Climbing out of the saddle isn't for everyone. Your body type has a lot to do with it. I'm 5'9" and, while I'm relatively thin, my height makes me weigh more than many women. I am not a great climber at all and have, therefore, done a LOT of reading on the subject.

I have learned that for the "heavier" rider, it's best to usually sit on a climb, particularly a long one. Once you are getting close to the top, you might stand to get the rest of the way up and over the hill quicker (if you are going for speed).

The more I have ridden, the more I have worked on standing and building those muscles. I do often stand to power up short climbs. Or when on a really long climb, I'll stand for a short period to use different muscles and rest the overworked ones. (And my butt!)

When I stand, it's not my legs that give me the most grief. It's my breathing. Standing works my cardio more than sitting, so this is another thing that gets worked and strengthened a little at a time as I do stand.

I haven't been able to do real training or big rides in a long time due to health, but I recall a time a year or two ago when I was coming back from a long ride and there was about a 2% incline and I decided to stand between one signal to the next, but then I kept going . . . and going . . . and LOVED it! After all my training and making myself stand on occasion, I was seeing the payoff.

When you train yourself to be able to do both, it can come in handy for various reasons. However, strictly speaking to climbing, you have to figure out what works for you. If you want to train to stand, do it in baby steps. Find short spurts (usually a climb for me) to do it. And don't try to spin too hard. Use a big gear and try to keep a nice easy rhythm, not worrying about speed (at least in the beginning).