Cycling prep: Recommended routines for legs/climbing hills?

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Nostalginaut
Nostalginaut Posts: 29 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been working to lose weight and get in better shape this year, mostly through biking and a better diet (NOTE: not "a diet, " just overall better eating). I've loved biking all my life and have an indoor trainer that works with Zwift that I've made daily use of.

Today, I did my first Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test, and it was...a little bit brutal? (Pictured.) I scored 215 watts, which is low-average and actually lower than the rides I've done on mostly-flat routes the past few weeks.

As I anticipate doing some hills in the near future, I'm hoping to find a good legs routine to help me conquer the higher elevations.

What are some good bodyweight exercises I could do to help out? I really like the routines on Darebee.com, and am building a binder for daily/weekly exercise using that, but I'm xf6p4cppoe0y.png
all ears for whatever else!

Replies

  • wendsg
    wendsg Posts: 699 Member
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    Most've what I've learned has come from ye auld GCN (www.globalcyclingnetwork.com). Those ex-pros are funny and informative. They have plenty of trainer workouts, as well as some shockingly hard core workouts that're murder. Emma Pooley is a darned beast in those videos.

    But really, my routines for hills is simply to go out, find a hill and repeatedly climb it. Challenging where I am, as the 'low country' is just that - low. And flat. So going up the biggest bridge we have is really it. Cycling into headwinds in my sprinting gears helps too (good old 52-11 makes it tough going). Plus riding on a steel beast who laughs at my thoughts of weight reduction makes for powerful quads. :wink: Besides, nothing prepares you for the strain of cycling across the different temperature gradients and thinning air of a steep, long climb better than doing steep, long climbs. No real way around that. I felt I was adequately trained for a climb thanks to massive accomplishments on flats - many century rides accomplished in reasonable times (low and sub 6's, but hey it's all flat) and plenty of leg-lifts, squats, lunges, etc. at home, but I had my rear solidly handed to me by a nasty climb in a sportive. Barely made it up without getting off the bike, but crowed to the heavens when I crested that and got to enjoy the descent.

    Wish I could join you on Zwift, but all I have is rollers and the aforementioned steel beast of a bike (it's a road bike, sure, but it's also over 30 years old - there's not a power meter on the market that will fit it thanks to the narrow rear spread, and I don't use road cleats - I need to actually walk and do things in my cycling shoes from time to time, so I have Shimano SPDs, and there's no power meter option for those pedals). Not exactly Zwift friendly. And sprinting is out of the question on rollers when you're an uncoordinated clutz like myself. :)
  • tbilly20
    tbilly20 Posts: 154 Member
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    Great FTP building workouts come from riding very near to your threshold (below and above) for specified amounts of time. There are very few other workouts I have found that can increase FTP the way cycling does. The great thing about cross-training is that it allows you to minimize your days-off, or cut them out completely!
    Swimming is one exercise that I have found can increase your FTP. Lung capacity is increased, and your pain tolerance seems to go up. Remember that in a true FTP Test you should go all out for 1 hour. Leave nothing back. Long distance swimming helps endure pain over significant amounts on time.
    While riding on Zwift, aim for some courses and workout that force you to enter the pain-cave for a long time. Start the KOM climbs and work your way up to the Alp. That is a great hour of power! Don’t overdo it. Gains come with time. Most power building classes are 4-6 weeks. 10% gains in that time are massive!
    Also, don’t be surprised when that power does not translate on the road. You are usually 5-10% stronger on a trainer than you are on the road. Do another 20 minute test outside when the weather breaks. Good luck, and don’t get too caught up in the numbers. Remember to enjoy the ride!
  • meritage5
    meritage5 Posts: 32 Member
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    and I was going to say hill repeats on your bike. Find a hill you can climb-just- and do it a few times.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    The way to get faster riding up hills is to improve your w:kg ratio. Either produce more watts (get fitter), or need less (get lighter). Or both.

    So focus on improving your FTP. You don't need hills, you just need to put power out. If you can do 215w for 60 minutes, maybe you can do 300w for the 5 minutes it takes to climb that one monster hill. A rising tide floats all boats. With an FTP of 250w, either: you'll be able to make more watts for the 4.5 minutes it'll take you to climb the hill now, OR you can still do it at 300w but now you're only 20% over your threshold instead of almost 50%, so the effort feels much easier and doesn't take you into the red to the same degree.

    Nobody really knows what their FTP is until they've taken the test a few times. It's brutal, like you said, it's also a different kind of animal than regular cycling, and it takes some experience to get there pacing down. So your FTP is at least 215w. Can't be less since you did it, could easily be more.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
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    TinManJoe wrote: »

    As I anticipate doing some hills in the near future, I'm hoping to find a good legs routine to help me conquer the higher elevations.

    What are some good bodyweight exercises I could do to help out?

    Climb stairs. Real stairs. Flights and flights.

    I'm a flatlander. Rarely cycled up hills ... there were none around, and when I moved to somewhat hillier areas, I avoided them.

    Then I moved to Tasmania where hills cannot be avoided ... and I sucked big time on hills.

    Then I started climbing stairs. When I got so that I could do 25-30 flights of 20 steps a day 5 days a week, I also started getting better at cycling up hills and I've even cycled up Mt Wellington a couple times. :)

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    I forgot one tip. Ride up the hill at high tide, and down at low tide. Gravitational assist from the moon.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    A less brutal way to test/estimate your FTP is to do a 20 minute test and multiply the result by 0.95 - if you intend testing regularly that might be less fatiguing, certainly less unpleasant.
    Under and over training is the classic way to improve FTP - intervals over and under your FTP, I normally aim for 10% over.
    I'm dubious about the return on investment of doing bodyweight exercises instead of simply doing your training on the bike. Good core strength certainly helps your cycling though. If you want some cross training for variety then rowing and stair climbing translate quite well to cycling.

    A couple of good riders I try to keep up with (briefly!) gave the same advice for improving my previously woeful climbing ability - "ride a lot of hills and try really hard".

    I made a big breakthrough last year doing just that. I've got a lot of big hills in the high teens % grades within reach but you can replicate that to a degree with over-gearing rides if your local terrain is flatter. Part of the performance breakthrough was increasing my power so that my cadence got up to a better range.

    In terms of real world hill performance as opposed to improving your physical ability then gearing your bike appropriately makes a huge difference. I stayed with a far better rider on a ride with five climbs of between 17 - 20% simply because I was geared for hills and they were geared for the flat.
  • garystrickland357
    garystrickland357 Posts: 598 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    A less brutal way to test/estimate your FTP is to do a 20 minute test and multiply the result by 0.95 - if you intend testing regularly that might be less fatiguing, certainly less unpleasant.
    Under and over training is the classic way to improve FTP - intervals over and under your FTP, I normally aim for 10% over.
    I'm dubious about the return on investment of doing bodyweight exercises instead of simply doing your training on the bike. Good core strength certainly helps your cycling though. If you want some cross training for variety then rowing and stair climbing translate quite well to cycling.

    A couple of good riders I try to keep up with (briefly!) gave the same advice for improving my previously woeful climbing ability - "ride a lot of hills and try really hard".

    I made a big breakthrough last year doing just that. I've got a lot of big hills in the high teens % grades within reach but you can replicate that to a degree with over-gearing rides if your local terrain is flatter. Part of the performance breakthrough was increasing my power so that my cadence got up to a better range.

    In terms of real world hill performance as opposed to improving your physical ability then gearing your bike appropriately makes a huge difference. I stayed with a far better rider on a ride with five climbs of between 17 - 20% simply because I was geared for hills and they were geared for the flat.

    I laughed to myself this morning because this is so simple and so true. I also want to climb better and have ask the same question as the OP here myself - and received the same good advice. It just occurred to me though that I'm suffering from the same mentality as those that struggle to lose weight - I want a magic pill, or a secret "hill climbing" routine that promises great performance without the discomfort of training. The truth about weight loss is we just need to eat less. I now realize the truth about climbing is I just need to climb more. Just like weight loss, the answer is simple - but that doesn't mean that it's easy. I have a local hill that is unpleasant to climb. I've been making myself climb it every time I'm near it (as opposed to avoiding it) and guess what? It's getting easier. I'm about ready to start trying repeats (my next mental challenge).

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