Do you sit or stand going up hills?

[Lucky, Fabulous]

I have heard it both ways - "stand and climb" or sit, downshift, and try to maintain the same cadence. Can you go between the two? I am tackling some big hills today, and could use some advice. Thanks!

[F8th637]

I have found that everyone has their own philosophy. Some people think that standing wastes energy. If I do stand on a hill it's briefly as my legs can't take the burn for too long. I also have bad knees so I try to take full advantage of those granny gears especially for long climbs. I definitely think you can go both ways on a climb. It's all a matter of personal preference.

[GLC1968]

If it's a short climb and I think I can get up it without losing speed if I stand, then I do. If it's a long climb - I sit and spin to the best of my ability. Sometimes, I mix it up - spin where I can, stand if it gets too steep, go back to spinning, etc.

Basically, the first year I started riding, I stood all the time. Then I found that my muscles got used to it and I couldn't effectively spin. My second year riding, I tried to stay seated more and just spun. Then I found that by the end of the season, standing would wear me out because my muscles had gotten used to spinning. Now I try to mix it up - partly to keep my body capable of doing both with some efficiency, and partly because I've gained a bunch of weight and I need all the tricks of the trade to get up hills!

[sundial]

If it's a short climb and I think I can get up it without losing speed if I stand, then I do. If it's a long climb - I sit and spin to the best of my ability. Sometimes, I mix it up - spin where I can, stand if it gets too steep, go back to spinning, etc.

Yep, me too!

[wackyjacky1]

For me it depends on how long the climb is. I prefer to sit, scooching back on the saddle to get those big ol' butt muscles more involved, but during a long climb I may stand on the pedals and do a few yards that way, just to change things up a bit.

[Geonz]

I'm a total sitter. I'll stand a few times a year, on a very steep long hill when I just feel like I need to change something or fall off the bike.

It depends on the bike, too, though. I think if I had a different bike I *might* be more inclined to stand.

However, my weight distribution is such taht the one time I went skiing, if I fell down I could not get up. My backside has little pockets of extremely dense tissue in it or something

Any slight differences in efficiency really aren't that important to me and would be counteracted by the necessary change in focus... and besides, I live in the flatlands so I only do hills on special occasions.

[mimitabby]

It really depends on where you are at that moment. Sometimes I just don't want to slow down that much so i stand and go up the hill. Other times, I just don't feel like working that hard!

[indysteel]

I have heard it both ways - "stand and climb" or sit, downshift, and try to maintain the same cadence. Can you go between the two? I am tackling some big hills today, and could use some advice. Thanks!

I mostly sit, unless I feel like standing. How's that for a rule of thumb? I usually won't stand unless it's a pretty short hill or a short steep section of a longer hill. It wears me out.

I wouldn't say that I maintain the same cadence even when I remain seated though. That would likely send my heartrate sky high. I've seen a rule of thumb that suggests spinning at about 75% your normal cadence (on flats), but even that doesn't necessarily work for me on all climbs. I found myself spinning at a slower cadence in a bigger gear this weekend. On long climbs, I'm more apt to spin at a faster cadence in a smaller gear. We don't many of those in Indiana though.

[F8th637]

LOL So the long and short of it answer is: "Whatever gets you up that hill!"

[indysteel]

LOL So the long and short of it answer is: "Whatever gets you up that hill!"

Amen. I will (proudly) say that after a couple of years of riding, hills are getting easier. When I first started, I had a huge phobia about them. Now I feel a lot calmer and that certainly helps with breathing, form and technique. I'm determined to make one with my inner goat this year. It's a good thing, since I'm doing a weeklong tour in northeastern Tennessee in September!

I do think it pays to play around with various climbing techniques and to recognize, too, that as you get stronger and fitter, your preferred way of tackling a given hill may change a bit. I went on a hilly ride this weekend with a number of strong climbers and it was interesting to see that we each attacked the hills a little differently. Some spun, some mashed, some stood, some stayed seated. We all seemed more or less in our comfort zone so there's no one way to get to the top.

[GLC1968]

Oh, and on the note of getting up hills - one thing a very experienced hill climber told me once... He said to smile when climbing. Smiling relaxes the muscles in your face and if your face isn't tense, your upper body will follow suit. This makes climbing (particularly the multi-mile climbs) a lot more bearable. I swear it helps!

(Plus, people see you and think you are nuts - and that's always good for an internal giggle or two )

[OakLeaf]

smile when climbing....(Plus, people see you and think you are nuts - and that's always good for an internal giggle or two )

Speaking of people thinking you're nuts. I was watching the pros stick out their tongues in the TdF during hard climbs and sprints, and decided to try it, and it really helps open the airway! You have to stick it out hard enough to feel the pull at the back of your throat, try to touch your chin with your tongue.

[violette]

LOL So the long and short of it answer is: "Whatever gets you up that hill!"

Ha! Ha! Never thought about it that way, but I second that...

[Dogmama]

Part of this depends on the predominant muscle fiber makeup in your glutes/thighs. If you're more slow twitch, you'll find that higher cadences are easier. Fast twitch needs lower cadences.

The best way to tell is trial and error. On a flat road, if you can maintain a high cadence for many miles, you're probably slow twitch. If you're more comfortable at a lower cadence (70-80 mph) on the flats, you probably have more fast twitch.

The point of this is that what works for one TE'er may not work for her sister!

[Trigress]

I sit as much as possible, this seems to exhaust my legs less, and being the worst hill slug ever seen, I go for the easiest version...