Climbing out of the saddle

[zoom-zoom]

I have a friend who is a total badass and NEVER ever climbs out of the saddle...she is a total beast (she also never rides with a cadence of faster than maybe 80, while anything <80 is painful for me). I like getting out of the saddle here and there to let my body weight do more of the work and make use of different muscles. It's not bad to never ride out of the saddle, if that works for you.

[Crankin]

Yep, I have had male riders ask me on group rides, "how I trained myself" to spin so fast going up a hill.
I always laugh and say that I don't train... it's what's most natural for me and I developed my technique over years of cycling.

[Catrin]

I don't stand when climbing either, just shift to an easier gear and keep on keeping on I will stand to rest my legs sometimes when I am coasting on the road, but that is really the extent of it.

[Marquise]

My experience is that this is another thing that to get better at you have to do more of it. Took me a while before I was comfortable even trying to stand and I was lucky to have an experienced cyclist (my husband) give me advice on my position on the bike as I (slowly) progressed. I think you should be centered between the saddle and the bars so you're supporting some of your weight on the bars and taking some of the pressure off your thighs. (Not really different from when you're seated.) But expect there may be days when your thighs burn like mad and, eventually at least, days when you can really power up a hill. And there may also be days when one hill seems impossible but the next one seems relatively easy.