Training & Nutrition - Tips on Climbing (San fernando Valley, Los angeles, CA

Hey guys, i am new to cycling - 3 months in it now.

Last nite i rode north on woodley ave. from Nordoff to Balboa. Fun. Tough, very steep for me. but i made it. At one point, i couldnt pedal straight up, no power left in me, i had to do zig zags up the hill.

heres the steep hill on woodley from rinaldi to balboa.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3076178

Any tips on climbing would be appreciated.

Do a lot of climbing and you'll get better at it. For short steep hills I prefer to stand.

Try doing some longer hill intervals (like over 1/3 of a mile). Do that a couple times a week at the end of your normal rides. As you get better, do more of them, increase the gear, or find a longer or steeper hill. It's amazing how much difference you will see in a few weeks.

At your current conditioning level, I would say you don't have enough gear for a climb of that level.

If you are going to continue riding that hill, I would say that when you get to the point where you feel like you have to zig zag, get out of the saddle and go, and get a little momentum back, rather than giving it all up. Get a little back, and sit back down, repeat as necessary till you are on the top.

I know that you don't want to hear it, but it's pretty much all in your mind, when you get to that point, and 9 times out of 10, you should be able to push past it. I will qualify that statement, with the little caveat, that I am speaking about a short ride like you have shown. That obviously doesn't apply as much on a 30 mile climb as it does on a 2 mile climb.

Simply put, the single greatest limitation for a novice is mental.

When you're in the saddle try to pedal circles - generate power the whole way around the stroke. Relax your upper body, and at the same time, hold it still with your leg action. Your upper body shouldn't move. Out of the saddle, again, relax. You may want to pull up some as well as push down. Try to keep it smooth and the chain tight, minimizing the little accelerations at each stroke.

thanks for your replies and advice. I have read about "hill repeats".

Can anyone recommend a beginner / moderate training regime for me? I live in the san fernando valley in southern california. North Hills / Northridge city to be more specific.

routes, tips, schedules, lengths of rides, nutrition, anything will be helpful for a novice like me

Bicycling magazine has a beginner's century training plan, you might look into that, especially if you want to ride a century.

But the training you do depends on what you are training for. If you don't know what your goals are yet, then just ride more. At your stage you will get a pretty good benefit from just riding around.