hill climbing , seated or upright on pedals

[miremare]

I'm improving my fitness week by week now.

Ive read a lot into how to improve hill climbing.

im confused as to:-

is sitting down / or standing on the pedals upright

the right way to hill climb.


ive read entries that say you should always sit down to build more power.
ive also read entries that say you can get more power standing upright on your pedals

the two main hills i have on anglesey are about a mile long

any thoughts and learning's

many thanks

 

[gaz]

Use both.
Sit down to pace yourself and keep a good rythme.
Stand up for a bit more power and to use a different set of muscles. There are some hills around me which are 20% and there is no way I could go up it sitting down with the gearing I have.

 

[Herzog]

Sitting down is usually the most efficient way of climbing. Standing is good for shorter, higher intensity efforts (or if you're grinding away in lowest gear).

 

[HLaB]

Do both after a while you'll know what feels right, I like to mix it up besides it gives your bum a break from the saddle I like to vary it further sometimes and sit up a bit so as it changes the muscle groups or climb (stand up) on the drops when there's a head wind. I find that standing/ sitting/ sitting upright/ climbing on the drop and maintaining cadence gives me the endurance to tackle hills. Not always easy but I try to get into the habit of changing up when I stand up or the going goes easier so I can change down (without running out of gears) when I sit down or the going gets harder.

 

[GrasB]

As said mix it up. Standing up is less efficient in absolute terms that sitting in the saddle. However standing up changes the balance of muscles being used which helps efficiency up the entire climb rather than just efficiency at one point of the climb.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

As said mix it up. Standing up is less efficient in absolute terms that sitting in the saddle. However standing up changes the balance of muscles being used which helps efficiency up the entire climb rather than just efficiency at one point of the climb.

It also helps you bum recover

 

[PK99]

ive read entries that say you should always sit down to build more power.

ive also read entries that say you can get more power standing upright on your pedals

both are correct!

Standing gives more power but is less efficient - you are using more and bigger muscle groups and supporting body weight. it "costs" 8/10bpm. so if close to your heart rate limit is not s good plan.

Sitting uses and develops the main cycling muscle groups ie builds more power

 

[GrasB]

it "costs" 8/10bpm. so if close to your heart rate limit is not s good plan.

Over prolonged periods. If you stand up for shorter periods you can keep your HR lower as you put more load on muscles which aren't working in any an anaerobic manner. When doing a climbing training camp I set up my trip comp to sound an alarm when I hit a threshold HR, when the alarm went I swapped my technique, doing this allowed me to climb at a lower average HR & a higher average power (we're talking about small but measurable differences). If I was to keep to a single technique for a single climb maximum efficiency it would be in the saddle with conscious upstroke utilisation.

 

[Ujamaflip]

You probably need to train a little to pedal standing up. As others have mentioned, it uses different muscle groups. The first time I tried it I could only stand for a few seconds before dropping back into the saddle. Just do a bit here and there and extend the duration as much as you can until you can you can sustain it for long periods.

Alternating between standing and sitting really helps with long or steep climbs. Switching to one or the other feels like a relief and keeps you going when otherwise you might need to stop and rest.

 

[endoman]

I need to drop about three gears to stand up, if sitting I will spin if possible, or I stand before I begin to slow if it's only a small lump.

The more I stand, the longer I can do it for, I do try and keep an eye on heart rate as well.

 

[Bicycle]

I'm inclined to say 'try everything'.

I'm not in shape so I can't stand for long, but it is a break - although a knackering one.

I find it helpful also to shift on the saddle. Moving to the rear of the saddle seems to give me new legs for a minute or so, then I slide forward again. I don't know the reason for this, but it does work.

There are lots of other funky things you can do to make climbing easier, but the easiest it will ever get is only slightly less difficult. There is no magic button.

Sitting up and back seems to make breathing easier.

Concentrating on other parts of the pedal stroke seems to improve things: 'Wiping dog poo off the sole of the shoe' for a while, then lifting the foot for a while, then the swing across the top, then the downstroke... and various combinatoions of those parts of the full cycle.

Always being in a suitably low gear helps, within the limits imposed by your set-up. When I stand up I always punch it up one or two gears.... and often forget to cog it down again when I sit...


I hope this is useful and makes sense.

 

[JonnyBlade]

Use both.
Sit down to pace yourself and keep a good rythme.
Stand up for a bit more power and to use a different set of muscles. There are some hills around me which are 20% and there is no way I could go up it sitting down with the gearing I have.

+1