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What workout best simulates riding up a big hill?

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What workout best simulates riding up a big hill?

Old 05-11-21, 07:37 PM
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DreamRider85
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What workout best simulates riding up a big hill?

I've been doing rides up Tunitas Creek Road in Half Moon Bay. Nothing quite like it. I love the intensity. You have to stay engaged. Great cardiovascular exercise. I wish I could do that all the time, but I'm a bit far away from it. I'm wondering if any other exercise can simulate riding up a big hill like that? I've thought about the stairmaster, I've thought about trying to turn the resistance up on a stationary bike. Make no mistake. You can't replicate that. But I'm wondering what are some creative ways to replicate it so I can do that kind of intense cardio whenever I want?
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Old 05-11-21, 07:56 PM
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Old 05-11-21, 08:00 PM
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Get a heavier bike?
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Old 05-11-21, 08:01 PM
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put ankle weights on, crank up the resistance, have the hot air blow on you.
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Old 05-11-21, 08:03 PM
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many smart trainers can simulate a 20% grade. i know, i know, not the same thing. and i would agree, there is much more than resistance, but i will say that when crappy weather blows away and i can ride outside those steep hills at the beginning of the season are not a big deal anymore. glad i have a smart trainer now.
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Old 05-11-21, 08:07 PM
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If you have rim brakes, you can dial in any climb you want.

John
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Old 05-11-21, 08:12 PM
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Ride into the wind.
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Old 05-11-21, 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by 70sSanO
If you have rim brakes, you can dial in any climb you want.

John
Increase the PSI to max too, so the rolling resistance is uber high.
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Old 05-11-21, 08:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Ride into the wind.
On a single speed.

Otto
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Old 05-11-21, 09:01 PM
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Old 05-11-21, 09:15 PM
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Sprint Intervals from a dead stop against the wind, on a 35 lbs MTB, pulling a trailer with your Golden Retriever and four water bottles.
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Old 05-11-21, 09:17 PM
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Do you have any grades in your area? You don’t have replicate that climb, but if you have any length of grade, you can ride that and gear up to make it tough.

I have found using an elliptical, just the legs, at a lower cadence than spinning with really high resistance can be a really good workout and to me it seems like grinding up a hill.

John
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Old 05-11-21, 10:30 PM
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Swim upstream.
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Old 05-12-21, 01:40 AM
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Running is a good simulation for riding up hill, which is why I hate running. If there are no steep climbs in your local area, you can try sprinting up what hills you have. Living for years in South Florida, where there are no hills, let alone mountains, I used to have to make due with bridges and overpasses. Getting up these at as high a speed as I could manage was a good workout, however brief. Now I live in a place with plenty of hills and mountains, and these make me miss riding in South Florida.
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Old 05-12-21, 03:10 AM
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Just make yourself ride in a high gear.
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Old 05-12-21, 07:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
Just make yourself ride in a high gear.
this sounds the easiest. Look at whatever cadence you usually fall into on your climb and set a high enough gear (if you can) that gets you there. Matching power output would be good too if you have that data. Heartrate could be used as well.
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Old 05-12-21, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by DreamRider85
I've been doing rides up Tunitas Creek Road in Half Moon Bay. Nothing quite like it. I love the intensity. You have to stay engaged. Great cardiovascular exercise. I wish I could do that all the time, but I'm a bit far away from it. I'm wondering if any other exercise can simulate riding up a big hill like that? I've thought about the stairmaster, I've thought about trying to turn the resistance up on a stationary bike. Make no mistake. You can't replicate that. But I'm wondering what are some creative ways to replicate it so I can do that kind of intense cardio whenever I want?
You don't have any hills locally?
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Old 05-12-21, 08:17 AM
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Originally Posted by DreamRider85
I've been doing rides up Tunitas Creek Road in Half Moon Bay. Nothing quite like it. I love the intensity. You have to stay engaged. Great cardiovascular exercise. I wish I could do that all the time, but I'm a bit far away from it. I'm wondering if any other exercise can simulate riding up a big hill like that? I've thought about the stairmaster, I've thought about trying to turn the resistance up on a stationary bike. Make no mistake. You can't replicate that. But I'm wondering what are some creative ways to replicate it so I can do that kind of intense cardio whenever I want?
You can get the same intensity on less steep climbs or even on flat roads. It just means you need to go faster. Difference is that on a steep hill you need to apply the power or you fall over, while on a flat you can allow yourself to go slower. If you have a heart rate monitor, you can e.g. try to keep the HR above a certain value for certain amount of time.
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Old 05-12-21, 08:56 AM
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Originally Posted by DreamRider85
I've been doing rides up Tunitas Creek Road in Half Moon Bay. Nothing quite like it. I love the intensity. You have to stay engaged. Great cardiovascular exercise. I wish I could do that all the time, but I'm a bit far away from it. I'm wondering if any other exercise can simulate riding up a big hill like that? I've thought about the stairmaster, I've thought about trying to turn the resistance up on a stationary bike. Make no mistake. You can't replicate that. But I'm wondering what are some creative ways to replicate it so I can do that kind of intense cardio whenever I want?
If you live in the Bay Area, you MUST have at least a couple 5 minute hills near you, right? For example, for me, just to get to Canada Road is 718 feet of climbing, broken into smaller segments. But I can attack those climbs, riding easier to the next one. Kind of like hill intervals. Not the same as a single long climb, but then, the tough part of Tunitas Creek isn't that long, either. There's that long, long false flat after the steep bit.

For me, living in San Mateo, Tunitas Creek is a long way. But there's Kings Mountain, Old La Honda, or Page Mill, all at least 1300 feet of climbing. When I was younger, I used to go up Kings Mtn, then take 35 to Skylonda, take 84 West to West Old La Honda, climb that, then back down via 84 into Woodside. Doing that helped my climbing ability a lot.
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Old 05-12-21, 09:06 AM
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Pull on the brake levers.
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Old 05-12-21, 09:22 AM
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I have a ride on the 23rd with a 13-14 mile climb in the middle of it. It's a 2 hour climb for me. I'm a mediocre climber. This year is the 12th year for the ride. Through the years I've tried all kinds of different training plans for that ride. What has worked best is a stationary bike at the gym. I start out with 5 minute intervals of varying cadences including the cadence I will be climbing at. I try to hold the cadences while increasing the resistance. As the training increases and the event gets closer, I increase the time period of the intervals. Currently the intervals are 30 minutes each. I'll take a long real ride outside this weekend then taper till the 23rd gets here.
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Old 05-12-21, 09:25 AM
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I live a mile away from a 10.8 mile, 4072 foot climb. And I visit the gym a few times a week. And in my neighborhood there are a lot of lesser climbs (100 to 400 feet).

Hill repeats can help; they'll build strength in your legs, and cardio fitness.

Stairmaster helps with cardio, but not as much with leg strength as applicable to riding. But for cardio I'm able to hit and hold those heart rate targets on a stair climber just as effectively as on a bike.

Base miles help for leg strength as applicable to riding.

Actually doing the climbs is the best, unfortunately. That 11 mile climb near my house is rough, particularly at the beginning of the season (I don't ride through the winter -- I'm not cut out for riding in the snow).
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Old 05-12-21, 09:35 AM
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Old 05-12-21, 12:18 PM
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do Alpe de Zwift a couple times a day for a week or two!
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Old 05-14-21, 08:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Ride into the wind.
I always said the wind is the poor man's mountain!
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