Burning legs

[ICU812]

I need help here - I'm not sure what is going on
Ride several times a week and do RPM for a change.
Have started doing some leg weights this week at the gym- not big weights, just to strengthen up a bit
Legs are not sore but when I went for a ride my legs burned so much even up tiny hills and there was nothing in them - so weak
I just left bike in very low gear and spun. My ride was so totally pathetic and I was so demoralised. I don't know what is wrong
What have I done, was it the weights? Has really rattled my self confidence
I need some advise please

[USM TOM]

maybe just a bad day???

i think every one has those days where there legs just dont want to get going
usually just a rest day and should be all good

also it maybe because of the weights you did
if you havnt done weight training recently you will find it takes a while to recover

[DanielS]

What have I done, was it the weights?

That would be the most likely reason! Are you doing the weights because you think it will help your cycling performance, or for other reasons?

[ICU812]

What have I done, was it the weights?

That would be the most likely reason! Are you doing the weights because you think it will help your cycling performance, or for other reasons?

The gym convinced me it will help strengthen my legs for hills. Have I been done bye? I seem to have read conflicting advise on whether to do weights or not.
I did not have DOMS, my legs felt ok but it was when I hit the road my legs shut down and it was extremely unpleasant.
This week was the first week on weights - was pushing 10 - 20kg, something I was guided to do and I could manage. Mind you I am 5ft and 53kg, not very big.
Is this weights thing not worth it? Is difficulty doing hills because of small legs or lack of fast firing muscle fibres or just need to do bigger ones? Most around here I do are about
8 - 10 deg gradient and I'm always slow up them.
Thanks Sam

[USM TOM]

the only thing that make you better riding up hills is more cycling

riding up hills has a lot to do with power to weight ratio so your light weight should be a good thing so do more KM's on the bike and work on your fitness

[DanielS]

+1 to what USM TOM said.

Training on the bike will make you faster up hills, not doing weights in the gym.

You'll get fast by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone - e.g. riding so hard up that hill that you want to collapse, or increasing the time you spend on the bike each week (or both). Remember to gradually increase your total training load, and train consistently, and improvements will happen!

[didge]

I've been doing strength training at the gym for years, and it has done two shades above nothing to make me go up hills better (but I wasn't doing it for that reason). I regularly get overtaken on mild gradients. No substitute for time on the bike.

[battery89]

Take a few days rest until legs feel fresh/recovered.

Hit your hard sessions hard, take your easy sessions easy (on the bike).

Get better at climbing by doing climb repeats + improving threshold power (tempo-endurance rides). Specific cycling strength in legs can be worked on by low cadence, big gear hill repeats (5-8 mins).

Gym can be good however as time goes by you will understand your body better (in terms of load and recovery needed) and also what works best for you.

[sogood]

I understand that the pedalling force involved in cycling is around the 10-20kg mark, so I can't see how a week of weight training using similar weights can adversely affect you. Although cadence is obviously different in the two. So I would suspect there are other factors involved and maybe even something psychological.

[ICU812]

I understand that the pedalling force involved in cycling is around the 10-20kg mark, so I can't see how a week of weight training using similar weights can adversely affect you. Although cadence is obviously different in the two. So I would suspect there are other factors involved and maybe even something psychological.

I'm really not sure what's going on but I have a suspicion it is leg strength. If I do one huge hill, my legs give out on the second fatigued. If I try and stand up and pedal for a short distance my legs wobble and give out. No matter how many times I go up a hill, my legs fatigue. Maybe I need to train to hill climb. Maybe I've got something wrong with my muscles. I would like to go on group training club rides but would be left for dead and wouldn't know the route, so I figured there's no point. BUG rides are not functioning. I'm better than all my cycling friends. So other option go by myself. But I am much more motivated going with others, but that isn't easy here.
As for psychological, well I will baulk at a hill I know I can't get up in other words I can be a chicken. If I have to do it, I have the philosophy of: if I can't get up, get off and walk. It really doesn't help when you also have a chronic lung condition (bronchiectasis) either. I stick around town because I'm female and don't like riding alone on lonely rural roads and your mobile won't work if you are in trouble. The trouble is the really big hills are out there in the rural areas and that is where the groups go.
Maybe I can train on Mt Panorama I can't get up it yet.

[toolonglegs]

Are you a big guy?.
Are you going way too hard at the start of the hill?.
Are you in the right gear?...ie:not pushing a huge gear and exploding.
How long have you been riding?.
What color are your pedals?

[sogood]

I'm really not sure what's going on but I have a suspicion it is leg strength. If I do one huge hill, my legs give out on the second fatigued. If I try and stand up and pedal for a short distance my legs wobble and give out. No matter how many times I go up a hill, my legs fatigue. Maybe I need to train to hill climb. Maybe I've got something wrong with my muscles. I would like to go on group training club rides but would be left for dead and wouldn't know the route, so I figured there's no point. BUG rides are not functioning. I'm better than all my cycling friends. So other option go by myself. But I am much more motivated going with others, but that isn't easy here.
As for psychological, well I will baulk at a hill I know I can't get up in other words I can be a chicken. If I have to do it, I have the philosophy of: if I can't get up, get off and walk. It really doesn't help when you also have a chronic lung condition (bronchiectasis) either. I stick around town because I'm female and don't like riding alone on lonely rural roads and your mobile won't work if you are in trouble. The trouble is the really big hills are out there in the rural areas and that is where the groups go.

I think I am getting some understanding of your situation.

My suggestion would be the following,

1. Given your available gym membership (implied), jump from spin bike sessions to simple stationary bikes. Dial up a fixed wattage and do 2x20 intervals (ie. 2 repeats of 20mins with 5mins easy spin in b/n). Climbing hill is all about sustained power with no letting go and 2x20 is probably the best way to train for that. The wattage setting should be at a level that is stressful enough for you to just make through the session. Over time, gradually increase it.

2. Find some smaller hills (2-5mins climb) that's easier to access and do multiple repeats of them. Push hard so that your legs are burning, even try to stand all the way. This will increase that so called "lactic threshold" over time.

[USM TOM]

1. Given your available gym membership (implied), jump from spin bike sessions to simple stationary bikes. Dial up a fixed wattage and do 2x20 intervals (ie. 2 repeats of 20mins with 5mins easy spin in b/n). Climbing hill is all about sustained power with no letting go and 2x20 is probably the best way to train for that. The wattage setting should be at a level that is stressful enough for you to just make through the session. Over time, gradually increase it.

yeah 2x20's rock

to get decent at hills you dont really have train on hills that often
as sogod has said its about sustaining power for X amount of time and also weight

if its a long hill dont go to hard to soon and stay seated and maintain a good cadence

[ICU812]

Are you a big guy?.

Well......Only if I've had a sex change/ makeover and ate McDonalds for 3 months I might look like a big guy

Are you going way too hard at the start of the hill?

.
Nope

Are you in the right gear?...ie:not pushing a huge gear and exploding.

Nope in my small gear - I've got 30 but usually sit on 20 th gear up big hills. Exploding wouldn't look pretty on the road

How long have you been riding?.

5yrs

What color are your pedals?

Hmmm would have liked pink but they didn't match my bike. Red ones made by Ferrari might make me go faster. They wouldn't match my bike either

[ICU812]

I think I am getting some understanding of your situation.

My suggestion would be the following,

1. Given your available gym membership (implied), jump from spin bike sessions to simple stationary bikes. Dial up a fixed wattage and do 2x20 intervals (ie. 2 repeats of 20mins with 5mins easy spin in b/n). Climbing hill is all about sustained power with no letting go and 2x20 is probably the best way to train for that. The wattage setting should be at a level that is stressful enough for you to just make through the session. Over time, gradually increase it.

2. Find some smaller hills (2-5mins climb) that's easier to access and do multiple repeats of them. Push hard so that your legs are burning, even try to stand all the way. This will increase that so called "lactic threshold" over time.[/quote]

Thanks so much - I have now something I can work on and hopefully I will get somewhere. Lactic threshold - I heard about it but not knowledgeable about it. Our gym has bikes but those ones that have programs - you use them manually though. I can do the same thing on my trainer at home. I feel more motivated now.
Many thanks again. Sam

[sogood]

Thanks so much - I have now something I can work on and hopefully I will get somewhere. Lactic threshold - I heard about it but not knowledgeable about it. Our gym has bikes but those ones that have programs - you use them manually though. I can do the same thing on my trainer at home. I feel more motivated now.
Many thanks again. Sam

"Lactic threshold" is a topic that has a lot of discussions and people are even debating if the pain experienced on hard anaerobic exertion is actually caused by lactic acid. Anyway, at the basic level, one can just treat it as a physiological barrier one experiences, one that can be raised through certain type of training.

Bikes with programs are fine as they invariably also have a manual setting for power. One difficulty that may be encountered on some of those gym bikes is their peak power setting may be a tad low for one's need. Look around as it varies by model. Also, try to use the same unit all the time as these bikes are poorly calibrated and you want to maintain some consistency to appropriately monitor progress.

Good luck!