Over The Road Fitness?

Anyone workout while otr? Ik there is alot of down time and when i was otr with my dad while we were waiting at recievers to unload or down time id have time to,workout. Anyone else do anything similar? If so what do you do? ....i,saw one guy had an bench press bench on the back of his truck once.

I will be interested to see some of the comments .. i know there are some threads about this already too. i am about to start my training and be on the road soon so am researching some different ways to workout myself.. im guessing a lot of bodyweight stuff will work and those resistantance bands maybe...

I will be interested to see some of the comments .. i know there are some threads about this already too. i am about to start my training and be on the road soon so am researching some different ways to workout myself.. im guessing a lot of bodyweight stuff will work and those resistantance bands maybe...

Yes and i was thinking of using power blocks. 2 dumbells ranging from 5-80lbs. Small and compact. Similar to bowflex select techs if you remember them

I've seen truckers with yoga mats and resistance bands. I myself am bringing my Bodylastics resistance bands which is my favorite brand. On top of that, compound body weight movements are key to getting functional fitness instead of doing isolation workouts for each muscle. Compound moves maximize time and strength and get all the stabilizer muscles that people don't do isolation workouts of. So, I will be doing a lot of those when I'm not drop dead tired and when I have time.

My mentor built a chinning bar from 1/2" galvanized pipe. It stood in that space between the driving seats and the sleeper berth.

Here's the definitive BIKE RIDE post: Daniel B. Bike Rides

I used to go jogging all the time.....several days a week. I also had 60 pound dumbbells with me.

But my fitness has changed drastically over the years. I don't touch weights anymore and I quit jogging altogether.

Like Realist mentioned, I do compound movements quite a bit. I now incorporate my cardio into my strength training workouts. And for strength and cardio training my favorite is Mark Lauren.

I have his "You Are Your Own Gym" app for my iPad and I have his EFX Videos I use on my computer:

You Are Your Own Gym Bodyweight Training

EFX: Postural Bodyweight Training

I also have exercise straps hanging from a beam in my living room, right in front of the television. So now I have no excuse to sit there eating in front of the TV. I can stand three feet away and workout the whole time instead. That was the best decision I ever made for staying in shape because I'll watch hours of television, especially during football season, and I can't watch tv without eating!

I've also started going on long hikes with a lot of climbing. My average hike now is about 4-5 miles over 2-3 hours with 1,500 feet of total climbing on slopes steep enough that I have to wear crampons (spikes attached to your boots) to get up em. I'm seriously considering getting into some actual rock and alpine climbing so the hiking and climbing is preparation for that. But hiking the hills like that is an amazing workout.

I also have a slackline which is a ton of fun once you start getting good at it. I wanted to work on my balance for climbing so that's why I got this. But it's a pretty good workout because you're really straining your core to stay on that line. And what's interesting is that it's nothing more than a 50 foot ratchet strap. It's small, light, effortless to travel with, and takes literally 5 minutes to set it up. So you can easily take it anywhere and string it between any two things that will hold a person's weight - light poles or telephone poles, trees, an ICC bumper (seriously), or whatever happens to be nearby. So you could totally take one of these on the road and use it all the time - truck stops, rest areas, parks, customers - wherever you happen to be.

Slackline On Amazon.

If I were on the road today I would certainly have some sort of resistance bands. I would also try to find a way to hang exercise straps in the truck. I would have a slackline with me and the Mark Lauren stuff. If you're ambitious enough you can certainly find the time to exercise, have fun, and stay in shape on the road.

Crossfit, couple sets of DBs n exercise bands. I also started to jog depending on where I stop... Bad knees so I try not to jog on hard surface

It is really hard to get a decent work out OTR. A lot of good changes have occurred with truck stops, the comfort level of the trucks themselves, and the food you can get. Some truck stops have a small weight room, but you are just not going to find an L.A. Fitness or Golds Gym at or near a truck stop.

I go on walks a couple of hours a day. Some places you could call it dodging cars. I'd like to bring my bicycle but its kind of a hassle. Whenever I get my own truck I'll be able to attach a carrier on the back of the sleeper. I start the day with 150 push ups and 200 situps. I do about 30 min of stretches, and use the resistance bands for my arms/shoulders (I keep breaking them) and I'm pretty much good until I stop for a mandatory break. I know a lot of people will hide in the sleeper playing video games and eating chips all night. I've seen it enough to know it is true to about 60% of drivers - probably more.

With so many drivers being either overweight or with high blood pressure (or both) I find it suprising the big truck stop chains have not partnered with say - Golds or L.A. Fitness to offer a decent (doesn't have to be huge) gym for drivers. Most people forget how much better a simple 45 minute workout can make you feel.

Forgot to mention that Flying J/Pilot have a pretty decent gym. I recall it being 19.95 a month and access nation wide. The quality, state of repair, and cleanliness tends to vary a great deal. You use a card to open the door - and once that door is open - well anyone can come in. I've seen one person open the door for 8 buddies - none of whom had a membership. I canx'ed my membership because several of their gyms had the feel of a prison complete with all the charaters. Haven't been back in one in a while so it may have changed - but I kind of doubt it.

With so many drivers being either overweight or with high blood pressure (or both) I find it surprising the big truck stop chains have not partnered with say - Golds or L.A. Fitness to offer a decent (doesn't have to be huge) gym for drivers. Most people forget how much better a simple 45 minute workout can make you feel.

People have said that for decades but the problem is simple....not enough drivers care. People have asked me 1000 times why I don't focus on health and fitness for drivers and that's why - 95% of them aren't interested. The ones that are interested have no problem finding information about health and fitness. I mean, 90% of being healthy and fit is eating a balanced diet of the right number of calories and getting a little exercise every day. It's far from rocket science. But if people don't care they don't care. There isn't much you can do about that.

I've often wondered if trucking companies, or many other corporations for that matter, couldn't recoup their investment by offering a small pay incentive to people who maintain a minimum level of health and fitness. When you look at the healthcare costs and the lost productivity from workers being so out of shape you would think there might be a true business case to make for paying a little more for healthy people.