Best way to improve stamina and hill climbing

[Mrbez]

Hey Guys,

Can you please share your tips for increasing my stamina and also my hill climbing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[screenman]

Ride more and for longer. As for hills if you are carrying any extra weight lose it, and go out and ride hills. No magic formula.

 

[ianrauk]

Ride more and for longer. As for hills if you are carrying any extra weight lose it, and go out and ride hills. No magic formula.

This........

 

[StuAff]

Wot they said. It works, on both aspects. I've gone from riding 59 miles on the day of the 2008 IOW Randonnee and being stiff for a couple of days to knocking out centuries and still feeling fairly fresh afterwards. I'm never going to be the world's greatest climber but not much defeats me there either...

 

[HLaB]

Ride more and for longer. As for hills if you are carrying any extra weight lose it, and go out and ride hills. No magic formula.

That sums it up nicely.

 

[Fab Foodie]

As above.
Hills are also about developing technique, relaxing is REALLY important whether you sit back on the saddle and spin-up in a low gear or stand on the pedals, RELAX all the muscles you don't need, especially the upper body. Find a good rhythmn, don't panic, oh, and Relax ... don't wrestle with the bike.

Practice riding a local hill in different ways and see what works. The more hills you ride the easier they become.

 

[Andrew_P]

As above.
Hills are also about developing technique, relaxing is REALLY important whether you sit back on the saddle and spin-up in a low gear or stand on the pedals, RELAX all the muscles you don't need, especially the upper body. Find a good rhythmn, don't panic, oh, and Relax ... don't wrestle with the bike.

Practice riding a local hill in different ways and see what works. The more hills you ride the easier they become.

Really good advice, when pushing I have noticed that I was tensing the whole body, and or thinking too much about the effort. Release & relax the mind and the legs will follow!

More importantly as other have said nothing can replicate time in the saddle on the road and doing hills.

Differnet people do different things on hills, I do not attack a long hill but plod through it. Would rather cycle up than burn out and take the walk of shame.

 

[Moodyman]

Ride more and for longer. As for hills if you are carrying any extra weight lose it, and go out and ride hills. No magic formula.

Agree.

But, I recently started interval training on my commute. Find a 200 metre stretch and go flat out in a higher gear than normal. Then gear down, take it easy for the 200 metres and repeat until knackered or I reach my destination.

This doesn't make my average time improve, but it increases my pain threshold, so I can deal with hills more easier.

 

[Izakbar]

I have found doing hills has gotten easier by doing really harsh hills regularly... then the hills you _need_ to do for commute are much easier as time goes on, and the walk of shame happens less and less

 

[Hacienda71]

I have found doing hills has gotten easier by doing really harsh hills regularly... then the hills you _need_ to do for commute are much easier as time goes on, and the walk of shame happens less and less

Don't know if I am a masochist, but I have changed my commute home to include a trip into the Pennines to do a couple of really big hills rather than the nice fast downhill option I can take. Hills hurt and I love them.