I need better legs

[beccaB]

So after my little foray into some serious hills in the mountains of North Carolina, and a "hill" or two that kicked my butt, I decided to ask the bike mechanic if I had the correct bike to even try to attempt such a feat, given that I would not have the proper mechanical knowledge on my own. A trek 7.7 was a new addition to my family last spring and it was about time to get the free tune-up from the bike store. Being assured by the bike mechanic that I do indeed have some sufficient granny gears to attempt such a feat, I have come to the conclusion that I do indeed need to get some better legs. My current routine for muscle conditioning is a Curves workout, which has been sufficient up to now, but I think I need to do more.What kind of strength training should I be doing in addition to my current routine that won't create extra torque on some sensitive knee issues?

[OakLeaf]

How does your mechanic know what your knees can tolerate? What's your low gear now?

Hill repeats, good form squats, don't neglect the stabilizer muscles especially since already you have knee issues. you'll get there.

[bluebug32]

I know this sounds painfully obvious, but if you want to become a better climber, just keep climbing. Push yourself if your knees feel happy and then climb some more.

I know people will probably argue with this, but I actually became a better climber when I got rid of my granny gear (though something that may not be an option if you have knee trouble). I felt like I was spinning like crazy, but not really going anywhere. Spinning reduces your efforts and conserves energy, so it is a great way to go uphill. But when I learned to get into the rhythm of sitting and spinning for a bit and then standing as the road really pitched up, something difficult to do in a granny gear, climbing got a whole lot easier and I was working more of my muscles. A 12x27 is now perfect for the very hilly area I live in.

[Eden]

If you are having knee issues mostly on the bike take a serious look at bike fit.

I used to have bad knee pain and a hard time climbing because my bike was way too long for me. When I finally bought a new bike that really and truly fit me I suddenly discovered I am a *good* climber and I no longer need any granny gears at all....

I found most of the issues I was having with my knees were caused by the fact that on the bike I was using almost all quad and no hamstring because of my bike position. I had very weak hamstrings - when I started using them all the knee pain went totally away and I didn't need such tiny gears. Doing leg curls at the gym helped rehab my hammies a whole lot too - the kind where you are lying on your stomach with your ankles under the weight bar and you lift your legs at the knee. When I started doing them I could barely lift just the bar without any weights... It took some time to strengthen some very weak muscles, but I haven't had any knee issues since.

[indysteel]

I tend to agree with bluebug. Not that I don't think resistance training can be helpful, but what actual climbing allows you to do is work on leg strength, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and technique. It also helps you build some confidence, which plays a role in climbing.

ETA: I became a strong climber even with a triple. I think it really depends on what kind of hills you encounter on a regular basis and what your knees and leg muscles can handle. I cared less about what gear I needed to use, and more about developing effective technique and a positive I-can-do-this attitude.

[laura*]

I used to have bad knee pain and a hard time climbing because my bike was way too long for me.

(Going somewhat off-thread...) Thanks for posting this. For many years now, about once a year, usually in the spring, my left knee has hurt when pushing on a pedal. The position and circumstances in which it hurts can only happen when riding a bike.

I had never considered that it might be related to bike size/geometry. But that makes sense! I have felt that the bike in question was slightly too long. A little muscle toning is probably all it takes to get my knee working differently enough to avoid the pain, but a shorter bike might avoid the condition in the first place.

[arielmoon]

Don't forget, knee pain can be a spasm in the quad pulling on the knee. This has been the case for me most of the time and I have had surgery on both knees. This is not to say that a poor bike is not to blame for the quad problems. However, I find that correct pedaling where your foot follows the full rotation, can help big time.

And I totally agree that riding hills will make you better at riding hills!

[beccaB]

Generally, I don't have sore knees from biking, but there were problems when I was a runner. I feel pretty lucky that I'm not having a great deal of problems with my knees, but I'm wary of dishing out too much abuse and paying for it later. There are some hills that I can seek out, and I knew I would see those words-"hill repeat" Ugh! Yes I know, I'll be stronger for doing them.

[oz rider]

+1 to bike fit and riding hills (or big ringing the flats/headwinds when the knees will take it if you don't have hills to beat up). Sadly for me, it really is a power-to-weight gig though. The good climbers always look like they need a feed.

[marni]

here in the Texas Plains I don't get tons of hill riding and am forced to doing short fast repeats on the highway overpasses. That being said, I do get in a lot of alternate training in the constant headwinds and I usually plan the ride to take advantage of that resistance by going out in a slightly harder gear and coming home in a slightly easier gear. The difference, between the hill country ride last year and year before is that that last year I hardly ever used my ranny gear. We'll see what this year brings at the end of March and into April.

[Catrin]

Don't forget, knee pain can be a spasm in the quad pulling on the knee. This has been the case for me most of the time and I have had surgery on both knees. This is not to say that a poor bike is not to blame for the quad problems. However, I find that correct pedaling where your foot follows the full rotation, can help big time.

And I totally agree that riding hills will make you better at riding hills!

Sorry for the hijack, but is there a way to tell the difference between real knee pain and when there is a spasm in the quad? Considering my over-use injuries of last fall and the fact I've a bit of arthritic degeneration in my right knee I want to take better care of my knees this season... It is this that helped me decide to stick with a triple on my Gunnar...

[bluebug32]

(Going somewhat off-thread...) Thanks for posting this. For many years now, about once a year, usually in the spring, my left knee has hurt when pushing on a pedal. The position and circumstances in which it hurts can only happen when riding a bike.

I had never considered that it might be related to bike size/geometry. But that makes sense! I have felt that the bike in question was slightly too long. A little muscle toning is probably all it takes to get my knee working differently enough to avoid the pain, but a shorter bike might avoid the condition in the first place.

I really screwed up my body trying to make a bike with too long of a toptube fit my needs. Now I would highly suggest a bike fit as the first step in identifying the source of the pain. If the pain only occurs in the beginning of the season, it could be a case of going too hard too soon.

[redrhodie]

Here's a video for a climbing workout. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ80b...eature=related. You'll probably want to modify these exercises for your knees. I'd lower the bench, and use no weights, and I'm sure it would still be hard.

[OakLeaf]

I'm still wondering what the OP's low gear is now. Everything that's been said in the other thread about steep hills kicking the person's butt is relevant here, too.