Options
little question about big watts
If you're specifically working maximum power, and 10 second, 20 second or 30 second power, do you routinely stand, or sit during intervals? What's your cutover (expressed in power duration) when you switch from standing to sitting?
(I haven't stood /rode out of the saddle since starting riding a bike.)
(and I don't have big watts)
Tagged:
1
Comments
Good question and I'm interested in the responses too.
I never stand when doing max effort intervals. Maybe I should? I don't put out big power either.
If I wanted to become a better sprinter, I'm sure I'd practice sprinting out of the saddle on those 10-20 second max efforts. But I only stand to sprint on zwift sprint segments, sometimes.
Definitely stand for a max effort or sprint. It’s a full body endeavor. YouTube it. If I’m working 30-60 seconds I prefer sitting but for a max effort on those durations I will also stand.
Agree with @tim cronk, I stand for all duration <= about 30 secs.
When I first started to work on my Pmax a few years ago, I started doing them seated. But after a few weeks I tried standing. I got a 50 watt boost straight away. Always do them standing now.
BTW, just like doing an FTP test, it takes practice to execute these short duration test.
You need neuromuscular adaptions before you can do justice to your current fitness (as in hitting the watts you have the strength for).
Almost always sit.
Details...If I am doing a planned workout with intervals @ 0.9 IF or higher, I will do them on the trainer, running a program (currently Zwift) which takes over the resistance, and forces me to raise my effort and keep it there during the interval. There is a slope, not a cliff, something like 2-3 seconds, of ramping up to full effort. I spin @ 100 rpm for the 5-6 seconds before the interval starts; this aids greatly in allowing me to do hard work while seated.
I've found that on those workouts which have increasing length or intensity of intervals, I sometimes will stand in the final 10-20 secs of the last 1-2 intervals.
BUT... We all know that once you're standing, you are significantly changing the ratio of effort between quads and glutes towards more use of the butt and less of the thigh. Since this is NOT how we are going to be riding in a long-distance triathlon, I don't see a lot of value in it. Others may note that working some on the glutes will build them up for a little cycling turbo-charger.
OK, I buy that. But the way I prefer to get my standing/glute work in is on the road, terrain driven. I love powering up short rises by a sudden increase in watts via standing. I live in an area where climbs of 50-350 feet are ubiquitous, with many short stretches in the 10-20% gradiant range. Even with my 34/34 set-up, that requires a lot of work! I also like to stand for 40 revolutions or so every so often during a long climb. I usually do that based on elevation gain or distance, rather than time. Great way to shift things up both physically and mentally when grinding for 45-120+ minutes.
@Dave Tallo I hope you are a bit tongue-in-cheek about never having stood while riding a bike. Surely you did it at, say age 10. Remember that feeling of power, abandon, and joy? Go after it again, on your big boy bike...
@Al Truscott , my thoughts are not quite as detailed as yours, but I dont stand for the same reasons- we almost never stand in a race. But in the great outdoors on an awesome hill- I like it and often HAVE TO to keep up with my stronger partners (who are usually men).
Also though, I am afraid to stand on my trainer. I dont have a direct drive, so my bike is attached at the axle and I'm afraid I'm going to snap something off. Is this unfounded?
@Leslie Knight Before my KICKR came along 6 years ago, I spent ten years on the other type, clamped at the axle. I stood during short intervals then, just as I do now, never had a problem.
I almost always stay sat down during 100-140% efforts. This includes in my tri training, as finish line sprints (heck, we've gotta have fun, right?!?) with my group riding friends. My ftp/vo2 ratio definitely steers more towards the vo2 side, and I can easily hold large excessive ftp+ %s while seated.
Only limited times I stand, including: to keep positions changed/change muscle group usage, short small efforts for fun (finish line sprints), and to push hard to bridge a gap. Again, mostly FUN things.
There are several spots on my regular weekly ride, where I get up to ride anywhere from 40-120 pedal strokes just to do it.
@Leslie Knight , I have an old school, wheel-on fluid trainer and I weight ~88-91 kg with decent watts to match. I routinely stand on my trainer to mix up position during long rides and to sprint during a race finish on EN cruise and crush. So far, nothing has broken. I do make sure I have a metal axel and not a plastic one.
I agree with many of the sentiments here. I do try to remain sitting for lots of work (of all durations) because it better simulates the muscle groups used during most of our events of interest (and can keep you more aero). And I find generally my pedal stroke seems to be more efficient sitting (I notice this mostly when climbing at a medium effort, and for longer durations than 5-10 seconds). But I also like to hunt for strava segments and sometimes time trial outside. Many strava segments are 30-60 seconds. In those situations, I sometimes get out of the saddle to power up a hill and have found it to help @Dave Tallo . To promote neuromuscular adaptation for really high power, I rely on heavy strength training much more than 5-10 second sprints on my bike. But maybe I should incorporate more of those shorter efforts.