Getting stronger at climbing...need advice!

[Mr. Bloom]

I find that a lot about climbing is technical, about handling your gears correctly to gain maximum momentum on the way down and maximum power on the way up. .

I agree wtih Grog, this is my biggest challenge. But beyond this, I do hills well....I suspect it's because I:

• did extensive elliptical training prior to cycling
• am very comfortable standing (which relies on the muscles that grew with my elliptical training)
• learned to enter tougher gears when standing and loosen up 2 to 3 gears when sitting

Practice, Practice, Practice

[Jiffer]

How many of you stand up off your saddle during climbs?

The couple of times I've tried it, it's felt more exhausting to me than remaining seated

I was going to bring up this very thing. I'm still pretty new to cycling, but I have found I really like standing from time to time, though I'm still developing the muscles. I rode a tandem before I got my single. I remember the first time I stood on the tandem up a fairly minor incline (about 3 or 4 months ago) my muscles were killing me almost instantly. I couldn't do it for more than maybe 8 seconds or so. Since then, I got my single and have been standing more on that, developing those muscles some. Today, we rode the tandem and stood at about the same spot as we did the very first time we tried. When we sat back down I told Dh we were up like 10 times longer than the first time we ever tried it. At least it felt that way. We just kept going and going! I was so proud of us! (Especially me since it was never much of an issue for Dh).

Anyways, if you're not used to standing, it does take time to develop those muscles and, for me, the cardio, which it takes more of. I have tried powering up a hill standing, and then I'm so exhausted when I sit that don't have anything left to get up the rest of the way. So, I've actually been working some on just spinning in a consistent cadence and exercising my patience, in order to keep my heartrate reasonable and not kill my muscles too soon into the climb. But that's because I'm still working on developing both the cardio and standing muscles. I think both skills are good to have. I definitely like the feeling of powering up a hill without sheer exhaustion, which was most fun today on the tandem. We did it a few times.

On my single, I tend to work on my standing more at the bottom of a hill when I want to keep my momentum going, or when I want to sprint to make it through a green light, or just because I feel like sprinting, or maybe at the very beginning of a hill, but not let myself get too wasted before sitting down and spinning easier.

Dh said Lance Armstrong used to do a training ride where he'd do intervals with standing and sitting, progressively standing longer and longer. I haven't done a specific interval training ride yet because I'm still progressing simply by riding more and standing every now and then.

I also heard Floyd Landis say recently that the best way to get better at hills ... is to ride hills. Quite simply put.

[quint41]

Excellent thread, ladies!

Oh, and Mr. Silver.

[RoadRaven]

I have been trying to improve on climbing for a while now...

After discussion with my partner, my latest training schedule includes hill reps as it always has, but these are hill reps with a difference. Due to weather, the last three weeks of my new training schedule has meant only one week so far to begin it. But every Wednesday I am going to "attack" a hill that emulates a hills i climb in a 50km race I am training for in October.

Instead of just going up and down, I am going to pretend i am in a race and charge up as fast as I can... starting with 2 reps, and slowly building to more and faster...

It makes sense, I hope it will make a difference!

Good luck

[rapid cycler]

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughts (and encouragement).

Yeah, I've lately been trying to work in some hilly terrain with every weekend ride. Since I live smack in the middle of a valley, I have plenty of time on the ride toward my canyon loop to loosen up and get in the right mental state. Here's how that goes on my less-motivated days:

Mile 4: I don't think I have it today. Maybe I should just go to the basin (a mostly flat 5-mile loop where I can simply go round and round, unchallenged, until tired).

Mile 6 (having bypassed the basin): Just because I ride over to the canyon doesn't mean I have to enter it.

Mile 10: Maybe I should stop at Jamba Juice.

Mile 12 (having not stopped at JJ): There's no shame in getting off the bike and walking if I need to. I'll feel better for having tried.

Mile 14 (having entered canyon and breathlessly crested first hill): This is humiliating.

Mile 16 (having ridden over several inclines to the point of no return, where turning back would be just as hard as moving forward) Water's awfully low. (After replenishing hydration reserves, sits outside canyon store, psyching self up for remainder of the pass.)

Mile 17 (standing beside bike, catching breath, trying to act casual when greeting passing cyclists): Only two more climbs!

Mile 18 (having completed climbs, exiting canyon via luxuriously long decline): Wheeee!

Mile 20: Stops at Jamba Juice, now feeling much more deserving of "Protein Berry Pizazz" (with additional protein boost).

Miles 21–24: I could so totally do that again! … But, you know, I have to get home.

Miles 25–30: I rule.

[smilingcat]

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...1304-1,00.html

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...-183-1,00.html

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...8581-1,00.html

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...4758-1,00.html

Really wonderful advice.

If you want to stand up, always shift up in gear or two. Remember too that you burn lot more energy because your center of gravity is going up and down. And its this action of up and down motion of your center of gravity, is what allows you to generate more power on the down stroke.

One thing that was sorely lacking in the advice is that climbing is not just physical. There is a lot of mental thing going on. I said it elsewhere on this forum "all good climbers have this mental toughness". I've had conversation with racers and when it comes to the hills it was a matter of "hurt you wanted to put on the other guys. Never mind about yourself." That was the psyche of good climbers. Doing the reps on hills will do a lot of good on your stength but it will also toughen you mentally. You get acclamated (sp) to the "hurt".

For a recreational cyclists, you may not want to push yourself to the "hurt" but the idea is still the same. You push until it becomes tad uncomfortable. And you learn to ride at that level. This will allow you to climb faster. And you as the ider has to decide what is okay in terms of your comfort level.

Yes I do reps on long hard hills and I hurt a lot. but that is how I like to train.

Smilingcat