.

Fibers that are not recruited do not adapt. So, all of the different fiber types need some stimulation.

I try to do one very hard ride per week in hills and using the big ring as much as possible but some hills are way too steep for the big ring. My muscles do not fatigue too much and that includes non-stop big ring rides of up to 24 hours in duration. One key point is to allow sufficient recovery before thrashing in the big ring. I also try to do one session of hill intervals on my "training hill" that is about 6 minutes long at 10% gradient, I do not spin this hill; rather, I push a relatively large gear while seated but I also put out a defined power level. The rest of my riding is low zone 2. I ride anywhere from 250-500 miles per week.

I also use a Compex EMS unit periodically for recovery and to maximize recruitment of slow and fast muscle fiber types.

Losing weight would be your biggest bang for the buck when it comes to climbing. I started 17 months ago at 255 lbs and could climb a particular hill at around 8.5 mph and now at 185 lbs, I can climb it at 12.5 mph. A large portion of that speed is lost baggage although my power output is up over 20%.

Just be careful with hard low cadence efforts. Your knees and hamstrings will thank you.