Putting More Strength Into Climbing

Written by:

Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D.

"How can I become a better climber on the bike?" That¹s a question I hear often at many of the cycling camps I lecture at each year. And its easy to understand why. Getting up and over hills is one of the biggest challenges one faces whether riding on or off-road.

Your climbing ability is determined by many factors, including your cardiovascular fitness, technique, body and bicycle weight, mental attitude and leg strength. Making even small improvements in any of these factors can improve your overall climbing ability, but gaining significant leg and upper body strength and endurance can lead to a much quicker improvement in your speed up those hills.

One of the best ways to improve your strength and endurance for climbing in addition to intervals and climbing itself is to incorporate a strength training program into your overall cycling fitness program. You may be wondering how weight training can make you a better climber. After all, to become a better climber all you have to do is train on the bike and include one or two hill sessions a week to become the next Lance Armstrong, right?

"The truth is," says Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong¹s coach, "cycling has its limitations for the average cyclist in terms of all around climbing fitness and increased leg strength." "Unless you are like the pros, and can put in extensive training year round in the hills," he says, "a few sessions every week of specific exercises with weights, will increase you leg and total body strength more effectively, so that you will have less upper body fatigue, and be able to push a one to two smaller tooth rear cogs up the hills."

With this information in hand I asked Chris Carmichael and Harvey Newton, Executive Director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association for their suggestions on a strength training program that will lead to increased overall body strength, with a specific aim to increase climbing power and efficiency. What follows are the best eight strength training exercises that the three of us devised to receive the maximum benefit for your time spent in the weight room.

Done correctly, this well-designed strength training program can not only increase your overall strength and fitness, but ease your transition into longer and harder hills and workouts next spring.

Back Extension

Preparation: Lie prone on the floor or on a mat, hands along side hips.
Description: Elevate upper torso off the floor by contracting the lower back muscles. Return to the floor and repeat. For extra intensity, place hands behind the neck and execute movement. This exercise can also be completed on a back extension machine.
Cycling Application: Strengthens lower back to stabilize your torso while climbing.
Muscles: Lower back; Spinal erectors

Seated Row

Preparation: Place feet against the foot brace of the machine. Fit the bar with chain to pulley and adjust length.
Description: Keep back flat, and knees slightly bent throughout the movement. Grip the bar as shoulder width. From a fully extended arm position, bend the elbows and pull on the bar until it touches the lower chest or abdomen. Slowly return to the starting position.
Cycling Application: Strengthens shoulders and upper back to pull on bars.
Muscles: Upper back and shoulders; Latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii and posterior deltoid.

Bench Press

Preparation: Lie supine on the bench with weights safely located on upright supports approximately at arms length. Place head slightly in front of the weight, keep head, hips and feet flat on there respective surfaces.
Description: Lift weight off the uprights. Slowly lower to a position on the chest about nipple level. Press upward by extending your elbows. Do not arch your lower back. Always use a spotter for this lift.
Cycling Application: Upper body support while on the handlebars. Overall balance up upper body musculature.
Muscles: Chest and upper shoulders: Deltoids, triceps and pectorals

Crunches

Preparation: Lie with back flat on the floor with feet flat or crossed above the body on a bench.
Description: Slowly contract the abdominal muscles, placing the chin on the chest and attempt to touch the elbows to the knees. By avoiding a stationary position of the feet, the thigh and hip muscles are not used, only the abdominal muscles. The actual movement is only 6 to 8 inches. Beginners keep hands crossed across the chest for increased intensity place hands behind head.
Cycling Application: The abdominal muscles constitute one of the weakest areas for cyclists ( and most other people, too). Weak abs reduce the power you can transfer to the pedals while climbing, and can contribute to lower-back pain. A glance at the average cyclist¹s posture on the bike reveals that the abdominal muscles are not getting much of a workout. A bit of strength training here can really pay off while climbing.
Muscles: Abdominals, Rectus abdominals

Squats

Preparation: From a resting place atop a squat rack, place barbell on upper back muscles (trapezius). Stand up, step back one or two steps. If using heavy weights you should have a spotter or have pins placed in the rack that will catch the weight if you loose your balance.
Description: Slowly bend ankles, knees, and hips to lower body until thighs are parallel to the floor. Do not lean forward excessively. Keep feet flat on floor and if you have poor flexibility in your Achilles tendon which causes your heal to come off the ground use a thin board under heels to help keep your balance. Straighten legs and return to starting position.
Cycling Application: Increased power to pedal stroke and increased strength for the lower back.
Muscles: Thighs, buttocks and lower back; Hips extensors, spinal erectors, quadriceps and gluteals.

Lunges

Preparation: Place barbell on back as in squatting, or use dumbbells at arms¹ length by hips.
Description: Step forward with leg about 30 inches. Keep front foot flat on the floor, rear foot balanced on toes, lower the front thigh until parallel to the floor. Push back leg to starting position. Alternate legs.
Cycling Application: Pedal stroke and lower back strength.
Muscles: Upper thigh and buttocks; Hip extensors, quadriceps

Heel raises

Preparation: Stand with toes on a slightly elevated surface. Lift weight off rack and rest on upper back.
Description: Slowly rise on toes, then return to starting position with heels below level of toes.
Cycling Application: Pedal stroke, especially while in the seated climbing position.
Muscles: Calves; Gastrocnemius and solius

Step Ups

Preparation: Start with the weight in a squat rack. Stand with weight on shoulder or use dumbbells at arms¹ length by side.
Description: With one leg, step up onto a bench or a steps that are 16 to 18 inches high, making sure to stand tall on the bench with each step. Step down to complete rep and continue to step up with the same leg until the set is completed.
Cycling Application: Power portion of the pedal stroke.
Muscles: Thighs and lower back; Quadriceps, hip extensors and spinal erectors.