{"id":191110,"date":"2022-11-17T20:00:16","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T20:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=191110"},"modified":"2022-11-18T09:09:39","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T09:09:39","slug":"how-to-improve-your-cycling-torque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2022\/11\/17\/how-to-improve-your-cycling-torque\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Improve Your Cycling Torque?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cyclists talk about power more often than torque but both of these are important for performance. What does torque mean in cycling? Can you improve it? Let\u2019s take a look at a simple torque training session you can try on your next hilly ride or at home on your turbo-trainer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The difference between torque and power<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You hear torque often in discussions around cars because it measures the rotational force, or strength, of the car\u2019s engine. In cycling, it\u2019s similar. Torque measures the rotational force generated by the cyclist\u2019s legs and applied to the pedals during each pedal stroke. This might seem very similar to the definition of power. There\u2019s only one difference. You have to add up torque and cadence (rotational speed) to get your power output. This is exactly why playing around with a different cycling cadence is important when training torque.<\/p>\n

Torque training improves muscular strength<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You can think of torque training almost as strength training you can do on your bike. It helps develop neuromuscular pathways between the brain, your motor neurons, and the muscles. Building up this pathway is crucial for effective muscle recruitment. It\u2019s most commonly needed on long climbs or time trials where your cadence slowly drops or during sprints where high torque is used with high cadence.<\/p>\n

Create your own torque training session<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not hard to create your own torque session. Let\u2019s take a look at the three main components every good training session<\/a> should have \u2013 the warm-up, the main bit, and the cooldown. You can train torque no matter whether you\u2019re planning to ride outdoors or indoors.<\/p>\n

Warm-up<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A proper warm-up is always important. About 10 minutes of easy spinning should be enough indoors. Give it a bit more time outdoors, especially if the weather is cold, about 30 minutes should make your legs ready to push hard.<\/p>\n

Intervals<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  • Intervals that last between 4-10 minutes are best. You can start with just a few shorter ones and add more time and repetitions as you get more experienced.<\/li>\n
  • The best outdoors place for the intervals is a steady, steep climb with an 8-12% gradient. If you don\u2019t have that option, look for any climb with at least a 4-5% gradient to produce sufficient resistance.<\/li>\n
  • Select the lowest gear that still allows you to maintain a cadence of 40-60 rpm. If you\u2019re new to this, start with a higher cadence and decrease it as your legs get stronger. Don\u2019t try to go below 40 rpm as that will only result in sore knees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Cool down<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Always include some easy spinning to cool down after hard intervals. It will help you recover faster for your following rides in the week. The length can be similar to your warm-up.<\/p>\n

    Pushing a lot of torque is taxing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Adding these types of rides to your repertoire can be very rewarding. You are likely to see an impressive increase in power over the first few weeks of doing these. But keep in mind that torque training sessions are very demanding, they cause a fair amount of damage and fatigue in your leg muscles. That\u2019s why you want to taper these off in time before your next race. Also, while racing, opt for a higher gear during the majority of your climbs and save your legs for when you truly need to push.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Cyclists talk about power more often than torque but both of these are important for performance. What does torque mean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":191111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[6766,3305,6765],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-191110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-cycling-torque","tag-cycling-training","tag-how-to-improve-your-cycling-torque","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Improve Your Cycling Torque? - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cyclists talk about power more often than torque but both of these are important for performance. What does torque mean in cycling? 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