I was wondering this week after going to the gym and riding what roll do each muscle group provide for the different aspects of cycling. I am most interested in the prime muscles required for climbing. Some observations from the gym where that my quad and calves are very strong compared to my hamstrings. I can lift a lot of weight with my quads and calves but my hamstrings are considerably weaker. Does this imbalance translate over to my weakness while climbing?
What roll do the hamstrings play while climbing? On the flats I can average 20mph/32kph no problem and descending is where I make up a lot of time on people. Where I lose most of my time is in the hills. I am not a fly weight by any means (5’10” @ 185 lbs. and 175 lbs. at race weight) but I know that I can improve my climbing a lot.
Any ideas to increase the strength of my hamstrings in the gym and what suggestions for climbing better. I do hills with every ride I do and I work pretty hard on the hills even on easy rides. I know my weakness is hills so I attack them as often as possible. I still am at a snails pace.
Hill climbing and muscle imbalance.
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Sounds like you have got it figured out. Like you I am big (not fat) and I have become a very good climber relative to the rest of my skills. This was the result of being afraid to use my quads due to knee problems. The result was that for two seasons I climbed using a "pulling up" action almost exclusively.
What I notice when I am climbing well is my ability to acelerate hard using my hamstrings. I just move back on my saddle a bit and pull like mad. It seems that once properly trained the hamstrings are slower to tire then the quads. Depending on the slope and length of the climb I will also alternate between concentrating on hams and then quads, giving each muscle group a chance to rest while the other takes more of the load. Of course when you need full power in the saddle you must use both.
A final thing to keep in mind is that the most effecient pedalling action is a harmonious spin. Make sure early in the season that you spin small gears - even at the expense of ending up with a lighter workout. I find having good foot speed and a well coordinated spinning action results in faster less exhausting climbing.
Good luck.
What I notice when I am climbing well is my ability to acelerate hard using my hamstrings. I just move back on my saddle a bit and pull like mad. It seems that once properly trained the hamstrings are slower to tire then the quads. Depending on the slope and length of the climb I will also alternate between concentrating on hams and then quads, giving each muscle group a chance to rest while the other takes more of the load. Of course when you need full power in the saddle you must use both.
A final thing to keep in mind is that the most effecient pedalling action is a harmonious spin. Make sure early in the season that you spin small gears - even at the expense of ending up with a lighter workout. I find having good foot speed and a well coordinated spinning action results in faster less exhausting climbing.
Good luck.
