How to train for explosive, out-of-the-saddle power. – By A.C. Shilton

Sometimes you just need to stand up mid-ride to give your – ahem – ‘fleshy bits’ a break. But beyond restoring blood flow, there are performance advantages to letting your butt take five. Getting out of the saddle shifts your weight further forward over the pedals, giving you more leverage on a climb, says cycling performance coach Frank Overton. “It also helps you maintain a higher rhythm, and therefore power output.” His rule: if your cadence while seated drops to the point at which you’re grinding along at a 1990s slow-jam pace, it’s better to stand.

You’ll need to train for this, because pedalling out of the saddle engages your upper body and taxes your quads more than when you’re seated, says exercise physiologist Stephen McGregor.

To stand and deliver big results, incorporate these two workouts into your riding.

Standing-Start Sprints

DO THIS IF –> You get gapped when the group sprints out of corners
Shift into a high gear (it should feel hard for the first few seconds) and come to a slow roll or a track stand. Get out of the saddle and hammer on the pedals as hard as you can for 15 seconds (avoid the temptation to go any longer), shifting through your gears to increase the resistance gradually so that you accelerate during the entire effort. Then rest for 60 seconds, recovering fully. Do two sets of 4 x 10 seconds, with five full minutes of rest between sets.

In-And-Out

DO THIS IF –> You tend to sit and grind too long on climbs
Find a hill that takes about 10 minutes to climb, with a grade that’s not too steep – you should be able to pedal while seated and standing, without blowing up. As you climb, alternate sitting down and getting out of the saddle every 15 seconds. When you get up, you’ll probably need to shift to a harder gear to maintain an efficient cadence. When you sit, feel free to take that extra gear off, keeping your rpm at the higher, out-of-the-saddle rate. Do two reps of this 10-minute climb. Citizens of Flatlandia: Try this drill on the trainer by shifting to a big gear and holding your power or effort level (aim for between 6 and 8 on an effort scale of 1 to 10) steady as you stand and sit.

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Q/A

Oops, I signed up for an epic climbing event – but I’m a flatlander! How do I prepare for the mountains?

Despite living in a flat area, professional triathlete and coach Aubrey Aldy regularly races hilly Ironman events, and says wind can be one of your greatest allies (for once!) in the quest to replicate climbing conditions.

Aldy’s drill: Figure out what direction the wind is coming from and ride 3km intervals into it at between 60 and 70 rpm, with a long recovery of 3-5km of easy spinning. Repeat three or four times. If the wind isn’t blowing, Aldy says he just hops on his indoor trainer for this workout: a 20- to 30-minute warm-up, followed by 8 x 1-minute intervals at 50 to 60 rpm and 125 per cent of threshold power (it should feel like an 8 on an effort scale of 1 to 10). Spin easy for four minutes between each interval. [/box]

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