I stand on the pedals less than I used to. I usually stand when I am taking off from a dead stop, but I do not try to put a whole of torque on the pedals. It is more of a balance, straight line tracking thing. I also stand on the pedals occasionally when riding just to give my back end a break and stretch things out a bit. Again, I do not mash. My knees do not like the stress of hard pedaling, especially when standing. For me, a short time off the saddle, and mild stretches, make a huge difference in comfort on long rides.