How to Climb Steep Hills While Cycling

Co-authored by John Diaz

Last Updated: December 3, 2024 Approved

Climbing hills on a bicycle isn't everyone's idea of fun... Yet, if you live in a hilly area or you're traveling through hills, why deny yourself the pleasure of continuing to ride regularly just because of those steeper hills? Climbing steep hills on a cycle requires knowledge of a few tips about increasing your stamina, positioning yourself correctly on the cycle, and changing those gears. So hop back on your bike with this advice and find yourself a few steep hills to practice on. Soon, tackling those climbs will feel much easier!

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1
Prepare yourself mentally. If you've cycled up a hill before, you'll already know that it hurts physically and takes a lot of effort. If you've long been the sort to hop off the bike and walk it up the hill, you'll need a little mental prepping first!
- Accept that riding uphill is more effort. Once you stop fighting it mentally, you can spend more time motivating your body and learning how to make the ride easier on you.
- Get excited about the challenge of making it to the top of the hill. This is something that you're quite capable of doing and proving it to yourself can be a lot of fun in between the agony!
- Don't expect to go fast. That's unrealistic and likely to wear you out before you've even begun.
- Understand the benefits to your body of cycling on hilly terrain. Hilly terrain builds your fitness levels up by helping your body learn to use oxygen more efficiently. Also, the process of climbing the hill on a bike uses different muscle groups as you shift about on the bike to maintain maximum power. The climb allows you to work hard, and the descent allows you to recover, providing a perfect exercise workout per each hill.^{[1]
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Keep your weight back and hold the handlebars over the top and close to the center.^{[2]
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This requires you to keep your body low and your elbows low but slightly pointed out to keep your chest open for easier breathing and to keep your upper body relaxed.^{[3]
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4
Toward the top of the hill, stand up from the seat (saddle). At this point, use all of your body weight to assist you in pushing down hard on the pedals. Standing up takes a lot more energy than sitting down, so don't overuse this technique; keep it till the last portion of the steep hill. Your hands should now sit on top of the brake levers.
- Shift your body in time with your legs. Keep your back straight and your chest open to aid good breathing.^{[4]
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5
Learn how to shift gear going uphill. Those gears are there to be used, and uphill they will definitely assist you with extra power if you change them effectively. Changing gears is a method of changing your pace and power at various stages of the climb. These adjustments can take time and practice to master; expect your gears system to take some getting used to. Don't despair, just keep practicing! With time, you will master which gears are suited to certain paces and terrains.
- Shift the gears in anticipation of or just before each terrain gradient change, not once you've already reached each gradient. Keep pedaling while you change gears, so as to maintain momentum.^{[5]
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  Research source} The aim is to keep your effort as constant as possible.
- A low gear is needed for going uphill (you'll need the higher gear for going back down).
6
Keep practicing. This technique won't be easy for the first few tries but it's important to persevere. It is only in the doing that you will learn the feel for climbing the hill on the bike and learn the right timing for shifting your body weight on the bike to achieve the maximum power for the least effort.
- Start with shorter hills and gradually increase your trials to steeper ones.
7
Try using low gear with a steep hill. Once you're feeling more confident with hill climbing on a bicycle, learn the technique for climbing a hill economically. This technique requires that you stay seated and use a low gear, and don't rely on standing up for much of the time:^{[6]
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- Breathe regularly and deeply.
- Keep it slow and gradual in the early stages of the hill climb. This isn't a race, it's about economizing your energy usage.
- Select the low gear that will still allow for reasonably fast pedaling.
- Sit up and hold the outer edges of the handlebars. This will ensure that your breathing is made easier by an open chest.
- Once the hill gets much harder, and you notice you've no lower gears left to use, grip onto the brake hoods. Pull them to give you more power when pedaling.
- Only now should you stand briefly, if needed. At this point, you should intuitively know what feels best for you in the combination between standing and sitting in the bike, for the most economic use of your energy.
- Stay focused on a steady, rhythmic climb that makes the most of every turn of the wheels to pull you up this hill. This manner of slower but powerful riding takes time to master. However, it's efficient and suitable for longer rides, such as when traveling through hilly country for long distances. You are far less likely to tire out using this method, than when using the technique that requires standing to get you up the hills.
It may seem illogical, but you'll lose less momentum that way.
For a particularly strenuous hill climb, a brief hilltop rest may be in order, especially while training yourself to get used to it.
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Descend with care. Be alert for obstacles like cars, pedestrians, animals, and objects on the road. Don't go down too quickly – use both your brakes to pull back the speed, and by sitting upright in your seat, so that your body acts like an "air brake".^{[7]
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- If you're descending over uneven terrain such as on a mountain bike trail, it's best to get out of the seat and let the bike take all the bumps for you. The steeper the descent, the further back you should place your weight while looking forwards.^{[8]
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What types of exercises can I do to prepare myself for bicycle hill climbing?

John Diaz
Personal Trainer
John Diaz is a personal trainer and exercise professional with over 35 years of experience, based in Los Angeles, CA. John was first certified as a personal trainer in 1984 and later in 1989 co-founded Ultimate Health Medical Exercise Center with his sister Joanne. He creates prescriptive exercise programs designed specifically for his clients’ needs ranging from chronic pain relief, sports injury recovery, weight loss goals, and more. John has a degree in Exercise Science, is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, and is certified through the National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT). He also holds a 2nd degree Black Belt in martial arts and is a certified self-defense instructor.

John Diaz

Personal Trainer

Expert Answer

Exercises like walk-through lunges and split squats are great for building your lower body strength, especially in your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. You don’t have to use heavy weights for these types of exercises; instead, aim for higher reps to work on your muscular endurance, which is key for climbing hills. You can also do some small bicycle sprints, where you do short and intense cycling bursts, which will help increase your power and speed during climbs. And don't forget about your upper body; add some upper body exercises, like push-ups, pull-ups, and some light dumbbell work.

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I have to bike a hill with a class of about 18 people. How do I use these tips when there are people surrounding me?

Tushar Sharma

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While climbing on your bike, keep your hydraulic lock locked to prevent skids. Keep your seat high as it helps in peddling in low gears (depending upon the incline and your comfort). Try to never stop peddling as you might not be able to get on your cycle again.

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I have an 18-gear cycle; how do I use front gear and back gear for hilly roads, and for normal roads, which gear should I use?

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Usually when climbing, it's best to be in the small front ring and the largest back ring. If your cadence is about 100 rpm, then whatever gear you're in is fine. It depends on the road, but as long as your pedaling is at a level you're comfortable with, you're fine.

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Off-road hills require a different climbing technique. Standing on trails and other terrain that has loose surface can risk a fall off the bike, so you have to be very careful to only use this when really needed and to weight yourself well. Use the gears as explained above but keep your weight as much as possible over the back of the rear wheel to maintain the bike's traction on the loose surface. If you do have to stand on an especially steep part, keep your weight back and your body low and barely leave the seat (think "hovering" over it). Pull back, not up, on the handlebars.^{[9]
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Lean forward when going uphill.

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Steep hill climbing requires lots of practice. Expect to fail but keep attacking it. Eventually you'll master the skill and improve endurance.

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Put your bike seat at a good height so you can control your balance more easily.

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Warnings

Don't climb something too steep; know your limits and push yourself only as far as is safe. The hill will still be there tomorrow for another try.

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