Glutes - basic drill

The glutes can only contribute power effectively from 1:00 to 4:00, extending the femur down from the hip.

Position: Glutes hinge from the hip, back must be flat(ish), center of gravity should be above the pedal, assuming there is enough resistance on the pedal to support the body weight. This is simple physics, the force of gravity on the upper body is transferred to the pedal - there must be upper body displacement for this to work. The only work done by the rider should be bringing the upper body back up before the next pedal stroke.

The basic drill involves learning how to fall into the pedals, then correcting the timing.  Falling into the pedals is first a question of fit, your center of gravity should be directly over the pedal at 3:00. The second part is shutting down your reflex to not fall and allow your full body weight to push the pedal down. The third part is adjusting the timing so you’re only pushing down from 1:00 to 4:00. This goes against everything you’ve learned in life because in walking or standing your weight always goes on the bottom.  Cadence for the basic glutes drill is determined by physics. You have a certain body weight, the pedals have a certain amount of resistance, gravity is a constant.