I've read a good bit about how high cadence around 90 or above is more efficient and thought my cadence was close to 90...didn't really pay much attention to it. Now that I ride a computrainer some, I see what my normal avg cadence is and it's always around 82-83.
I also noticed that on hills, I can hold the same watts with a low cadence (high 60s, low 70s) with a lower heart rate than I can with a higher cadence.
Soooo... does this mean I need to work on a higher cadence, or does it mean lower cadence works for me. I've improved quite a bit on the bike and haven't really thought about cadence. In my glory days I was a powerlifter, so that may be a factor.
Any advice, suggestions, or similar experiences?
rectumdamnnearkilledem
I'm a solid 90-100rpm gal, but I ride with a lot of people who are probably closer to 80 and are perfectly comfortable. You could do some drills to up your cadence, but I'm not sure if it's hugely beneficial or not. I actually am finding that the longer I ride, the more I can handle cadence ~80 (generally at slower speeds), but I still prefer closer to 90.
Hills always make my heart rate go up a lot (at least I assume this, I never use a HRM, so I don't know for sure, but they do make me huff-and-puff).
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay