Hill climbing tips from Jamie

Jamie Millar, our Touro fitness pro and Level 3 qualified personal trainer is a warrior on the climbs. We asked him for some advice for tackling this year’s epic Touro hills – here are his top tips:

• When approaching a hill, switch your hands to the brake lever hood position.
• When the gradient steepens, come off the saddle, stand, and get your weight over each pedal to maintain momentum.
• Position your hips forward with the nose of the saddle just brushing the back of the legs.
• Pull on the right hood as you push down on the right pedal. Then pull on the left hood as you push down on the left pedal. This will create a gentle rocking motion of the bike that is smooth and rhythmic.
• Allow the support muscles (arms and shoulders) that pull on the handlebar to get involved. Pull lightly, with shoulders and hips square. Aim to sync your breathing with your effort.
• Don’t pull on the bars too much on easier hills as this will cost unnecessary energy.
• Keep your body relaxed, and don’t forget to breathe.
• Riding out of the saddle can feel more fatiguing as extra muscle is involved so keep it short at first – choose to alternate with periods of standing and sitting.
• Practice the transition from seated to standing on long gradual hills and short gentle hills.
• When you feel more comfortable, up the intensity by heading for the steeper hills.

Look out for Jamie’s short hill climbing video on our social channels, and his final two Touro training plans coming in July and August.

Categorised in: News

This post was written by HO_Lindsay