Formula for ferocious climbing: How to climb like a mountain goat
by: Margo
Posted on: Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 9:57 am by: Margo
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With throbbing muscles and sweat-saturated clothes, you exert every ounce of effort to make it up those steep inclines. Wish you had the cycling power to make those hills a little less of a struggle? Need some pointers on just what it takes to conquer that hill? A combination of proper technique, training, and eating right can do wonders in increasing the ease and speed with which you scale inclines.
Training
Ultimately, you will be limited by one of two things: either you can’t push the pedals hard enough, or your heart and lungs cannot get oxygen to your muscles fast enough. Once you’ve reached the level of leg strength necessary to tackle the steepest hills, you’ll need to train by riding just below the point where you are over-extending yourself.
Muscle strength in your legs determines whether you have the cycling power to move up those hills with ease, or if you’ll need to hoof-it. It is best to build strength in the off-season by using higher weights and fewer reps, and then, as the cycling season approaches, transition down to no more than 50% of the weight and increase your reps. This will train your leg muscles in a more sport-specific way and accustom your leg muscles to the way they will be used when cycling. Not only will you increase your cycling power through a combination of strength training and coordination of the firing patterns of muscle cells, but you will also decrease the possibility of injury.
Traditional exercises, such as squats, upright and bent-over rowing, and push-ups will also increase your overall performance.
Although weight-room style training does have it’s place, it is absolutely essential that the strength developed be fine-tuned into a cycling- specific exercise. Training with weights is useless without training for technique as well. Time to get on the bike!
Technique
One of the hardest things to do on a bicycle is to cycle uphill. A combination of rolling resistance, air friction, and gravity necessitate that your sustained power
output remain high throughout the duration of your up-hill journey.
Paying close attention to your cadence, body position, breathing, and gear will undoubtedly improve the uphill cycling experience.
Sit tall
Rather than crouching over the bars, and therefore constricting your chest, remaining upright will allow you to take in more oxygen. Remember, oxygen is
energy. Maintain focus on your breathing. The higher your oxygen level, the stronger you will feel and the less likely you will be to tire quickly.
Sit back
By sitting back on your saddle, you have the advantage of more leverage on the pedals. Stay seated as much as possible, especially on longer uphill runs. Although you can use your body weight to pedal when standing, standing means more work for your core and back muscles, and an expenditure of 10-12% more energy. Sitting back in the saddle keeps your heart rate lower and allows you to use your hip and butt muscles more efficiently.
Get in gear
Using the right gears will make a world of difference. Don’t wait until you just can’t take it anymore to switch gears, and remember to pace yourself. It is typically best to start hills in an easy gear and shift to a harder one if you feel up to it. Without appropriate attention to pacing and shifting gears, you will push your muscles until you cannot push anymore, and never make it to the top.
Find a comfortable cadence
The key here is to find a cadence you can maintain for the duration of the climb. To avoid strain on your knees, try to keep your cadence above 70. Riding at your own pace will help you save energy. Again, starting off too fast will leave you struggling after a short time, and unable to maintain the cycling power necessary to make it to the top. Alternate between climbing hills at a low gear and high cadence, and at a higher gear and lower cadence when training. And don’t forget to pay attention to fluidity of your pedaling, applying equal force all the way around the pedal stroke.
Eat right
The fuel you give your body is the fuel with which your bike is powered. As in any endurance sport, a high carbohydrate diet is essential. Your body can easily break down carbohydrates into glycogen, which is the primary energy source for your muscles. Low glycogen equals low muscle performance. You’re attempting to increase your cycling power here, so eat a potato! About 60-70% of your diet should consist of carbohydrates.
Fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and enzymes are also important to achieving your peak performance as a cyclist. Although 15-20% of your diet should consist of fats, it is important to avoid saturated fats and hydrogenated fats. Proteins are necessary for tissue repair. The best sources are milk, cheese, nuts, and vegetables.
We all want to have the cycling power to climb up those hills like a mountain goat. Since ascending gracefully and easily over inclines is not one of our natural abilities, however, we must teach our bodies to handle the muscular and aerobic stress involved. Just as with anything else in life, remember to stay focused, motivated, disciplined, and driven to make it to the top!
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