Hill training while spinning

MajesticDonkey

Hi lads,

Any tips for what program to use for general hill training while spinning in a gym? I've been doing some repeated sessions lately, with 3 minutes on the saddle at low resistance, 1 minute out at high resistance - and repeating that for 30 minutes, but I feel I need to be doing more targetted training towards longer hills.

Anyone have any advice or experience of what works best? Thanks!

Seaneh

Tip #1 for climbing.

Never stand when you can sit.

MajesticDonkey

Thanks, I suppose I've never been good enough on hills to stand up for too long anyway

I'm becoming more of a sprinter than a climber, but I'd prefer to be average at both than good at one and bad at the other.

macnab

as far as I know you use high resistance, low cadence (sub 60rpm) and stay seated. Not sure about duration but I would try 2 minute reps followed by maybe 2 minutes recovery at a lower resistance.

MajesticDonkey

Ok, nice one. Thanks.

I'm aiming for the 160km Sean Kelly ToW next year. I'm fine with the distance but it's the hills are the problem.

07Lapierre

Decryptor wrote: »

Hi lads,

Any tips for what program to use for general hill training while spinning in a gym? I've been doing some repeated sessions lately, with 3 minutes on the saddle at low resistance, 1 minute out at high resistance - and repeating that for 30 minutes, but I feel I need to be doing more targetted training towards longer hills.

Anyone have any advice or experience of what works best? Thanks!

Get out on a REAL bike and tackle REAL hills??

MajesticDonkey

07Lapierre wrote: »

Get out on a REAL bike and tackle REAL hills??

Oh believe me, I do, but I'm back in college now so I'm stuck with doing it at the weekends.

Lusk Doyle

Decryptor wrote: »

07Lapierre wrote: »

Get out on a REAL bike and tackle REAL hills??

Oh believe me, I do, but I'm back in college now so I'm stuck with doing it at the weekends.

And we all know that most hills go home for the weekend

MajesticDonkey

I've no where to keep my bike safely if I bring it to college - we're talking about Limerick City here.

I am hoping to set up a cycling club here in UL maybe in the coming months, so I'll reassess my options then.

jinkypolly

30 minutes seems quite a short session, you might want to consider upping that time particularly to allow better warm up/down time.

Whatever time you are stuck with try and imagine a real world scenario to work out your intervals.
So for a 30 minute routine maybe have a couple of tough hills after an easy hill.

So
4 minute easy peddling (level)
3 mins high resistance in saddle (uphill)
1 min high resistance out saddle (uphill)
2 mins low resistance fast spin (downhill)

2 mins easy (level)
4 mins high resistance in saddle (uphill)
1 min high resistance out saddle (uphill)
2 mins low resistance fast spin (downhill)

2 mins easy (level)
4 mins high resistance in saddle (uphill)
1 min high resistance out saddle (uphill)
2 mins low resistance fast spin (downhill)
2 mins easy (level)

So something like that, maybe increase the overall time and adjust times accordingly. The more workouts you do you could increase your times in high resistance maybe eventually 1 short hill and 1 long tough hill. The main thing I find is to have a bit of variety to your workouts otherwise you'll go mental with the boredom.

MajesticDonkey

Brilliant, thanks.

I've been doing what I said in my first post 3 times a week lately, so only getting into the routine of it now. Hoping to up it to 45 mins 3 times per week from now on, plus 80-100km at home on Sundays, with or without a hill included. I was told that you shouldn't do more than 45 minutes (excl. warm up/down) of indoor spinning at a time, as it's the equivalent of 2.5-3 hours out on the road. Not sure how true that is.

jinkypolly

Decryptor wrote: »

Brilliant, thanks.

I've been doing what I said in my first post 3 times a week lately, so only getting into the routine of it now. Hoping to up it to 45 mins 3 times per week from now on, plus 80-100km at home on Sundays, with or without a hill included. I was told that you shouldn't do more than 45 minutes (excl. warm up/down) of indoor spinning at a time, as it's the equivalent of 2.5-3 hours out on the road. Not sure how true that is.

There is no way 45 mins would equal that time, I reckon a tough 1 hour session would be equivalent to 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 on the road, so I can't see what the problem would be doing a long session. I would tend to do 45min or 1 hour sessions, the max I've done was 2 hours. The biggest obstacle is boredom, get a handle on that and you can do as long as you want.

07Lapierre

TWO hours on an indoor trainer??....fair play lads, I'd rather pull my toenails out with a pliars!!!

jinkypolly

07Lapierre wrote: »

TWO hours on an indoor trainer??....fair play lads, I'd rather pull my toenails out with a pliars!!!

I have done that once, while watching the olympics, so there was plenty of distraction. Even then it was more down to pig headedness to reach 2 hours rather than have a beneficial workout.

jimbobaloobob

Sub 60 rpm was mentioned earlier, most climbing takes place at a cadence of 60-80rpm. Less than 60 will effect your form and start to create problems with muscles and tendons over extended periods.

Apart from that its need to be specific to the type of climbs you aim to target, their duration etc. and you working at a heart rate to coincide with how you would plan to tackle such a climb outdoors.

one question for you though is why you are focusing on hill training at this time of year? have you an event coming up?

MajesticDonkey

jimbobaloobob wrote: »

Apart from that its need to be specific to the type of climbs you aim to target, their duration etc. and you working at a heart rate to coincide with how you would plan to tackle such a climb outdoors.

I'm not too much into the heart rate monitoring, although I do have one...I'd be aiming for around 75% HRmax while climbing - 150-160 bpm.

jimbobaloobob wrote: »

one question for you though is why you are focusing on hill training at this time of year? have you an event coming up?

No reason really, just want to keep up the same training as all year (plus more) as I've felt fitter than ever over the last few months. Hoping to be at least as fit if not fitter than I am now when the "season" starts in February/March as I'd like to start racing next year.

cantalach

Decryptor wrote: »

I'm not too much into the heart rate monitoring, although I do have one...I'd be aiming for around 75% HRmax while climbing - 150-160 bpm.

If you have a HR strap, wear it and use it to train. Short of investing in a power meter, nothing will improve your cycling as much. Btw, you'd want to be working a lot harder than 75% HRmax on the climbs (or simulated climbs) if you're to actually see any improvement. 75% would be the sort of HR you'd be aiming to average on a ride lasting 2-3 hours - not the sort of HR you'd be doing a hill climb at. This is all assuming of course that you've got a realistic value for your HRmax. Too many people rely on the various formulae but these just predict an average for the population and the statistical variance is so high as to make them useless for an individual.

MajesticDonkey

cantalach wrote: »

If you have a HR strap, wear it and use it to train. Short of investing in a power meter, nothing will improve your cycling as much. Btw, you'd want to be working a lot harder than 75% HRmax on the climbs (or simulated climbs) if you're to actually see any improvement. 75% would be the sort of HR you'd be aiming to average on a ride lasting 2-3 hours - not the sort of HR you'd be doing a hill climb at. This is all assuming of course that you've got a realistic value for your HRmax. Too many people rely on the various formulae but these just predict an average for the population and the statistical variance is so high as to make them useless for an individual.

Ah ok. I do have a HR monitor, although I don't wear it too often. Must get into the habit of wearing it every time I go out.

I've never seen my HR go above 195, so I'm saying around the 200 for my max. The only formula I've ever seen for calculating HRmax is 220-age, and I'm 19, so that seems fairly right for me anyway.

Thanks!

ashleey

Do they run actual spin classes at UL? Do those and double the resistance compared to that instructed. Less boring than solitary work outs. In a 45 min class my heart rate average is about 140 and max is around 165. I'm a little bit older than you, by say, 25 years but aiming for 200 beats per min is fine if you are a mouse but for humans it might be unusual for more than a very short time.

MajesticDonkey

Yeah they do, and as a student I can get them for €2.50 a class.

noddy69

A trainer I did some classes with did them over an hour based on cadence.

Pedal until you feel resistance but not too much in the legs at 90rpm for 5 mins
First climb= 18 mins=keep pedalling at 90,increase resistance till you can only push 60=62
Recovery= 5 mins at 90
second climb=11 mins-back to 58
recovery=5 mins 90
Last climb=9 mins at 58
final recovery and warm down 7 mins.
Intermingle between in and out of the saddle on the climbs but keep the same cadence and you should be a nice ball of sweat by the end of it.

ashleey

Do the classes. That new sports pavilion at UL is marvellous.

MajesticDonkey

noddy69 wrote: »

A trainer I did some classes with did them over an hour based on cadence.

Pedal until you feel resistance but not too much in the legs at 90rpm for 5 mins
First climb= 18 mins=keep pedalling at 90,increase resistance till you can only push 60=62
Recovery= 5 mins at 90
second climb=11 mins-back to 58
recovery=5 mins 90
Last climb=9 mins at 58
final recovery and warm down 7 mins.
Intermingle between in and out of the saddle on the climbs but keep the same cadence and you should be a nice ball of sweat by the end of it.

Nice one, thanks.

ashleey wrote: »

Do the classes. That new sports pavilion at UL is marvellous.

I haven't been in the Pavilion yet actually, I just got a membership for the Arena until next May.

ashleey

And if it's not raining, do some real cycling!

MajesticDonkey

Like I said, I do when I go home at the weekends. And what difference does it make if it's raining?