Is this a decent climbing simulation?

[swag72]

I have just completed the Reinstein workout (1.5 hrs) and I wanted to do some form of climbing simulation.

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For the first interval I rode at 100+ RPM, next interval at 90-100 RPM and the final interval was ridden at 80-90 RPM. Would that last interval be a good climbing simulation? I made a note of my climbs over the last week and have tried hard to remain seated and up my cadence, so I am climbing at about 75-85 RPM.

If I want to do climbing simulations is it just a case of slowing the cadence down to my climbing cadence and just sticking to that?

[RKCyclist]

Low cadence is one way of training climbing. You can take it further by putting your bike in the granny gear (to slow the flywheel and so get more resistance around the pedal stroke like you would feel on a climb) and putting something sturdy under your front wheel to change the angle of the bike and hence muscle engagement.

[swag72]

Many thanks for the info

[Armadillo]

Hills repeats much better to improve climbing if you can manage it

[STP]

If you’re stuck indoors or have no local climbs, Zwift has some real pretend mountains that can be good options for climbing simulation.

[Grutte]

Specific reason to train climbing at overs and unders work out? My personal preference is to lower cadence at lower power workout.

[swag72]

For sure - But I was indoors on the trainer and wondered if this last interval was a decent simulation?

[swag72]

I don’t use Zwift so need to find the right sort of thing on Trainerroad.

[swag72]

This didn’t start out as a specific high climb workout… I just wondered if the final interval at a slower cadence simulated a decent hill climb. You say low power workout? Yet most of my hill climbing is done around FTP, so would a low power workout be OK? Surely I’d want to be near FTP to make a difference?

[JoeX]

@swag72

If I want to do climbing simulations is it just a case of slowing the cadence down to my climbing cadence and just sticking to that?

Yup.

Im favouring Rouvy for climb simulation over Zwift, while Im doing a TR session.

[Armadillo]

Take a look at some of your outdoor hill climb segments for power and cadence and replicate based on these? Everyone climbs at different cadence, I’m usually around 85 on longer climbs. It’s difficult to properly replicate hill climbing indoors but doing that is probably a good start. Even just doing intervals for the length of the climb you want is ok, but you really need elevation gain in legs if you can, nothing compares.