Standing positions during your ride should be as close to your perfect seated position as possible. “Don't stand and lean forward," Figueroa says. "As soon as you come forward, all the work goes into your knee joint, which doesn’t allow the power of your muscles in the hip joint to take over." When you stand, you should still feel the nose of the saddle bumping against the back of the inner thighs, he explains.
The two standing positions you'll use:
Standing run: Many riders mistakenly focus on speed in this position and end up bouncing up and down, Figueroa says. “Hold your body steady and focus on equally pushing down and pulling up, working through a solid core."
Standing climb: Since this position requires much heavier resistance, your body weight needs to change, Figueroa says. “In outdoor cycling, you would actually tilt the handlebars to the side, so in this case, shift your body weight over each individual down stroke of the pedal… The further back your weight is, the more you’ll use the muscles in your hips—every pedal stroke is a single-leg squat."
