Originally Posted by RiPHRaPH
Standing presents a great time to take the pressure off of your quads. Standing and pedalling circles vs. standing and stomping is a huge difference.
Try and pedal in complete circles. The better your core is, the easier standing and climbing is.
Stand to relax from the sitting position, not to stomp and burn your quads more.
Standing also gives you a chance to take the pressure off the sitting area & let blood flow easier. Important if you're have any numbness issues on long rides.
I can't stand for a long time without redlining the HR & having my legs burn, so I usually only do it on short crests to keep my speed up. I find it helps smoothness to try to keep your weight over the pedals as opposed to the bars. I don't really pull on the bars as some say you should, but more use them to keep from falling backwards, if that makes sense. I am trying to work on staying out of the saddle for longer periods of time.
Dan