My general fitness and stamina is OK but I’m struggling on short, sharp climbs. Any suggestions for improving this part of my riding (apart from losing weight 🙂 ). I’ve got access to a decent rowing machine so I was thinking of doing 500m reps with 2 minute rest between reps.

Do more short sharp climbs.

HTH

Any kind of interval specific session, (running, cycling, rowing), will improve your ability when performing short sharp bursts.

However as Brant so wisely states, why not just ride more short sharp climbs?

What Brant says. And then do some more. And lose some weight.

Do some long sharp climbs thus making the short ones seem easier!

if you want to get get better riding climbs, ride climbs. Not much else to do,

As others have said but I would also vary how you do the climbs. Standing, sat and spinning, fast, slow, sprint to the top and collapse, grind. Also learn to enjoy them. THe more fun you have climbing, the more you will climb.
Who was it that said ” climbs never get easier just quicker”? or sommate like that.

If you’re using a rowing machine for interval training I’d keep your rests well below 2 minutes over 500m reps.
As a rowing coach I’d recommend 10x500m with 1m rests between going flat out each time. Should take no longer than half an hour and you’ll be spent!

Steady gcaster I’m a fully paid up member of SAGA. I don’t have time to do training rides, especially now the clocks have gone back so it looks like interval training on the Concept is the way to go.

Which is what he said… He just suggested a more effective way to do it.

10x 500m flat out, 1 min rest – yer right….can you leave me your bike in your will!!

+1 What Brant and Pop say. If you can’t find enough short hills to “practice” then do sprints, both on the flats and on any hills you can find. Easiest way to start is to set a marker, e.g. tree, lamp-post, house, and just nail it. You’ll soon get used to that type of short/intense rhythm and those short sharp climbs will be a piece of pi55.

Single speed is a good idea (if your on about mtbing) cos you have to go for it up the climbs.

I reckon alot of it is a mental challenge to, fight the pain!

i do a short interval training session mid week usually basically go out and ride a route with plenty of hills but a short rest after them i go full pelt at the hills and then spin at the top to get the heart resting again.

seems to have helped me out loads on climbs. They are still hard no doubt but my recovery has improved by loads.

If you own a quality turbo trainer …..

[mag type with comp bar mounted control: not essential, but a world better than the fluid type. Had one of those fail on me spilling it guts out, I digress]

Then a really simple session (only an hour) is as follows…..

[However you’ll need to bang it out a few times to determine the resistance you can handle for the final half hour]

15 mins easy spin, big ring-little cog at approximately 40% of your max watt (or resistance) output over 3mins…aim for a ‘Soupcon’ of perspiration.

Drop to middle ring, 7mins left leg only…then repeat t’other side. [You might be shocked with the ‘holes’ in your ‘continuum’]

Pain Bit

Back into ‘Hurt locker’ gearing, simple ramp up the watts on the work phase of 3mins at max sprint, 1 min recovery. Work through the final half hour like this; try to hit (and maintain for each set) your max output at ‘just gone a quarter to the hour’.

Then,

Vomit
Fall off bike (which remains in turbo until core work, shower milky drink are sorted)

If you don’t have a turbo

Nice gentle jog to your local 30 ish metre steep hill and…

Begin with 10 reps, build speed through the set until you’re hitting max sprint for the final 3 or so. You must have TOTALLY recovered (or as best as you can measure) your heart rate to your jogging value before each set…even if it means walking back down!

Back into ‘Hurt locker’ gearing, simple ramp up the watts on the work phase of 3mins at max sprint, 1 min recovery.

You can sprint flat out for 3 minutes?

try the ‘cancellera’ bike technique

10x 500m flat out, 1 min rest – yer right….can you leave me your bike in your will!!

Only takes a minute and a half to do 500m! 1m rest is plenty, at least that’s what we do in our boat club!

1 simple answer

tabata . You’ll be crying for your mum after one of these sessions

1 simple answer

Tabata.
Never heard of that before.
Definitely giving it a go!

when someone asked Ned Overend how to climb quicker, he replied ‘push harder on the pedals!’

not as flippant as it sounds