climbing is an art road bike climbing essentials

Head

The head must be lifted to look at the road ahead. Avoid lowering your head to 'work hard,' as this will prevent you from seeing the road clearly and is a major safety hazard. It will also hinder smooth breathing.

Abdomen

The abdomen's exertion is not obvious when climbing, but it actually plays a supporting role. You may feel tension on both sides of the abdomen, which supports the upper body, maintains balance, and reduces upper body swaying. Riders with insufficient core strength have poorer balance when climbing in a standing position and should strengthen this area with exercises like sit-ups and planks.

Knees

When pedaling uphill, try to keep your knees close to the top tube. This allows you to use the muscles of the thighs and outer hips during the downstroke. If you habitually keep your knees away from the frame while pedaling, you are undoubtedly wasting your strength.

Standing Position

There are several purposes for using a standing position while climbing:

1. When the slope becomes steeper

2. To attack your opponent

3. To change positions and relax other muscles.

Chest

Many riders tend to raise their shoulders unconsciously while climbing, which compresses the chest. Keep the chest relaxed, just as you would naturally when going up and down stairs. A compressed chest disrupts the diaphragm and affects breathing, reducing energy conversion efficiency.

Elbows

Keep your elbows slightly bent. When your legs exert force forward, your hands can pull back parallelly with force, making your whole body work efficiently. When pedaling in a standing position, the pulling action of the hands changes to pulling back and upward, coordinating with the downward force of the feet, alternating power on each side.

Hips

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body and extends to the hamstrings. When climbing in a seated position, using these muscles is more efficient. The feeling of exertion is similar to the feeling when you prepare to stand up from a chair using only your leg strength. To achieve this on a bicycle, pay attention to the upward pulling motion, but ensure the saddle height is appropriate to avoid injuring the Achilles tendon.

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