Transitioning From Sitting to Standing When Climbing Hills

[rebeccaC]

When you stand you’re shifting all your weight onto your legs and knees. That might be part of what you're feeling in your already tired quads and knees during a long climb when you come off the saddle. That bodyweight is also what can give you a little more power on the pedals though. Standing also brings into play more upper body muscles, which can use more of your energy and can also increase HR and more cardio/breathing stress if your strength to weight ratio isn’t optimal for out of the saddle climbing. That optimal ratio is rarer than many might think.

I ride long steep climbs (11-17% sections) on my weekend rides for my strength and endurance training. I’ll get out of the saddle to stretch or on a really difficult climb to make changes in my muscle groups for a few minutes and/or for the added power.

For a smooth transition I’ll move my hands to the hoods, shift to lower my cadence while standing as my right foot begins its downward stroke. I’ve learned by watching the movement of my stem I can quickly get a fluid rocking movement and know the rhythm that allows my leg to make a direct push on the pedal making the best use of my weight while keeping a smooth stroke. Keeping my chest open for breathing efficiency, upper body relaxed, back straight, not leaning forward enough to put weight on the front wheel but enough to put my weight over the axis of the crank rotation and having the tip my saddle just barely brushing my thigh gives me a body position that works well for me. It can take some practice to adapt to the position for both motor learning and upper muscle development reasons. Like most things more practice is good.

All this said staying seated and pedaling at a high cadence is probably a more efficient use of most people’s energy while climbing....and that shouldn't be looked at as worse than being able to ride out of saddle

[OakLeaf]

It sounds like you're staying in a squat rather than standing completely up. When you stand to climb, you'll be extending your knees almost fully, really standing up except for whatever bend in your hips you need to reach the handlebars. Commit yourself to the motion, it's really just like getting up out of a chair initially, and then, as others have said, like riding an elliptical machine once you're standing.

The conventional wisdom is that standing takes more cardiovascular energy. But sitting and spinning takes more leg muscle, and sometimes we run out of leg muscle before we run out of cardio capacity. It's good to be able to climb a hill either way, and to be able to switch back and forth on long climbs.

[Crankin]

Well, my experience is that of the OP's. I stand to stretch for a few seconds on long rides, or to just move around, but never while climbing. Just the act of standing hurts like hell, and I spin up anything. I may be going slowly, but I can climb steep grades. When I am riding behind DH, I always know when he will stand. If I stand, all that happens is my speed goes down as he accelerates. It just hurts all over, so I stopped trying. I approach it in a similar way as Marni described.

[gnat23]

When standing, I'll only do it for 10-15 seconds, rarely more than 30s. I find it's best for super short steep pitches that you might need a little extra OOMPH to get over, of just to stretch the legs a little bit in a longer climb (in which case I'll shift one or two gears to give it more resistance just for that little bit).

The tips for how to get there are good above. I'd only add that I have to consciously think to keep my butt back a little bit, almost touching the nose of the saddle. Also, to help save my quads, I just use my legs to get my feet into position, straighten the knee, and then just use my bodyweight to push down on the pedal rather than muscles. Then focus to the other side and stand again. It takes some practice to get the timing right.

Good luck!

-- gnat!

[nuliajuk]

Make sure you're not too far forward over the handlebars. You want your hips to be about 10-12" in front of the seat post for balance. Pull up on the handlebar on the side that you're pushing your leg down on. (The other arm is just relaxed.)
You can find out why pulling up on the handlebar works by putting a bathroom scale in front of a dresser. First, lean forward and press one leg down hard on the scale. Make a note of how many pounds register. Then, slightly pull out one of the drawers just above knee height and pull up on it from the bottom while pressing the same-side leg down on the scale. You'll notice a huge increase in how much pressure you can apply.
And, of course, don't forget to use your hamstring muscles to pull the pedal around and over the back side of the pedal stroke. Think of your leg circling around the hip joint like the Road Runner in those old cartoons.

[Skippyak]

Don't stand up. Or at the very most, only if you are on a really long one and you need to stretch. Standing is less efficient. I just have standard double with 11-28 in the back and I live in the burbs of SLC. I sit and grind. I am never sure of the point of standing when the climbs are all so long. Long steep climbs just need endurance and practise, not gymnastics. I don't think though, that I am getting much bigger grades than 16% (fleeting). I would stand rather than fall, but that would be it. Because I don't have a granny or a compact, I probably mash a bit more than is desirable but I really like to climb, which is a requirement in the Wasatch. I am old and not racing though.

[lph]

Yup, Oak had it. Commit, and get up, all the way. Once you're up, straighten your knees and stand. Well, don't straighten them all the time :-), but do aim for straightening your knee completely from time to time, if not on every pedal stroke.

I stand a lot, sometimes because my legs start screaming on a hill if I don't, sometimes just to catch a better glimpse of the next intersection, sometimes to get a bit of extra oomph to get out of an intersection fast and not have to discuss right-of-way with a driver who looks clueless. It doesn't have anything to do with racing or better or worse, it's just a handy but not absolutely necessary skill which some people like to use more than others.