People who spend many hours driving a car face the same problems as office workers: physical inactivity, prolonged stay in a fixed position and, as a result, osteochondrosis, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain syndrome, cardiovascular disorders, digestive problems. And if “white-collar workers” can still get up from their seats, walk around the room and perform a light warm-up, then drivers are much more limited in movements.
Even if you drive the best sports car rental or the most comfortable SUV , from the best rental provider with impressive rental service, and feel the maximum rental car driving pleasure, do not forget about fitness behind the wheel: simple exercises that are performed while sitting in the driver’s seat help to relieve muscle tension, stretch the spine and joints, eliminate stagnation of blood in the lower extremities.
Upper Body Exercises
Why waste time standing in traffic or waiting for a passenger in the parking lot? This forced pause can be filled with healthy exercises. Start by warming up your arms, chest and back.
Grasp the steering wheel, placing your palms on the points corresponding to three and nine o’clock on the dial. Squeeze the steering wheel tightly on both sides. Direct the efforts of the right and left palms to each other. Feel and fix the powerful tension of the arm muscles. Complete the exercise by reaching muscle fatigue.
Leave your hands in the same position. Strain your muscles again, but this time orient the effort of your palms in the opposite direction, as if you are trying to break the steering wheel into right and left halves. In this movement, the muscles of the arms and back are pumped.
Place your palms on the “6 and 12 o’clock”. For the rest, duplicate the entire algorithm of actions of the first exercise: squeeze the steering wheel, direct the effort inward (between the palms), strain your arms and chest, fix the position until you get tired.
A set of exercises for the lower extremities and abdominal press
Having finished working out the upper body, move on to the abdominal press and legs.
While sitting in the driver’s seat, lift one leg. Take the foot up as high as possible. Stay in this position until you get tired. Repeat the exercise with the other leg.
Lift both legs at the same time and hold them in this position as long as possible. To maintain balance, grab the steering wheel with your hands. Having mastered the static exercise, move on to dynamics: lift your legs, but do not hold them motionless, but turn imaginary pedals.
You can only do fitness in a stationary car. When the car is moving, even at a low speed, any gymnastics is prohibited. But during your stay in traffic, a warm-up for drivers will be very useful: it will not only disperse the blood and stretch the muscles, but also reduce stress tension, without which no standing in traffic jams can do.
A set of exercises for the muscles of the arms, chest and back
In the sitting position, bend your arms and wrap your palm around the wrist of the second hand. Pull your arms in opposite directions (right-left). Wait until the muscles get tired, and change hands.
Connect your hands in the same way as in the first exercise. But this time, direct the force of the holding hand up, and the holding hand down. Wait for fatigue, relax, change hands.
Interlock your hands in the usual way. Press the restrained hand from below on the palm of the fixing hand. Charter, change hands.
Neck and chest exercise
Place your palm on the back of your head. Press it on your head, and resist this pressure with your head. Shift the pressure directly to the right and left. Linger is longer in a state of tension.
Practice fitness while driving at every opportunity. Standing in traffic, you can have time to do the whole set of exercises. If the stop on the way is short, do as much as you can. The proposed variants of movements can be combined in different combinations and performed in any sequence.
