The Wim Hof Method: Physical training that changed my life.

Damn. Impressive, mate.

As for cold tub soaks-- I find it easier than anticipated, but hope that is a result of focused preparation. I take a good 20 minutes of breathing first until I can trigger tinnitus and feel the energy flowing in my circulatory system. I like to enter cold when my ears are ringing.

Keep breathing. Get out when you want. Getting out when the needles stop and the pain goes away is a good point. (like 1-3 minutes?) I had my wife present the first time I dunked myself in an ice bath simply because it was kind of scary. Like-- "Am I going to have a heart attack? I've never done this before."

I think it's reasonable to be scared of it. There is very little in our daily lives that says getting into an ice bath is probably a good idea. It's not until after we undergo the training and conversion of our metabolism & brown fat that the cold begins to call us.

And don't expect any miracles. I think simply getting in, not dying, and learning you can still function enough to get yourself out is probably an accomplishment for the first time.

Good luck. Slow and steady. Play the long game.

Many thanks!

I thought I was done losing weight but I hit another all-time low yesterday at 63.8kilos / 140lbs. I don't know how much further this can go at 5'9". I've probably lost muscle at this point. I know I'm not as active once the snow melts. And even though I feel rad, I can't help but think I should be implementing some heavier workouts.

I've never been on this end of the spectrum before-- designing workout plans to gain weight, as opposed to shed it.

Eat more, and eat more often lift heavy. less cardio. it's really simple: more calories consumed than burned = weight gain.

Attachment 183628
Get em while they're cold

Yeah, Chiller! I wish I was there. Ice gets expensive quick.

I've been trying to find some experiences of women who've undertaken Wim Hof's training but I keep ending up on this site. I'm on week 3 but I started the ice baths in week 2 and I'm really liking them. I'm very curious about your weight loss experience and wondering if women might experience similar results. Has your wife tried the method?

Gaijun! Evil Russian Tank game creators!

Seriously- Breathing exercises and meditation, are the key elements to a focused body and mind.
I heal at superhuman speed ..and feel absolutely awesome ,when I am engaged in these practices.

Cold weather therapy sounds intensely sik>i'll stik to reading that one
(though- I know 1st hand from standing on a bus stop for many winters-at 5 am-in zero degree temps- that coping with intense cold can strengthen -in that cold your muscles fire up involuntarily and it is a sort of work out )

I see a few you say .." I can't get it cold enough in a hotel" errrr>take the garbage can>remove the bag> and fil it at the ice machine>usually there is beers under the ice,not peoples:)

LOL you credulous fuckers are getting mega trolled here.

Been dong this daily since early May 2016. After really hard workours, I follow a cold shower with a cold soak in the tub.

Am really glad I discovered this here on TGR.

PS--I met a guy who played safety for the Philly Eagles. He said the cold soak was mandatory and really beneficial.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by m491ab

Has your wife tried the method?

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No. She's tried but hates cold water and can't be bothered.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by charles martel

Been dong this daily since early May 2016. After really hard workours, I follow a cold shower with a cold soak in the tub.

Am really glad I discovered this here on TGR.

PS--I met a guy who played safety for the Philly Eagles. He said the cold soak was mandatory and really beneficial.

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^^^ so true... watchin nfl, Is where I got my therapy when injured or super sore muscles.
Basically ,you want to reduce swelling as quick as possible..but, to promote cell regeneration>heat seems to be applied right after the cold.

A Hot bath right after ,the cold one ,would be most beneficial in my opinion.
The process can be repeated as you want..everything in life is a process..then we get processed; you process that?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baron

^^^ so true... watchin nfl, Is where I got my therapy when injured or super sore muscles.
Basically ,you want to reduce swelling as quick as possible..but, to promote cell regeneration>heat seems to be applied right after the cold.

A Hot bath right after ,the cold one ,would be most beneficial in my opinion.
The process can be repeated as you want..everything in life is a process..then we get processed; you process that?

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Yup.

Gonna try your suggestion. Thx.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gaijin

No. She's tried but hates cold water and can't be bothered.

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I took a 20 minute ice bath tonight and did 4 rounds of breathing in the bath, then I did another round out and did 21 pushups. That might not seem like a lot but I do decline pushups, with my feet up, so they're a bit tougher. The most pushups I ever did before Wim Hof at once were 15 in a row, so 21 is pretty good for me. I'm really liking the ice baths, like someone wrote somewhere, I feel like I'm seeking out the cold water now, which is weird because when I started the method I was only going to do the breathing part.

I'm so grateful you wrote your original post ~ not only are you a very good writer, it was one of a couple of things that inspired me to start the Wim Hof course. I hope I have the same results you do but I suppose it will depend on how much brown fat I have to begin with and if I'm able to increase the amount or not, plus women apparently have less brown fat than men (I think I read that somewhere).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baron

^^^ so true... watchin nfl, Is where I got my therapy when injured or super sore muscles.
Basically ,you want to reduce swelling as quick as possible..but, to promote cell regeneration>heat seems to be applied right after the cold.

A Hot bath right after ,the cold one ,would be most beneficial in my opinion.
The process can be repeated as you want..everything in life is a process..then we get processed; you process that?

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Bod did not like mixing hot and cold. Going to stick with just cold for now.

Thanks for the idea, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by m491ab

... I feel like I'm seeking out the cold water now, which is weird because when I started the method I was only going to do the breathing part ...

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Yes, for sure, the for me. Keep it up.

Would one of the Original Gangsters be so kind as to write out the basics of the breathing /cold water process over 10 weeks?


I very interested in the pro gram but not ready to spend $200

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iwoody808

Would one of the Original Gangsters be so kind as to write out the basics of the breathing /cold water process over 10 weeks?


I very interested in the pro gram but not ready to spend $200

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Haven't you been following along? Sharing cheese fries, ski passes, and knowledge is immoral.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zartagen

Haven't you been following along? Sharing cheese fries, ski passes, and knowledge is immoral.

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breathe > freeze> breathe > try not to give yourself a heart attack ,if you are not quite in decent athletic condition> send me 50$ for the info, is fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baron

breathe > freeze> breathe > try not to give yourself a heart attack ,if you are not quite in decent athletic condition> send me 50$ for the info, is fine.

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Get a life Jong

Looking like this is a obligatory blog by peoples involved w the program...or they would share info freely,hence my previous post's sarcasm .

Go sell your worthless program elsewhere...ice therapy only works on a small percent of the public..its a DNA trait ,that allows it to work, in few cases...or the polar bear clubs would have a zillion members.

Ice therapy is a proven way to heal injuries though....alternating ice/heat promotes cell regeneration , and helps blood flow ...I healed a 90%tore calf muscle / hamstring tear without hospital B S. There is old thread in medical section w picture- just about my whole leg was purple except the knee and foot. Heat pad/ice/ heat pad /ice/I lived w my leg wrapped in the heat pad almost 2 weeks..swappin ice on it, as much as I could...i'd rather break a bone>when a muscle goes pop, and it takes way longer to heal.

Bust out some info for those who ask>u can PM them ,if you don't want to post the thing u supposedly paid for...or get DraggeD under the Bridge ,as a Troll.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baron

Looking like this is a obligatory blog by peoples involved w the program...or they would share info freely,hence my previous post's sarcasm .

Go sell your worthless program elsewhere...ice therapy only works on a small percent of the public..its a DNA trait ,that allows it to work, in few cases...or the polar bear clubs would have a zillion members.

Ice therapy is a proven way to heal injuries though....alternating ice/heat promotes cell regeneration , and helps blood flow ...I healed a 90%tore calf muscle / hamstring tear without hospital B S. There is old thread in medical section w picture- just about my whole leg was purple except the knee and foot. Heat pad/ice/ heat pad /ice/I lived w my leg wrapped in the heat pad almost 2 weeks..swappin ice on it, as much as I could...i'd rather break a bone>when a muscle goes pop, and it takes way longer to heal.

Bust out some info for those who ask>u can PM them ,if you don't want to post the thing u supposedly paid for...or get DraggeD under the Bridge ,as a Troll.

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Is this ^^ directed at me? Re-read page one. Then read the whole thread. All of your questions have already been addressed.

I'll chime in as another guy who got turned onto this regime by gaijin. (thanks gaijin... If you're ever in seattle, I'll buy you a meal.)

Signed up on 4/15/16, took the course... still doing most of it (the cold and the breathing, at least). Changed my life. Started at 5'9", 202 pounds... total dad bod despite being a pescatarian. Never lost any weight, even when I tried to cut out beer, be more active, gym, hikes, etc. My weight loss kicked in around week 7 but I was feeling the effects on my headspace right around week one. Right now, I'm around 175 pounds and have stayed that way for months. My wife is now doing it, too.

I'm not sure if it reset my metabolism or if it's all mental. I know I do less compulsive / stress eating after doing WH and on days when I don't do it, I definitely find myself more stressed, eating more, etc. Doing a bunch of pushups every day (part of the program) can't hurt, either.

$200 bucks is a lot of money but it was seriously one of the best decisions I've ever made. And way cheaper than the Crossfit courses, etc that I've tried in the past but ultimately dropped out of. The fact that it's a one time fee and WH doesn't try to upsell you on anything is great, too.

If you want to do the course for free, you could definitely get 90% of the whole thing just by doing some serious yoga, downloading the WH Innerfire app for the breating ($5) and doing the cold water stuff outlined here and on hundreds of YouTube videos. But for me personally, I probably would have dropped out if I tried that... Though Wim isn't a great instructor on all fronts, it helped to have a coursework to follow and to take baby steps along the way on the stretching, cold, etc.. But if you're on a serious budget, the knowledge is all out there for free. For me, though... it was money well spent and I'm glad to support Wim. Thanks again, gaijin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by baron

Looking like this is a obligatory blog by peoples involved w the program...or they would share info freely,hence my previous post's sarcasm .

Go sell your worthless program elsewhere...ice therapy only works on a small percent of the public..its a DNA trait ,that allows it to work, in few cases...or the polar bear clubs would have a zillion members.

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Well, it can ne just cold and not ice, shower and not soak.

Fuck yourself with the usual TGR "I'm a big boy and can tell people off" stuff.

Got it, bitch?

Gaijin thx for this post. I agree with the person who said u really r a good and thoughtful writer.

Day 4 report and questions for those like Charles who r sticking w program.

30 breaths...it seems as if speed of cycle important and not a full inhale cycle. It seems as if win suggests focusing on inhale fully and not full exhale.

I've also tried it focusing on exhaling fully. Which is it?

Second question is it important to integrate push ups or yoga during breath hold at some point?

Hoping to stick with it but not ready to pay $200 for someone who's been described as a poor teacher

TIA!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iwoody808

30 breaths...it seems as if speed of cycle important and not a full inhale cycle. It seems as if win suggests focusing on inhale fully and not full exhale.

I've also tried it focusing on exhaling fully. Which is it?

Second question is it important to integrate push ups or yoga during breath hold at some point?

TIA!

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Also research Tummo breathing, as it's nearly the same thing.

Full & fairly fast inhales and relaxed exhales. You're trying to saturate your body with O2 as much as possible... so gobble those inhales.

I do generally do pushups after my 5th round. I exhale, hold, begin pushups, inhale around #45, hold, breathing normally around #55, then try to get to my max... which is 85. Sometimes I can only get 65.

After that I begin my normal yoga/stretching/lifting routines while still breathing deeply and holding/exhaling on poses, etc.

This is legit! I've got a few friends from my mma gym that do the wim Hoff stuff along with cold plunges....all winter long! They swear by it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gaijin

Also research Tummo breathing, as it's nearly the same thing.

Full & fairly fast inhales and relaxed exhales. You're trying to saturate your body with O2 as much as possible... so gobble those inhales.

I do generally do pushups after my 5th round. I exhale, hold, begin pushups, inhale around #45, hold, breathing normally around #55, then try to get to my max... which is 85. Sometimes I can only get 65.

After that I begin my normal yoga/stretching/lifting routines while still breathing deeply and holding/exhaling on poses, etc.

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Mahalo origato gracias.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=P...&v=gKgUE76udK4

[physiologist]
Regardless of whether the method creates change within your body, the basic science in the above video (and quoted in many other places) is incorrect.

1. CO2 concentration is the main driver for breathing. When hyperventilating CO2 levels are indeed low which is the direct reason you can hold your breath longer.
2. pH changes are due to the bicarbonate buffering system.
HCO3+H <--> H2C03 <--> CO2 + H20

When you blow off excess CO2, Bicarbonate (HC03) will bind with H+ (acid!) to resume balance in the equation.

You can do more push-ups because you are further form the critical limit of acidity.

3. At higher pH, blood has a great affinity for oxygen. This is helpful because the longs have a higher pH which means oxygen that you just breathed in wants to stick to the red blood cell (RBC). When that blood circulates to the working muscle it encounters a lower pH environment and the RBC has less affinity for oxygen which causes it to fall off and into the muscle. The process repeats. However, when you raise the pH of the entire body, the RBC retains its affinity for oxygen and is less likely to offload it (which is precisely why your oxygen saturation increases). It doesn't want to give the oxygen up to the tissue.

4. Why do you think you get light headed with the breathing method?

5. Lactate is NOT associated with increases in pH. The appearance of the hydrogen ion is from the cleavage of ATP, not the production of lactate.

6. Increases in Lactate are NOT due to lack of oxygen at rest
Lactate is the obligatory byproduct of glycolysis prior being converted into pyruvate and continuing into the krebs / TCA cycle. If you are burning carbohydrate, you are creating lactate.



I enter the book on Page 43

[/physiologist]

Interesting thread. A touring partner of mine recommended WH to me a couple of months ago. Not that I wasn't keeping my own but he got into this last year to help his running and said the breathing method worked wonders for him. I'll have to take the time to read through this whole thing and get a better sense of it. And no, he doesn't sell the system, just giving me a tip. From what I've found so far, sounds legit and worth exploring.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XtrPickels

[physiologist]
Regardless of whether the method creates change within your body, the basic science in the above video (and quoted in many other places) is incorrect.

1. CO2 concentration is the main driver for breathing. When hyperventilating CO2 levels are indeed low which is the direct reason you can hold your breath longer.
2. pH changes are due to the bicarbonate buffering system.
HCO3+H <--> H2C03 <--> CO2 + H20

When you blow off excess CO2, Bicarbonate (HC03) will bind with H+ (acid!) to resume balance in the equation.

You can do more push-ups because you are further form the critical limit of acidity.

3. At higher pH, blood has a great affinity for oxygen. This is helpful because the longs have a higher pH which means oxygen that you just breathed in wants to stick to the red blood cell (RBC). When that blood circulates to the working muscle it encounters a lower pH environment and the RBC has less affinity for oxygen which causes it to fall off and into the muscle. The process repeats. However, when you raise the pH of the entire body, the RBC retains its affinity for oxygen and is less likely to offload it (which is precisely why your oxygen saturation increases). It doesn't want to give the oxygen up to the tissue.

4. Why do you think you get light headed with the breathing method?

5. Lactate is NOT associated with increases in pH. The appearance of the hydrogen ion is from the cleavage of ATP, not the production of lactate.

6. Increases in Lactate are NOT due to lack of oxygen at rest
Lactate is the obligatory byproduct of glycolysis prior being converted into pyruvate and continuing into the krebs / TCA cycle. If you are burning carbohydrate, you are creating lactate.



I enter the book on Page 43

[/physiologist]

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Yo, this is an awesome contribution! Thank you!

@GoldMember-- I'm a HS teacher and taught the breathing to a few track-and-field kids. One stuck with it 5x a week and says he loves it a year later. Then he won regionals.

Furthermore, this download (which may require you to register to her site) is a 20-page outline of a lot of cold therapy. Super interesting to me is the documented application of cold to increase mitochondria production in endurance athletes... as well as the harm cold does to body builders. (fast twitch vs slow twitch.)

This is also a rad find-- An Unexpected New Lung Function Has Been Found - They Make Blood

*edited to add-- Rhonda Patrick's site (which may or may not require you to register for the .pdf above) is an amazing resource. She is legit and I posted her in here before. She dives deep.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gaijin

Did you ever get sick around week two/three? All members of a group of five I'm coaching all got the flu at week two. It was a textbook detox & immune system trigger for them.

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Hello gaijin

a few questions about this point.

I was never sick in over lets say 1.5 yrs.
started doing the Wim Hof breathing and cold showers last Wednesday/Thursday
got a sore throat basically at day 2, and since yesterday I got cold/flu like symptoms, basically everything but fever.
I do kinda feel as if I had fever though.

What kinda symptoms did the ppl in your group get?
What kinda detox do you think it is?
How long did it take them to feel better and did the symptoms ever come back?
And how long is the duration of your showers?

My longest was 3 minutes but I feel the water here is pretty damn cold.

I did the cold shower this morning, won't do it tomorrow, I will go to the sauna/steam bath tomorrow though.

I thought I will wait until I feel better and then give the showers another try, still doing the breathing though.
And if I get the symptoms again after a few days then the cold showers might not be for me.

Found your post through google and registered to ask you about it, I mean of course if you guys train together its not unusual that you all got the cold.

But yea man cheers

Hof's training starts people at 10 seconds for their first week of cold showers. Then 30 seconds at week two. It's a slow build up. Maybe you went too hard, too early. It took me a few months to get to the point of no longer using warm water at all for a relief.

My water today was 7degrees celsius out of the tap and I can see my breath after a few minutes in the shower. It gets down to 3 in February. That's fairly brutal and feels like needles. The difference between 7 and 3 feels bigger than it looks on paper. I don't time them, they're just standard showers. Maybe 8-10 minutes? Sometimes I'm strong and will just stand there, though, because it feels awesome.

My group of five all got the flu. Body aches, stuffy nose, and a fever.

I think the detox is from the breathing, saturating your mitochondria with O2 and "cleansing" them... for lack of a better word. That's Hof's theory, anyway. But the symptoms were generally mild and never came back for us. But it is really common for people who begin the breathing to get sick around week two. It's standard knowledge in Hof's training and his clients' facebook threads.

I haven't been sick since and it's been about 18 months. I have successfully "breathed away" a few almost-colds, though. That's always wild. I'll feel it coming at some point in the day and then feel better after breathing. My Doctor clients through work with whom I'm good friends say I've mastered the self-placebo skill. Maybe?! I'll take it.

And, we don't train together, per se. By "coaching", I mean explaining it and they go home and do it on their own.

Just go at your own pace. Don't force anything with the cold. Cold water is brutal. But that's kind of why it's good for you.

Alright thanks gaijin.
I feel better now, hope it stays that way.
Read somewhere from a guy that he actually got more sick since doing the technique, especially the cold.

Pretty sure if there were any facts behind any of this we would have...facts (as in actual scientific evidence).

Anything that relies on 'detox' immediately has me thinking it's bullshit, doubly so for something that 'saturates mitochondria' with oxygen.

IME, if you are skeptical about these kinds of things you will find that the skepticism is well placed 99% of the time. Some people may believe it's good for you (and I guess claiming it is has made this Wim guy some money), but I have no idea after reading this why you would accept the hypothesis that cold water is good for you. Next week someone will probably be trying to make money off of a hot water program.

Did the cryo chamber thing this past weekend, going again today...don't know what it is but...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki

Anything that relies on 'detox' immediately has me thinking it's bullshit, doubly so for something that 'saturates mitochondria' with oxygen.

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No doubt some of the explanations of the physiological mechanisms at play are pseudoscience at best or flat wrong at worst. The video posted upthread is pretty egregious as XtrPickles noted, and he didn't even point out all the inaccuracies. That said...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki

Some people may believe it's good for you (and I guess claiming it is has made this Wim guy some money), but I have no idea after reading this why you would accept the hypothesis that cold water is good for you.

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Come on man. Just about any acute physical stress is good for you, and it is not news that cold exposure produces physical benefits similar to exercise, such as improved insulin sensitivity (http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v21...s/nm.3891.html) and stimulation of brown fat growth (https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0623091949.htm). As a skier, the potential benefits of improved cold tolerance ought to be obvious.

The breathing is legit. I've really only dabbled, but highly recommend it if you want to alter your mental state without exogenous substances. It can get very intense.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dexter Rutecki

Next week someone will probably be trying to make money off of a hot water program.

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That's called the hot tub/sauna/hot spring industry. "Passive heating" is good for you too: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cr...rcise-similar/

I share Dexter's skepticism about these kinds of things and generally don't have the time or interest to explore them. During the winter, when I'm tinkering with shit at night, I'll throw on a podcast and I found this interesting:

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2017/0...cold-exposure/