© Gary W. Addis, 1994
Member of Author’s Guild,
Private Eye Writers Of America,
Mystery Writers of America
Bodybuilding for Truckers
Knowing the misconceptions most people harbor about the sport of bodybuilding, perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned the subject of this month’s article without first employing a powerful narrative “hook.” I mean, what man in his right mind wants a 50” chest, a 30” waist and 22” arms? Practically every man on Earth, that’s who. Come on, be honest: if you could swallow a pill and wake up tomorrow with the physique (and health) of an Arnold Schwarzeneggar, you wouldn’t hesitate two seconds, now, would you? Likewise, every woman I know wishes she had the figure of a Julia Roberts. At this point in your life you may have the vitality of an octogenarian, the waist of a Sumo wrestler and the legs of a wren. Your vertebrae may slip out of alignment each time you take a breath. After forty years of smoking, the inside of your lungs may resemble a clogged fireplace flue. No matter how old you are or your present shape, with bodybuilding you can improve both your physical appearance and your health.
Sorry, ladies. Working out with weights will not give you a bigger bosom or a more angelic face. Neither will it shackle you with a baritone voice and a pair of 19” upper arms, as you may have feared. Please don’t judge the bodybuilding lifestyle by the she-men whose bulging biceps and hairy chests clutter the pages of muscle magazines. These women breathe, eat and excrete bodybuilding. They know more about the human organism than Dr. Kildare, and their gym bags are better stocked than a hospital pharmacy. As for male athletes, only the gifted few become muscular marvels. Bodybuilding legends Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Sergio Oliva and Dorian Yates are genetic freaks. You — the average man “you” — have about as much chance of achieving greatness in any sport as I have of becoming president.
Still, weightlifting is well worth the effort. As was stated in the first column of this series, bodybuilding builds strength by increasing muscle mass, and muscles burn calories, even when they’re at rest. Additionally, because resistance training stresses the body, it encourages the production of enzymes and hormones, which in turn give a welcome boost to the body’s internal systems. If you exercise regularly and diligently with weights, and eat sensibly, your skin will tighten, you’ll get sick less often and recover quicker when you do. If you’re like most folks, you’re more concerned with your appearance than you are with your future health. But God is said to take care of fools and children. After two months of weight training, you’ll be far stronger and literally vibrate with energy.
Where To Train
Should you invest in a “home gym,” or sign the register of a fitness center? You may be shy at first around more knowledgeable, better built people, but lifting weights by yourself, like jogging or mowing the lawn, can be really, really boring. Home gyms are nifty devices, but most of them begin to collect dust two days after they’re assembled. Do yourself a favor and join a commercial gym from the get go, preferably a facility frequented by competitive bodybuilders and powerlifters. Physical fitness buffs are friendly folk. Being in the company of a bevy of handsome, powerful bodies will inspire you to your own best efforts, and, whenever you need a word of advice, it’ll be as close as the next barbell.
A Sample Exercise Routine
There are almost as many weightlifting routines as there are weightlifters . While true that some Mr. America contestants spend five hours a day in a gym, others are in and out quicker than it takes some fellows to wash their hands. Before I became a truck driver I competed successfully in both bodybuilding and powerlifting. Between 1978 and 1987 I accumulated fifty gleaming trophies, and I seldom trained longer than thirty minutes at a clip. As former Mr. Universe Mike Mentzer once put it, “You either train hard, or you train long...you can’t do both.” So don’t let anyone tell you that you’ll have to set up housekeeping in a gym to achieve noticeable results.
In a side-bar you’ll find an easy-to-follow bodybuilding program; the staff of Truckers News has provided illustrations. While no form of exercise will make you the bully of the beach overnight, this deceptively simple routine can accomplish a miracle — if you follow it faithfully. Here’s the format: 5 x 6-8 = 5 sets of six to eight repetitions. What constitutes a set, what the heck is a repetition?... I’ll use the barbell curl as an example. Bend your knees, grasp a barbell with your palms facing up, about shoulder-width apart, then straighten your body, allowing the barbell to hang at arms length. While maintaining a relaxed but erect posture, lift the barbell to your chest, then lower it again to arms’ length: that’s one repetition. Repeat the procedure eight more times, then lay the barbell aside and take a well-deserved rest: you’ve just completed one set. Rest for 40 seconds, then do it again, then again and again. Working at this admittedly speedy pace, in under five minutes you will have performed five sets (until you become better conditioned, you won't complete five sets this rapidly, but if they take you longer than 10-15 minutes, you're being lazy).
To be effective, resistance training must be progressive. Again using the barbell curl as an example, for your first training cycle you should pile on as much weight as you can handle for six repetitions. Within a couple of weeks, you’ll be stronger; you’ll be able to perform all twelve repetitions without raising a sweat. Then you should add a few pounds to the bar — not enough to glue the thing to the floor, mind you, but enough to make six repetitions difficult, a seventh impossible without a crane, and an eighth truly miraculous.
When you’re away from home for weeks at a time
Like most truck drivers, foreign and domestic, I’m never home. Despite the best intentions in the world, I haven’t stepped inside a full-fledged gym in nearly six years. So I’ve had to develop a truer understanding of the word “improvise.” The air seat and steering wheel of almost any eighteen-wheeler makes a dandy gym. You can, for instance, pump your seat up, grasp the steering wheel with one hand, palm up, and work the hell out of that bicep. If you turn your palm downward and lower the seat a bit, you can perform tricep push-downs (you may need to use both hands). By grasping the top of the steering wheel, palms down, you can give your upper back a pretty good workout. Those fancy $1,500 pneumatic home gyms rely on the same principle, except in this case your bodyweight provides the bulk of the resistance. Don’t just take my word for it. Try it. Using nothing more elaborate than your imagination, a steering wheel and an air seat, you can invent dozens of exercises...you can exercise your entire body without leaving your truck.
Granted, if you’re presently very weak and you outweigh a fully loaded 55’ Fruehauf, this method of exercising may not be feasible. No problem. Got a few bungy cords in your side box? Drill some holes in two short poles or pipes, string an elastic cord or two between them, and you’ve got yourself a set of chest cables. (By the way, chest extensions do nothing for your chest; they work your back, your shoulders, and, to a lesser extent, your triceps.) This piece of homemade equipment is dandy for performing a thousand exercises. Heavy books, wrenches, pry bars, you name it, if you can grasp an item in one or both hands and lift it without straining, you can use it to add a measure of resistance to an exercise. The key word, then, is IMPROVISATION. Be an inventor, invent yourself an entirely new life-style.
I wish I could take you by the hand and lead you through your first “truckgym” workout. I can’t. I can’t even provide you with anything more than rudimentary instructions. But you don’t need me; you don’t need anyone’s help. Truck drivers are strong-willed, independent-minded and inventive...with these tools our ancestors tamed a continent. So kick yourself in the butt and get started.
What’s that you say, you don’t carry a cordless drill in your truck, and you left that 40-pound “picture book” sitting on the coffee table at home? Stop searching for excuses. Portable exercise equipment is as near as the nearest sporting goods store. Also, several health-food chains stock cables, springs, light dumbbells and ankle weights. If you truly want to begin an exercise program, you’ll find a way, believe me.
Here’s something I almost forgot to mention. Though they are a precious few, you may occasionally come across a truckstop that has an Exercise Room. Off the top of my head, I remember one on I-85 in South Carolina, one on I-80 in Illinois, one in Nevada, and one in New Mexico. Frequent these lovely establishments every chance you get, utilize their facilities to the fullest and, to thank Management, spend a few bucks. If you can’t find a truckstop “gym” on your route, fill out a comment card wherever you stop regularly, plead with its manager to invest in the health of his patrons. Point out that a multi-station gym can be bought for under $500.
A Few Pointers
Muscles never push, they can only pull. The chest, for instance, pulls your arms, and whatever they’re supporting, forward and up; the latissimus dorsi (the big muscle that runs down both sides of your back, from armpit to hip) pulls your arms downward and to the rear.
Always work to failure. The repetition that accomplishes the most is the one you were barely able to complete. After completing a rep, never allow the weight to drop like a rock. Research suggests that the eccentric, or negative portion of a repetition provides the greatest benefit. So don’t waste it; resist the fall of the weight every inch of the way.
Don’t be afraid to try something new. If a different angle, or wider, or closer grip seems to work the intended muscle group better, don’t allow anyone to tell you that you’re “doing it wrong.” Listen to your body. It’ll tell you what portion of what muscle is receiving the bulk of the work in a given exercise. If your arms are tiring quicker when you’re supposed to be working your back, you’re concentrating on the weight, not the movement: you probably need to lower the poundage a bit.
Although it’s okay to “cheat” on some exercises, it’s very bad on others. “Cheating” should be used to add resistance to an exercise, never to lessen it. You can, for instance, “swing” a dumbbell a tiny bit to get past the sticking point of a bicep curl, but never, ever, squirm or contort your body while bench pressing or performing leg curls (it may harm your lower back). Never clamp your jaws tightly together during strenuous exertion: doing so may cause the nerve that crosses the joint of your jaw to spasm, which will give you an excruciating headache that’ll last for days. Don’t hold your breath or lock your joints, especially your knees, while exercising. Fainting while standing at attention on a parade ground is merely embarrassing; if you happen to be holding a heavy weight above your head at the time, it might be deadly.
Always concentrate fully on the muscle being worked; keep the rest of your body as relaxed as possible. When you’re exercising chest, back or shoulders, think of your arms as lifeless hooks; when you’re working your limbs, try to use your limbs only.
About The Author
Until he became a truck driver in 1987, Gary Addis was a competitive bodybuilder. During nine years of competition, he won several prestigious titles, including Masters Mr. Georgia, Mr. Southeastern America (1985), and the Over 35 Mr. South America (1986).
Until his wife was injured on the job late last year and he decided to become a full-time freelance writer, he and his wife drove for Viking Freight Systems of San Jose, CA.A Word Of Caution
On-the-job injuries cost American firms billions of dollars a year in compensation, increases in health care costs, and lost productivity. Is it any wonder, then, that many fleets require their drivers and dock workers to wear some sort of back support? If your employer has joined the crowd, I urge you to tighten that pretty black nylon belt only when you are actually lifting with your back.
Skeletal muscles are lazy; if it doesn’t have to work, it won’t. If a muscle thinks it is no longer needed, it will simply disappear.
A SAMPLE BODYBUILDING ROUTINE
Mondays and Thursdays: Chest And Back
Bench Press alternated with Lat Machine Pulldowns..............5 X 6-8
Tuesdays and Fridays: Arms and Shoulders
Biceps Curls alternated with Triceps Pushdowns.................5 X 6-8
Dumbbell (or Cable) Shoulder Raises.............................6 X 8-12
The deltoid has three heads: a front, a lateral, and a rear; perform two sets for each head. To work the lateral head, grasp a dumbbell in each hand and lift them straight out to your sides; to hit the rear deltoid, do the same exercise, but while bent sharply at the waist.
Dumbbell or Cable Shrugs for the trapezius.....................2 X 6
The trapezius runs from the neck to the deltoid. Being mostly fast-twitch fiber, it requires little work.
Wednesdays and Saturdays: Legs and Abdomen
Leg Raises alternated with Leg Curls for the hamstring........5 X 6-12
Dumbbell lunges for the buttocks & thighs.....................3 X 15
Abdominal raises supersetted with “crunches”..................3 X 20
Notice I said crunches, not sit-ups. In a sit-up, you curl your body at the hip, which primarily works the hip flexors; in a crunch, your belly-button is the fulcrum.
Summation I think I mentioned that I haven’t visited a YMCA in years, but my arms still measure a rock-hard 17”, my bodyfat percentage is still below ten percent. Just because you’re a truck driver is no excuse for letting yourself go. As we age, we humans have a tendency to become ever more sedentary, and we truck drivers are already more sedentary than most. Make no mistake about it, if you aren’t growing, you’re on a downhill slide toward the graveyard. There is no middle ground. If for some reason you don’t want to try resistance training, for God’s sake try something. Your physical well-being depends on it. -- 30 -- sketch captions SKETCH NO. 1 Bench Press Lie on a flat bench grasping the barbell with a shoulder-width grip at chest level. Take two or three quick, short breaths to oxygenate the blood, sharply inhale and hold it, begin to press the barbell up to arms’ length (don’t lock your elbows at the t op), and as you do so, exhale slowly. At the top position, pause a split second, then begin to inhale as you lower the bar to your chest. For safety, use what is known as a false grip: don’t wrap your thumbs around the bar (if the weight gets away from you, it could dislocate your thumbs). Perform 5 sets of 6-8 repetitions. SKETCH NO. 2 Lat machine pulldowns for the back Grasp an overhead bar a bit wider than shoulder width, palms facing out. Arch your lower back slightly and keep your elbows in line with your armpits. Inhale deeply before you begin to pull the bar down to your chin, exhale slowly as it begins its ascen t. “Superset” (alternate) this exercise with a chest exercise for 5 sets of 6-8 repetitions. SKETCH NO. 3 Lat machine pushdowns for the triceps As the sketch indicates, grasp the bar (or steering wheel, as the case may be) palms down, thumbs almost touching, elbows locked to your side. Press downward until your arms are straight, then inhale as you allow the bar to rise. SKETCH NO. 4 Biceps curl Grasp a barbell with your palms facing out, about shoulder-width apart, allowing the barbell to hang at arms’ length. While maintaining a relaxed but erect posture, clamp your elbows to your side, bend your arms and lift the barbell to your chest, then lower it again to arms’ length. Throughout the exercise, your upper arms should not move a single millimeter. And don’t lean back as you lift the weight. The object of this exercise is to pump your biceps, not strain your lower back. SKETCH NO. 5 Dumbbell shoulder raises The deltoid has three heads: a front, a lateral and a rear. In this exercise, you’ll perform two sets for each head, for a total of six sets of 8-12 repetitions. As the illustration demonstrates, to work the lateral head, the dumbbells are lifted to the side (like a bird flapping its wings). To transfer the labor to your frontal deltoids, raise your arms — palms facing downward — to the front (like a sleep walker). Bend at the waist to work the rear deltoids and pretend you’re swimming the backstroke . DUMBBELL PRESS The overhead press needs no explanation. You simply lift the weight to chest level, pause, then press it straight up above your head. You’ll want to hold your breath. Don’t. Exhale as you press. SKETCH NO. 6 Leg Extensions Hook your feet under the padded bar and try to touch the ceiling with your toes. Leg Curls Lie face down on the bench, hook your ankles beneath the padded bar and try to kick yourself in the butt. You want to maintain roughly a 2-to-1 strength ratio between the muscles at the rear of your legs and the powerful quadriceps at the front of the th igh. In other words, if you can lift 150 pounds with your quads, you should be able to lift at least 75 with your hamstring. This is an important exercise; it’ll help prevent hamstring pulls. It’ll also reward your efforts with a nice firm, round tush. Don’t laugh, guys. Ladies like shapely fannies, too. SKETCH NO. 7 Barbell lunges Here’s another one that’ll benefit your buttocks and your hamstrings. Place a barbell behind your neck or dangle two dumbbells at arms’ length; plant one foot firmly, and with the other, take one giant leap for Mankind, either to the side or to the front . Alternate legs every other repetition. Abdominal crunches Notice that this is called a crunch, not a sit-up. In a sit-up, you curl your body at the hip, which primarily works the hip flexors and the thighs. In a crunch, the belly button is the fulcrum — you lift your chest toward the ceiling, not your knees. Leg raises combined with leg scissors Lying on the floor, or, preferably, near the end of a bench on your back, extend your legs straight out in front of you, then lift them about ten inches, straight out. Try to lift, and hold, your hips several inches above the bench, as well. With your legs still in the air, work your legs like a pair of scissors--rapidly. When you’re too tired to continue, reach down inside yourself for the willpower to perform at least twenty more reps. SKETCH NO. 8 [Note: These exercises have been explained already; one caption will suffice for all.] Bungy cord barbell boogie As this trucker is demonstrating with a few bungy cords and a couple of sticks, if you use a little Yankee ingenuity, you can get a good workout anywhere, and on a budget, too. So drop the excuses and get to work. Your dispatcher will thank you, your wi fe will thank you, and maybe you won’t die before your time. SKETCHES NO. 9 Bungy cord crossovers for the chest Either stand on one handle of your bungy cord cable set or secure it to something heavy, grasp the other handle with one hand, bend slightly at the waist, and draw the strands up and across your body. Don’t allow your bicep to do the work. That’s easier said than done. Your arms are eager to be of assistance, so keep your elbow cocked slightly, and concentrate on working your chest. Bungy cord bent-over rowing The bodybuilder in the sketch is using both hands, but one at a time is better. Plant the unused hand on your thigh just above your knee (for balance), stand on one handle, grasp the other firmly, bend at the waist, and pretend you’re drawing a bucket of water from a well. Do not bob up and down with your back — it must remain stationary during this exercise! Cable wrist curls This one is performed almost exactly like a bicep curl, and, indeed, your biceps will perform the labor if you let them. To disengage the biceps, you must brace your forearms against something. Addis/BodybuildingAddis/Getting Fit
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