improving ability to climb hills - help



samcrx3

New Member
Apr 25, 2005
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I seemed to have plateaued with my riding and I don't seem to be able to tackle hills very well, no matter how many times I go for a hilly ride l lose everyone on the hills. Today I went for a short 50 minute ride before I picked up my 3 yr old from preschool. There were significant hills to climb and I was only able to manage to do 6 - 8 km/hr up the hills. I just don't seem be able to get any faster, and I'm totally buggered after I get up to the top. Technically I should have an advantage up the hills because I weigh 53kg. Any ideas what I can do to increase my ability to climb? climb hills more often? I'm fairly new to cycling and have been riding for about 6 months. I'm no where near the ability of racing club riders. Any suggestions will be very helpful.
Thanks, Sam
 
The only thing I've found to help me climb better is more climbing. I don't workout (other than cycling) so I don't know for sure, but maybe some weight training (squats/lunges) may help. The other thing that really helped has been learning to go by my perceived exertion instead of my speed. If I concentrate solely on speed, I blow up very early on the climb (due to big gears and pushing hard). However, if I focus on my breathing and spin I find myself climbing much faster. I don't have much muscle (about 128 lbs and over 6 feet tall), so I must make the best use of my lungs and heart. I think that's why spinning up the hills as oppose to mashing helps me the most. Good luck!
 
bmph8ter said:
The only thing I've found to help me climb better is more climbing. I don't workout (other than cycling) so I don't know for sure, but maybe some weight training (squats/lunges) may help. The other thing that really helped has been learning to go by my perceived exertion instead of my speed. If I concentrate solely on speed, I blow up very early on the climb (due to big gears and pushing hard). However, if I focus on my breathing and spin I find myself climbing much faster. I don't have much muscle (about 128 lbs and over 6 feet tall), so I must make the best use of my lungs and heart. I think that's why spinning up the hills as oppose to mashing helps me the most. Good luck!
I would agree that more climbing is better, but Im the exact opposite here. I dont focus on my breathing or heart rate quite as much, because Ive got alot of muscle, especially in my legs from years of playing soccer. To me, if I dont mash the big gears, I feel like Im slowing down and spinning too fast. Its not uncommon for me to downshift to a larger gear to strain a little more on a short to medium climb just to feel some burn in my legs. In essence, its to each his own, because everyone is going to be different. The perfect example of this is Lance and Ulrich and their riding styles.
 
cucamelsmd15 said:
I would agree that more climbing is better, but Im the exact opposite here. I dont focus on my breathing or heart rate quite as much, because Ive got alot of muscle, especially in my legs from years of playing soccer. To me, if I dont mash the big gears, I feel like Im slowing down and spinning too fast. Its not uncommon for me to downshift to a larger gear to strain a little more on a short to medium climb just to feel some burn in my legs. In essence, its to each his own, because everyone is going to be different. The perfect example of this is Lance and Ulrich and their riding styles.

Very true. My wife is the same way. She has TONS of lower body strength and can grind up just about anything. Kinda bums me out sometime to see that she has the ability to push 3 or 4 gears harder than me all the time, but good for you. I do think you're right about to each their own. You just have to find what works best for your particuar body and riding style.
 
samcrx3 said:
I seemed to have plateaued with my riding and I don't seem to be able to tackle hills very well, no matter how many times I go for a hilly ride l lose everyone on the hills. Today I went for a short 50 minute ride before I picked up my 3 yr old from preschool. There were significant hills to climb and I was only able to manage to do 6 - 8 km/hr up the hills. I just don't seem be able to get any faster, and I'm totally buggered after I get up to the top. Technically I should have an advantage up the hills because I weigh 53kg. Any ideas what I can do to increase my ability to climb? climb hills more often? I'm fairly new to cycling and have been riding for about 6 months. I'm no where near the ability of racing club riders. Any suggestions will be very helpful.
Thanks, Sam
First give it time. It takes a while to adapt to any new activity and you're only six months in.

Second change how you go up hills. Alternate among the following - 1) Go as fast as you can for 2-4 minutes with recovery periods of up to 2 minutes betwen 2) Go up hills using the highest gear you can turn over and a very low cadence. Focus on applying force throughout the pedal stroke 3) Go up as you have been but instead of just being knackered at the top make yourself crosseyed by sprinting the last 300 meters like a vicious dog is after you. If you want to go faster than 6-8kph you have to train faster than that.

Hill training won't necessarily make you a good climber. Hills are not mountains and many criterium king racers that have far worse watts/kg will still kick your butt on climbs of less than 4-6km just by brute force. I think you need a minimum 6km climb of 6-7% to really get the feel for it, and the longer and steeper the better. I used to train a lot on a climb like that and I always got dropped the first time up, the second time I would drop them on the steep parts and they would catch up on the shallower bits, and the third time (the rare times they did 3) it was no contest. Never saw any of them do a fourth time.

Also at 53kg ignore the general advice about sitting down most of the time. While it is more energy efficient, the lighter you are the less difference it makes and the point is to get to the top as fast as possible not as efficiently. After doing some interval training you may be able to keep up by doing repeated attacks with rests between while they catch up. When you don't weigh much attacking on climbs is much easier than trying to hold a steady pace that's a bit over your limit, and if the fat boys try to match you they are going to blow up after a couple trys.

Lastly, LOVE the PAIN. To be a climber you have to love climbs and climbing and the pain is your friend complimenting you on your effort and telling you you're doing it right. It's what makes the world melt away and puts you totally in the present and focused entirely on the effort; a means of meditation and escape (and with a yard ape you probably need it).
 
mises said:
Lastly, LOVE the PAIN. To be a climber you have to love climbs and climbing and the pain is your friend complimenting you on your effort and telling you you're doing it right. It's what makes the world melt away and puts you totally in the present and focused entirely on the effort; a means of meditation and escape (and with a yard ape you probably need it).
It wasnt until I learned to love the pain that I learned to love to climb. Now, pain goes away (I tend to block it out) and I focus that much harder on getting to the top, ahead of everyone else.
 
When riding up a hill:

- Imagine that your biggest hero (or that cute lad/lass down at the video shop etc, whatever gets your ball rolling) is watching you the whole time. It works for me :)

- When it starts getting tough, you have 2 choices: push a bigger gear & stand up, or, drop a gear and spin a bit quicker. I generally alternate between the 2. If you constantly resort to standing and pushing your heart out, your legs will die. If you keep dropping gears you will just end up going r e a l l y s l o w, and still get tired.

- It should hurt

- But not _too_ much. If you have trouble grunting out a "Good morning, how are you going?" to somebody you pass, you're pushing too hard, unless the top is in sight, or it's a small hill.

- Work extra hard near the top, unless you still have lots of climbing that day.

- Don't stop working when you reach the top, until you reach a satisfactory speed.

- Keep spinning the legs for a least a few minutes after you top out, to "shake out" your legs.

- Enjoy the view!! One of the best parts of climbing, for me, is to be able to constantly see the progress I'm making, as well as being able to see better & better views as I climb.
 
Thank you for all your help. I went away for the weekend and took my bike. It was extremely hilly (ie: no flat bits at all) where I went but also very pretty. I think I did reasonably well. I do find that my cadiovascular system gives up well before my legs do. I do have good muscle mass in my arms and legs. My legs often don't hurt and seem to have good power in them, it's just that my heart and lungs have had it by the time I get up a hill. I'll try the hints suggested, thanks.
Regards, Sam