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Master The Mountains

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Master The Mountains Empty Master The Mountains

Post by Admin Sat Sep 22, 2007 3:39 pm

Master The Mountains
These drills and strategies will help you reach new heights.

By Selene Yeager

Gravity creates a caste system in the cycling world, designating some of us slaves to its downward pull while others seem to fly unfettered up the toughest climbs. However, your position in the pack isn't set in stone. "Good climbing is as much mental as it is physical," says Tim Pelot, C.S.C.S., performance director at Velocity Sports Performance, in Burnsville, Minnesota. "You need to prepare your mind as well as your body to enjoy the challenge and excel." Here is how it's done.


Set up right
It's easy to dread a climb, but negative thoughts are as self-defeating as they feel. The key: Don't let pessimism determine the outcome, says Pelot. "Instead, think, 'No problem. I'm going to eat this hill for breakfast.'" Even if it's not true, your body will respond with a positive surge that gets you rolling in the right direction.

An efficient form avoids squandering precious energy. Relax your hands and shoulders, sit in an upright position that allows deep breathing--and be aware of your feet. Pointing your toes wastes power through your calves, says Pelot. "For maximum power transfer, push through your heels or middle of your feet with your ankles locked," he says.


Practice two days a week
In order to improve at climbing, you need to climb. Do one of these workouts, ideally twice a week. Over-the-top hill attack: Condition yourself against fading toward the top of a climb. Warm up with a 15- to 20-minute ride to your favorite, or most dreaded, 10- to 20-minute incline. Start climbing at your lactate threshold (or LT; it's 85 percent of your max heart rate, or 100 percent of your max sustainable wattage, the average wattage for the last 20 minutes of a 30-minute time trial). Three-quarters of the way up, jam on the pedals, staying seated if possible, and ride the final quarter of the climb at max effort, standing and kicking it to the top for the final meters. Work up to two to three of these efforts with full recovery between. Under-Over: Improve your speed and power by jumping back and forth over that redline of sustainable power. Warm up with a 15- to 20-minute ride to a steady grade that takes 10 to 20 minutes to climb. Ride just below LT--about 80 percent max heart rate or 90 to 94 percent of your LT power--for three minutes. Then, for one minute, push above threshold at 90 percent of max heart rate or 105 percent of LT power. Come back down for three minutes. Repeat all the way up the climb. High-LoW Push: Put more power into each pedal stroke with high-cadence, low-gear drills. Warm up with a 15- to 20-minute ride to a low-grade (about 4 percent), 20-minute climb. Start ascending at an 80- to 85-rpm cadence. Click to the next hardest gear and maintain your cadence for two minutes. Shift back to the easier gear and recover for two minutes; alternate gears to the top.


Strengthen your support system
"Oh, my back!" is the most common complaint Pelot hears from cyclists who start climbing more. Back and ab muscles stabilize your pelvis as you pedal; when they fatigue your form deteriorates, and the strain trips your pain sensors. Pelot recommends two sets of each exercise, twice a week. Rocking boat: Sit holding a medicine ball or dumbbell in front of your chest, elbows bent about 30 degrees, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Lean back so your torso is at a 45-degree angle. Rotate your upper body to the right as far as possible, maintaining good posture, then rotate to the left. Repeat 10 to 12 reps per side. Windshield wiper: Lie on your back, arms at your sides. Keeping your feet flexed and legs extended, lift them off the floor to 90 degrees. With your upper body stable, contract your abs and drop your legs to the right 45 degrees. Return to 90 degrees, and then drop them to the left. Continue for 10 to 12 reps per side.

Selene Yeager, a USA Cycling certified coach, climbs faster than you do.
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