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Hill training


garyinoz's picture

By garyinoz - Posted on 12 October 2011

I know there's some people on here that like to do hill repeats so I'm after best practice.

If I'm mountain biking and going up a hill then I'm going to spinning my legs like hell in a nice easy gear.

Now on the road bike lets say up Bobbin head (south side) I can either burn my legs in the big ring or aim for a higher cadence in a lower gear, which is better? What are the benefits of one over the other?
Thoughts please?

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broc's picture

Im not sure which is going to be best for training but in general keeping a high cadence when climbing is best. Just watch the pro's on the tour. They all keep a high cadence.

The reason behind this is the make up of your muscle. Muscle can be split into 2 types, slow & fast twitch muscle fibres.

To explain crudely slow twitch fibres are good for power and endurance while fast twitch are for speed.

Slow twitch fibres are what are used when cycling at a high cadence so therefore you can climb bigger and longer.
Slow Twitch (Type I)
The slow muscles are more efficient at using oxygen to generate more fuel (known as ATP) for continuous, extended muscle contractions over a long time. They fire more slowly than fast twitch fibers and can go for a long time before they fatigue. Therefore, slow twitch fibers are great at helping athletes run marathons and bicycle for hours.

fast twitch fibers are for speed, if you climb in a lower gear you will burn these out quickly.
Fast Twitch (Type II)
Because fast twitch fibers use anaerobic metabolism to create fuel, they are much better at generating short bursts of strength or speed than slow muscles. However, they fatigue more quickly. Fast twitch fibers generally produce the same amount of force per contraction as slow muscles, but they get their name because they are able to fire more rapidly. Having more fast twitch fibers can be an asset to a sprinter since she needs to quickly generate a lot of force.

tate's picture

if its a short race, say an XC, then go for the power climbs especially in the back end of the race.
if its a marathon, spinning is a good move to make sure you last the distance, and if you have the legs for some power surges late in the race then go for it.

garyinoz's picture

@Broc, thanks for the detailed response, that will help me decide how I approach certain hills, good information!

Tate, thanks for the tips, lets see if I can put that into practice at the fling.

Brian's picture

Gary, so now you've got the 29er you're getting down to business Sticking out tongue

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