2.27 kg) all the way up to 52.5 lbs (23.8 kg) of weight. No more picking up 30 different dumbbells to give you the results you want! All you need are two Bowflex® SelectTech® 552 Dumbbells to transform your body for good (bowflexselecttech.com).
These can be spendy so if cost is a concern, I like to start with the following…
For men:
A. 25lbs
B. 10lbs
C. 5lbs
For women:
A. 15lbs
B. 8lbs
C. 3lbs
For many exercises, these weights can be strapped together using their sum weight to get the right resistance while keeping the load on your truck and storage space to a minimum. When I post pics in September, I will update this post to show you what I mean.
Get Outside
Everything we have discussed so far has been resistance. Resistance is critical to your fitness and to regulating your metabolism and bone strength. In many of my circles, it is the most overlooked area of fitness. For drivers, it may be the easiest!
To get some cardio, you are likely going to have to get out of the truck. Sorry about your luck, pal! Right outside your truck you can do jumping jacks, run-lunges, jump-tucks, run in place, all sorts of things. Walk to the back of the truck stop and jog back and forth along the trucks. Amplify the positive effects of this by sprinting, then jogging; repeat for as long as you need to to get a burn.
You can walk, jog, run. You can add weight by putting on a backpack. This will add burden to your cardio system. Use the FITT principle I discuss elsewhere on my blog to determine intensity level:
*If you can sing while you do it, you are Low Intensity.
*If you can talk while you do it, you are Moderate Intensity.
*If you can't sing, talk, or whistle while you do it, you are High Intensity.
Hotel Stays
New laws are so restrictive; you are bound to stay in a hotel from time to time. Take advantage of their gear by making sure you have appropriate exercise clothing packed and ready. Most hotels now have treadmills, elliptical machines, rowing machines, or a pool.
If they have a dvd player, or you have a laptop, you may consider one of the programs I use such as Insanity or P90X. Use your time wisely to get the results that will earn you the life you want.
Summary
We all have challenges. Drivers have some of the toughest when it comes to diet and exercise. With a little forethought and careful planning, we can overcome these challenges. Feel free to contact me about any of these and I will do my best to help you overcome them!
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