Getting most out of using Cadence to feel the burn!
Discussion
Like most I am trying to get back to my preferred weight so can start entering some decent events again. On a one hr + training ride during week should I keep my cadence at or above 75-80 and work the easier gears? I also have a few hills as part of my rides and am a rider that likes to get out of the saddle and power out rather than sit down and grind it out. So sit down or stand up or both?
Cheers all
K
Cheers all
K
Kylie said:
Like most I am trying to get back to my preferred weight so can start entering some decent events again. On a one hr + training ride during week should I keep my cadence at or above 75-80 and work the easier gears? I also have a few hills as part of my rides and am a rider that likes to get out of the saddle and power out rather than sit down and grind it out. So sit down or stand up or both?
Cheers all
K
Assuming this is a road bike I was always told that 80 was the lower end of the range you should be using and that higher cadences are more efficient (up to a point I assume!) and definitely easier on the joints. My natural cadence is 85 and I'm trying to increase this to 90.Cheers all
K
On the cadence thing different riders do different things - for optimising weight loss I'd stick a heart rate monitor on a couple of times and see if there are any differences in heart rates at different cadences.
Hills - I switch between standing up pushing a gear and sitting down spinning (one gear easier usually). I find it keeps the legs fresher that way and tends to be pretty good climbing (shame I'm rubbish at descending!).
Hills - I switch between standing up pushing a gear and sitting down spinning (one gear easier usually). I find it keeps the legs fresher that way and tends to be pretty good climbing (shame I'm rubbish at descending!).
hman said:
has anyone tried the blackburn delphi 5 HRM, Cadence meter? does it work on turbo trainers.
Sorry for the thread hijack...
You need to check the range of the speed sensor since you (obviously!) have to mount the speed sensor on the rear - I had a Polar CS400 and the distance from the rear mounting to the display unit was literally 6 inches too far! The CS600 I replaced it with does work with my turbo trainer although it's quite pricy.Sorry for the thread hijack...
Looking at the Delphi 5 thing it doesn't mention that it uses 2.4GHz which extends the range so I would assume it's the same as the CS400 and won't work
ewenm said:
On the cadence thing different riders do different things - for optimising weight loss I'd stick a heart rate monitor on a couple of times and see if there are any differences in heart rates at different cadences.
Hills - I switch between standing up pushing a gear and sitting down spinning (one gear easier usually). I find it keeps the legs fresher that way and tends to be pretty good climbing (shame I'm rubbish at descending!).
Awesome thank you for reminding me, I have the polar CS400 which has everything but admit to not using the HRM strap - lazy me!Hills - I switch between standing up pushing a gear and sitting down spinning (one gear easier usually). I find it keeps the legs fresher that way and tends to be pretty good climbing (shame I'm rubbish at descending!).
i always remember the diffrent climbing styles of Pantani and Armstrong when discussions about cadence crop up. i normally spin as fast as i can go in a cog that "feels" fast which is very subjective but i wonder how much of this is a psychological thing though and whether my legs spinning fast tricks my mind into thinking that i am going fast when in reality i am not... however come the hills i tend to really stomp on the pedals and keep the thighs burning... i think i have mental issues...
foreright said:
hman said:
has anyone tried the blackburn delphi 5 HRM, Cadence meter? does it work on turbo trainers.
Sorry for the thread hijack...
You need to check the range of the speed sensor since you (obviously!) have to mount the speed sensor on the rear - I had a Polar CS400 and the distance from the rear mounting to the display unit was literally 6 inches too far! The CS600 I replaced it with does work with my turbo trainer although it's quite pricy.Sorry for the thread hijack...
Looking at the Delphi 5 thing it doesn't mention that it uses 2.4GHz which extends the range so I would assume it's the same as the CS400 and won't work
hman said:
apparently some of these units wont work unless the speed and cadence are reading something at the same time (ie. you are actually moving).
Might have to fork out for a 2.4ghz one (which seems excessive for turbo training!)
I can confirm that the Polar CS400 candence sensor does work independantly of the speed sensor Might have to fork out for a 2.4ghz one (which seems excessive for turbo training!)
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-deta...
there is some good stuff in this article, its a fairly long read but i thought it was reasonably useful....
there is some good stuff in this article, its a fairly long read but i thought it was reasonably useful....
A cadence of 75-80 is very low, typically 90-100 is thought to be the most efficient although of course everybody is different.
If you are serious about weight loss, you need to pay attention to heart rate 'zones', i.e. your heart rate compared to your maximum heart rate. More info at this link: http://www.fitsense.co.uk/fit_article.php?id=3 . Another consideration for weight loss is muscle build up. If you draw a comparison to weight training, generally using big weights with few repetitions gives you bigger muscles compared to lower weights with more repetitions. So a higher cadence is better.
When cycling up hills, seated is more efficient. You can develop more power when standing on the pedals, but use disproportionately more energy to do so. If you are just out for a work out, this is fine, but you tire quicker, which might be a concern if out for a longer ride. It depends on the length and gradient of the hill / mountain as to your approach - sometimes it is good to get out of the seat just to change position, or use different muscles.
If you are serious about weight loss, you need to pay attention to heart rate 'zones', i.e. your heart rate compared to your maximum heart rate. More info at this link: http://www.fitsense.co.uk/fit_article.php?id=3 . Another consideration for weight loss is muscle build up. If you draw a comparison to weight training, generally using big weights with few repetitions gives you bigger muscles compared to lower weights with more repetitions. So a higher cadence is better.
When cycling up hills, seated is more efficient. You can develop more power when standing on the pedals, but use disproportionately more energy to do so. If you are just out for a work out, this is fine, but you tire quicker, which might be a concern if out for a longer ride. It depends on the length and gradient of the hill / mountain as to your approach - sometimes it is good to get out of the seat just to change position, or use different muscles.
Edited by Exige46 on Thursday 8th January 22:38
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