Driving a Truck Shouldn't Be a Pain.
Truck driver health impacts performance on the road. That's why it's so important to take time for regular exercise. After spending long hours on the road, neck and back discomfort can be a major pain. To help alleviate these problems, here are five simple exercises to follow.
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1. Back Bends
- 5 reps of 5-10 seconds (for exercises 1-4)
- Put hands on hips behind back. Now, lean back and hold for 5-10 seconds and repeat. The benefit: helps decompress the spine and all of the fluid that can build up in the back after sitting down for long periods of time.
2. Front Bends
- Put hands on hips just like the back bend. Instead of leaning backward, lean forward. Combine it with the back bends to get a full range of motion. The benefit: this movement helps to loosen up the hamstrings and increase leg circulation.
3. Side Bends
- Put hands down to side. One hand goes up while the other stays on the side. With the hand that goes up, reach out and touch something to your side to get the maximum stretch. The benefit: helps lengthen the muscles along the sides of the torso while stretching the muscle fibers along the outer hip.
4. Neck Stretch
- Start with one hand down by your side and the other hand out at 90 degrees. Lean your head to the opposite side. Try to reach out as far as you can with your arm while moving your neck the opposite way as far as you can.
The benefit: relieves tension in back and neck.
5. Knees
- Using a wall or side of a truck, place your hands apart just outside of shoulder width and take turns bringing each knee up, turning it to the side and taking across your body. The benefit: helps loosen up, strengthen and activate the glutes (as many as possible hold for 30-60 seconds).
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