How to IMPROVE your Cycling Cadence (with 5 drills to push up your speed!)

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#cycling #cadence #drills

[@BulletproofCycling]

Hey folks - I hope you enjoy the video. The drills I share are the first stage in developing your pedaling skill level. I will share more advanced drills soon. If you have any topics that you would like to see me cover, then please just ask. At the time of shooting this video the channel is approaching 1k subs so we are getting ready to move from really small channel to small channel :) This is the last video to be shot on webcam :) Watch out for improvements in the next video. Thanks for supporting the channel and keep watching and stay safe.

[@ravensco]

as a fellow scot, the delivery of "grabbin the bars like yer throttlin someone" was pitch perfect!

[@BulletproofCycling]

😂😂 love the name - thanks for watching 🚴‍♂️👍👍👍👍

[@romanengelbrecht6717]

Im a amateur and only been cycling a few months now and it really shows in my lack of gear and entry level bike but the way i ride you'd say ive been riding for years and its partly thanks to you

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thanks Roman 👍👍👍👍

[@beesplaining1882]

This advice is golden. I really look forward to each new video you do. Thanks so much for sharing your obvious knowledge.

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thank you 🙏 very much for taking time to comment. If there are any topics you would like me to cover then just let me know 👍

[@biogenie]

How are you at 1.6k subs. Definitely deserve much more subs for the quality of the content. Thank you mate.

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thank you @BioGenie I started sharing at the start of lockdown. Should have started years ago. Got 30 years to share. Feel free to share with your cycling friends 👍👍

[@lsid4747]

excellent advice and I like the visual of the plank and buckets of water. And, whatever your accent is, it certainly adds to your presentation :). Glad I found this channel. Subscribed!

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thank you Sid. Your support is very welcome. I have a lot more to share. My accent is South Western Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍👍👍

[@alaster33]

Great professional advice , i am just getting started , your tips will go a long way towards me getting off on the right foot ;-) many thanks

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thank you 🙏

[@yamalube88]

Good stuff, definitely will watch more! 👍

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thank you 👍👍👍

[@malinamalinovc]

very good instructions and teaching, I have no experience using clamped pedals on road but I practice in gym. Cause Im not used I don't know if clamped feet help me or cancel each other, for instance I find it easy to either push with both or pull with both feet, but I can't find that sweet perfect spot where both feet simultaniously in the perfect moment switch from pulling to pushing

[@jameslopez958]

Very helpful information Brother 😎. Thanks Coach ❤️✌️🤙

[@BulletproofCycling]

👍👍

[@dannysivananda5504]

Thank you for the lesson 👍

[@BulletproofCycling]

My pleasure Danny

[@emailForDye]

One thing I noticed when changing cadence, and I'm only speaking for myself, is that my left-right bias evens out under pressure, meaning as soon as there is some resistance, I'm pushing nearly 50% power to each crank. Under no load (aka recovery), I run about 54% power to the left crank. I also noticed under load that certain cadences are difficult to keep smooth for me. For instance, I rode a sub-threshold this morning with a cadence around 70 rpm. It felt like a wee bit jittery, but did smooth out after 10-15 seconds. At 85 rpms that jitteriness was not observable, so I'll keep working on the lower cadence smoothness when working my 70 rpm and sub-threshold.

[@BulletproofCycling]

Your cadence will be part muscle fibre make up and part fitness Terry. Research shows 88-92 rpm through the bottom dead spot helps the float over the top dead spot on other side. But this doesn’t mean everyone should aim to follow research! RPM of 60-70 in higher gear can help develop fibre strength and improve nervous control - cadence above normal range can assist with improving effective force (forces that are driving you forward) the goal is too always do what feels comfortable and train in areas that push up efficiency. Smooth pedalling saves fuel but everything is aiming to your goals. 👍👍👍

[@swimmer751]

Fantastic thank you for sharing! Trying this tomorrow.

[@BulletproofCycling]

Let me know how it goes 👍👍👍

[@swimmer751]

@@BulletproofCycling How does your page not have 100,000 subscribers? THANK YOU! Watching more of your videos for additional information I can learn and apply training.

[@BulletproofCycling]

@@swimmer751 that is very kind of you to say - thank you 🙏

[@cuban_cycling_passionjesus2925]

Thank you !!

[@BulletproofCycling]

👍🙏

[@lonekrintel7744]

You are answering my questions the moment the pop up in my head. Are you psychic? Now I know what to aim for. I was told by biking friends that 90 RPM was the goal but it doesn’t feel comfortable for me. Thank you for be so inspirational again. Have a nice weekend in lovely Scotland.

[@BulletproofCycling]

😂😂👍👍👍👍👍

[@imperceptible2108]

Recently discovered your channel and that's the best thing that happened to me, as a new cyclist. I found out that my cadence changes at different times during my ride, as i navigate different terrains. This sometimes forces me to change to a higher or lower gear. If i want to practice these drills on the road, what would be your advise, as to gearing and terrain, to enable me to perform these drills effectively? Apart from the one legged one, though. Thanks.

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thank you 🙏 the channel is fairly new so it’s slowly getting found. I appreciate you taking time to check it out and message. You sound like you are doing great. Cadence is always within a large range as you develop your fitness and cadence agility. Experiment with gearing more and try and avoid going into easy gears as often when you hit climbs etc. By using your gears correctly you can find that your cadence range will fall closer to what feels correct for you. So set some limits - eg 10 above and 10 below to start with 👍👍 the stronger you become the more you will gain confidence with gearing etc. Keep enjoying the ride 👍👍👍

[@cyclopedia134]

is it good to use 50-14 combination with 75rpm ? thanks ,by the way nice video

[@BulletproofCycling]

Hi Amel - your cadence is unique to you and comes from your fitness and a combination of muscle fibre combinations and flexibility (plus a few more bit I won’t bore you) Stick to what feels ‘comfortable’ - the gear you mentioned is big so I am guessing you have strong legs and possibly more fast twitch fibres that avg. just make sure you work on different cadence ranges for different terrains eg steeper hills. Bigger gears burn more fuel and higher cadence ranges (above 90rpm) require more oxygen. It’s a balancing act but have fun experimenting 👍👍 and keep just focusing on fitness gains and try and keep it simple and fun 👍

[@cyclopedia134]

@@BulletproofCycling thank you very much for this advice,i appreciate it,.thank you again and Godbless,.wish yoy have more wonderful videos to help beginners like me (y)

[@lisajenkins7692]

can you do single leg pulls without cleats?? I don't clip into my pedals so how to do that drill with flat pedals??

[@BulletproofCycling]

You can but needs good skill level

[@cathalkenneally1614]

I would like to get more from my turbo trainer but I don’t have a subscription to zwift etc. is it worthwhile getting one or are there more effective ways to get more out of a turbo trainer?

[@BulletproofCycling]

Is your turbo compatible with Zwift? Eg Smart Trainer? I actually have riders do my weekly live workouts with me who don’t have Zwift. If you have a clear plan of what time you have to go on your turbo then you certainly don’t need Zwift or any other app. Create your workouts even on a piece of paper. Then get on and spin. I am sure you already use music etc to create some stimulus. 👍👍👍

[@cathalkenneally1614]

@@BulletproofCycling yes it’s a wahoo kickr snap. Easy to set up but I don’t get enough time to do a decent workout on it. The longest I’ve ever done is 45 minutes. The good thing is it has dramatically improved my cadence

[@BulletproofCycling]

@@cathalkenneally1614 45 mins is a good time period. You can easily build VO2 and other metrics inside 30-40 min workouts. 👍

[@cathalkenneally1614]

@@BulletproofCycling My VO2 max is terrible. About 36 😢

[@BulletproofCycling]

@@cathalkenneally1614 that’s not terrible though - the main metric will always be how you feel! You will know when you are going well and can really enjoy your cycling and the fitness you gain really adds positive vibes to your everyday life👍

[@lisajenkins7692]

Hmm. cadence impacted by saddle height. So i'm short with long legs (if you can believe it), I've been fitted for my bike, but that fitting was based on my inability to balance on the bike (first time riding as an adult). So how do I know when the seat height is right? What is the hip to cleet length for optimal cadence??? How do I know when the seat height is right??

[@BulletproofCycling]

I see riders like this. You just have to experiment Lisa I am afraid. Ideally you want to check knee angle at bottom of the stroke. If your bike fitter could do that then you’ll know if you are in good range. End of the day it should feel right!!

[@lisajenkins7692]

@@BulletproofCycling adjusted the seat height based on one of your other vids (was VERY helpful and showed me what to do!). It was WAY too low. Now it's almost at its max. Took it for a test ride. Rode 7 mi and didn't feel the quads engaged once (hills and everything). And was not the least bit exhausted at the end of it. So I think I'm on the right track. Thanks for the help. I did a tri aquabike (and 1.5 years of training for it) with the old seat height and was spent at the end of it (just from the bike). Wish I'd known this sooner!

[@lisajenkins7692]

next question. What does it mean if (once adjusting the saddle height) you feel a bit of muscle tightness in the lower back and lower tummy? I don't think I was moving my upper body much during the ride. Is this normal?

[@lisajenkins7692]

@@BulletproofCycling just so you know I completed my first tri today. The seat adjustment was THE key! Thanks for the advice!

[@foxface04]

Love ur accent

[@BulletproofCycling]

😂😂👍👍👍

[@11356p]

Scott I am going to sound like a broken record but thank you!

[@BulletproofCycling]

I love your support. It means a lot to have comments. Really makes it worthwhile sharing my knowledge. You stay safe and keep spinning 👍👍👍

[@E4zyp34zyl3m0nsq33ZY]

where is peak torque supposed to be in the pedal stroke ?

[@BulletproofCycling]

Usually between 100-120 degrees on road bike

[@E4zyp34zyl3m0nsq33ZY]

@@BulletproofCycling thank you, what sorts of body/leg angles are we looking for as a guide at that point in the pedal stroke ? would you want your greatest amount of weight through the pedal at that point ?

[@BulletproofCycling]

@@E4zyp34zyl3m0nsq33ZY these are all unique to each rider and the type of bike they are on. Guides will have ranges of 10-20 degrees. If you are looking to set up for more power production then focus on efficient saddle height and saddle fore position. The most efficient saddle heights are lower than you think and fore positions that are closer to the bottom bracket. You want to have pelvis rolled off front of saddle so you drive through peak torque angle range and continue that drive through the sweep. So think of how you would stand on a tent peg!! Hope this helps 👍

[@E4zyp34zyl3m0nsq33ZY]

@@BulletproofCycling I haven't stood on many tent pegs tbf lol but I think I get the idea. In fact in think thats directly related to what I'm trying to get my head around. I'm doing mostly endurance riding at them moment on my road bike attacked to a turbo trainer usually 1 to 2 hours easy pace 3-4/10 effort as cross training for inline speed skating. I've done quite a few different sports (running jumping lifting among others) over the years and one thing I've noticed from the anatomical perspective is it seems like the same "power positions" keep cropping up in each sport, for example some kind of unilateral squat at varieties of different ranges where I can put all my weight directly down through. Of course the variability is forced by the limitations of the activity eg in the skating we load through the middle of the skate but its deeper than say running etc I'm trying to figure out what that should look like in cycling so I can get more comfortable and groove that pattern so it transfers better. Often cycling has left me feeling quite bound up afterwards so I think it's time to do something about it. It seems more obvious where I should be when I'm stood out of the saddle but less so when I'm in it. I figure theres a trade off there ....but anyway thats where the question comes from. thanks again !

[@kaifischer4861]

Really nice videos coach! Can you give me a training for the off Saison to build up power and even VO2 max without using an bike. What about running, rope skipping, HIIT workouts? Witch practice/workout would you recommend?

[@Jam789]

R u really at the age of 50? U look young

[@BulletproofCycling]

51 now Ed - good lighting in video 😂😂😂😂

[@Jam789]

@@BulletproofCycling your channel is awesome, I learn a lot

[@BulletproofCycling]

Thank you Ed

[@casuallycycling9339]

I think his joking around. He can’t be 50. He looks so much younger.

[@archiemanoto6355]

So many talks less demonstrations:(

[@BulletproofCycling]

Sorry you didn’t like the video but I appreciate the feedback

[@jameslopez958]

I struggle to find my Cadence! 👍 Tucson Arizona Desert 🏜️.

[@BulletproofCycling]

Very hot James - if you are part of Facebook group you should drop a pic in 👍👍