Old 10-30-22, 10:01 PM
  #19  
jonathanf2
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Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
You can probably already do 30 reps at 90% of bodyweight, so nothing to gain there. You say you max your sustainable HR, but you don't mention your legs. Getting down in the weeds, HR is based on signals received from one's skeletal muscles. When they're low on oxygen, they message the heart to increase its rate. One of the things which increases muscle oxygen use is frequency of contraction, i.e. cadence. So try climbing in a bigger gear. Ideally, you want your legs to fail at the same time you run out of HR. You have lots of leg, maybe you need to make more use of them. Fast riders who climb at high cadence also have a high VO2max, hence doped up Lance time trialing at 110-115 cadence.
That might be the issue, it's not that my legs get tired, but it's as if I'm not getting enough O2 to my legs to maintain a fast climbing pace on long climbs. After I get a chance to lower my HR, my legs come back. Out of saddle I can generate the power to sprint climb for short durations, faster than those who can out climb me on long climbs. I also feel like I'm breathing heavier than others just to get more air into my lungs.

Thanks for all the insights so far, it's definitely got me thinking on areas I can improve.
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