Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Yep. I think it helps but don't expect miracles. Rather than mash, I suggest pedaling circles at that low cadence. Try to keep your upper body still. Just use your legs. Which ring doesn't matter. Just keep the cadence down. I've done 3000' climbs entirely at a 50-55 cadence just for fun.
Ok so the ring isn't as important as the cadence? I usually try to keep the cadence high, but because my legs seems to be stronger than my Aerobic engine I often end up shifting up to catch my wind while my legs take the brunt of the load and shift back down after my HR has gone down a bit.
FYI I tried that single leg workout on the trainer you suggested and you are right it's horrible pain! I couldn't last more than 2 minutes at a time after feeling like me leg almost fell off. However on my next few rides I did feel like that leg is putting in more effort as a result.
Originally Posted by
chasm54
This. Aerobic fitness and power/weight ratio is much more important in climbing than is leg strength. Look at the legs of the really great climbers - they're like birds. If you want to be faster up the hills, concentrate on losing weight and getting fitter. Nothing the matter with strength training, but it wouldn't be my top priority if improved climbing is the goal.
I already know less weight = better hill climbing, but I'm not about to try and loose 100 lbs just so I can climb a hill better. I rather work with what I got and improve on them instead of trying to be someone I'm not. I am actively trying to loose weight, but at my age I have to acknowledge I'll never weight what I did in high school lol.
Originally Posted by
chaadster
I do low cadence 70-75rpm drills, often at Level 3/Tempo power levels. However, rather than it being a dedicated ride unto itself, I mix it in as an interval during a set. I do most of that kind of training on a stationary, though, rather than road. For example, just this morning I did the following set 3x, plus 10min warm-up and 5min cool-down:
5min L3 power at 70-75cad
5min L2 power at 95-100cad
5min L4 power at 85-90cad
Whether doing a whole road ride dedicated to grinding is beneficial would depend on your training program, or lack thereof. Being able to perform in various modes is part of being a well rounded cyclist; having the strength do low cadence hauls is another tool in the bag, and one that accepts attachments, too! You can pull out that low cadence to aid recovery at Tempo level, or you can marry the power to leg speed for L5/L6 action before hitting the HR limiter. So I think doing some work in that way is definitely good (i.e. low cad/hi pwr big ring stuff), it's just a question of how much/long/often, in my mind, and that depends on what the rest of the training regimen looks like.
Ahhh thanks for the tips. I think working on the trainer may be better on an old guys knees anyway. For longer training sessions like an hour do you just repeat the 15 min cycle over or just ride at tempo after the 15 min. I only get to ride on the road 1-2 times a week so I'm on the trainer more and more as a result. I typically try and do at least an hour on the trainer now.