5 Tips to Better Climbing, According to Coaches

Experts reveal the go-to strategies for helping you conquer inclines with confidence and power.


BY AMANDA CAPRITTO |

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You’re out of gears, with spent legs, and you still have hundreds of metres of climbing left to do. The only options are to buckle down and push through the hard work, or walk your bike.

If you continuously have trouble feeling strong through tough climbs, it’s probably time to brush up on your strategy and technique. It does take work to become a better climber on the bike, but it’s absolutely possible – if you employ the right training strategies.

Here’s what coaches say you should focus on to crush climbs with more ease.

1. Improve Your Power-to-Weight Ratio

A lot of people miss the forest for the trees when it comes to climbing, says sports scientist Jason Boynton. “To improve your ability to climb, start with watts per kilogram. That means improving your power-to-weight ratio, which will have a big influence on your climbing.”

There are two ways to improve your power-to-weight ratio: increase your functional threshold power, and/or reduce your bodyweight. For both, cyclists can get from point A to point B in any number of ways.

Keep in mind that while you may see climbing progress with weight loss, you don’t want to lose kilograms to the point of being underweight in an attempt to raise your power-to-weight ratio (or go on a crash diet to make it happen). In fact, doing so could have a detrimental effect on your performance (and your health), despite your good intentions.

“There’s a point at which being too light can cause you to actually lose power,” says Doug Guthrie, a TrainingPeaks Level 2 and US Masters certified coach.

So, how do you increase your FTP? Functional threshold power is a measure of mean power output over the course of a specified period of time, usually an hour. Improving it requires spending ample time riding at both low and high intensities to raise various physiological thresholds, including aerobic and anaerobic (lactate) thresholds.

Ideally, you want to build an aerobic base with an endurance-focused training plan. (A.k.a. lots of Zone 2 work) . You should perform an FTP test and then build on that base with high-intensity workouts focused on improving your ability to produce more watts for longer periods of time.

FTP-focused workouts typically include extended intervals at a given percentage of your FTP. That’s why you want to start with a baseline FTP test, so you can find an estimate to work with.

Here’s one example of a high-intensity workout that may help improve your FTP, from Boynton:

  • 10-minute warm-up in Endurance Zone 1, sprinkled with 10- to 30-second high-cadence intervals.
  • 5 x 5-minute intervals in Zone 5, targeting the highest average watts you can achieve throughout all 5 intervals.
  • 5-minute high-cadence recovery interval after every high-effort interval.
  • 20-minute cooldown in Endurance Zones 1–2.

2. Nail Down Your Climbing Technique and Pacing

The principle of specificity dictates that you should train for the outcome you want. That is, do more of the things you want to get better at. This comes into play for climbing performance, particularly with regard to climbing technique and pacing strategy.

Improving your cycling skills can have a significant impact on your ability to climb better,

“Improving your cycling skills can have a significant impact on your ability to climb better,” says Guthrie. “Working on fundamentals like pedal stroke and body positioning while seated or standing on climbs can help you climb more efficiently with less effort.”

Pedal Stroke

Guthrie recommends a single-leg drill on an indoor bike trainer to work on pedal stroke, if that’s a component of climbing you’re struggling with. Here’s how to do it:

  • Warm up, then unclip one foot and place it out of the way of the crank, either behind you on the trainer itself, or on a chair.
  • With the other leg clipped in, do 30-60 revolutions focusing on a smooth pedal stroke for the entire 360 degrees.
  • Repeat with the other leg.
  • Additionally, it can be helpful to focus on your body positioning. “When I climb, I focus on moving back in my saddle and maintaining good upper body posture to maximise deep, controlled breathing,” Guthrie says.

Pacing

Pacing will be different for each individual. The ideal pace for a given climb depends on a number of factors, including the grade (percent incline), terrain, the rider’s kit and other aerodynamic factors, environmental factors like altitude and wind, and more.

The important thing, Guthrie says, is to stay below functional threshold power for the climb (a power meter can help with this). “When I’m climbing, I focus on being smooth with my power, which will allow me to maintain a controlled heart rate and avoid spikes,” he notes.

A cyclist riding up a hill

3. Do Climbing Drills

This may not be the advice you want to hear, but Guthrie says nothing beats – you guessed it – climbing drills. “You can spend a lot of time on the trainer climbing hills in Zwift,” he says. “This type of training helps, but nothing can replace getting out and climbing on the roads.”

To work on climbing skills and threshold fitness simultaneously, Guthrie recommends a 30-30 hill session:

  • Warm up with 10-15 minutes of easy spinning.
  • On a short, moderate-to-steep (4-8%) hill, sprint uphill at a high cadence, out of the saddle, for 30 seconds in Zone 5.
  • Turn and coast/spin back down the hill for 30 seconds.
  • Do 20 to 25 of these repeats, breaking them into sets of five with three minutes or more of recovery between sets.
  • Cool down with 10-15 minutes of easy spinning.

4. Invest Time in Strength Training (But Not at the Expense of Riding)

Leg and total-body strength is critical to becoming a good climber

“Overall leg and total-body strength is critical to becoming a good climber,” Guthrie says. “Improving your cycling skills can have a significant impact on your ability to climb better, and you can accelerate the process by investing time in the gym.” 

Guthrie recommends that new cyclists complete up to three strength-training sessions per week, while experienced cyclists and riders in season complete one or two sessions weekly to complement their training rides.

As for what exercises to do, compound lower-body and full-body exercises, as well as unilateral (single-side) lower-body exercises are ideal for building strength for cycling.

Examples of strength training exercises include variations of deadlifts, lunges, squats, rows and presses. Power-based movements, such as kettlebell swings and power cleans, can also help build strength for cyclists. 

According to Boynton, strength training is not always the first and best course of action for cyclists who want to get better at climbing. However, it’s probably true that strength training improves FTP on the bike because it provides a unique and beneficial stimulus that is not experienced during typical cycling and endurance training.

Research also indicates that strength training improves various markers of cycling performance in both recreational and competitive populations. For example, cyclists in one study experienced improvements in both FTP and lactate threshold power after one year of combined strength training and endurance training. The improvements in their cycling fitness were significantly correlated with increases in their maximal strength, tested by one-rep max efforts on the barbell squat and leg press.

Strength training has also been linked to other cycling performance metrics, including time of peak torque during the pedal stroke, power output at 4 mmol/L (lactate threshold), cycling economy, and durability (the ability to produce high outputs after prolonged submaximal work).

The caveat: current scientific research doesn’t tell us point-blank that strength training improves climbing performance specifically. Boynton adds: “With strength training, we have to consider the context and the trade-offs that are involved. If someone wants to become a better cyclist and they’re only heading to the gym three days a week [and not riding], that doesn’t make sense, because they’re only doing strength training when they should be riding their bike.

“And of course, if you want to ride for life, it’s important to consider the benefits of strength training outside of cycling performance, like reduced risk of injury, improved quality of life, and muscle maintenance.”

5. Focus on Becoming a Better Rider Overall

The bottom line, according to both Boynton and Guthrie, is that improving your overall cycling fitness or cycling economy is going to improve your climbing performance.

Don’t overthink it. “Broadly speaking, anything that improves your general cycling skills and abilities will help your climbing,” Guthrie says. “And the best way to improve your cycling is by riding your bike.”

Research points to the idea that strength training can improve cyclists’ overall performance, and that training at high intensities – such as VO2 max and lactate threshold intervals – can improve FTP. If you focus on improving the fitness metrics that generally improve your ride, you’ll also improve your climbing.

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