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

[Dantheman]

Watched the mini class videos yesterday and tried out a couple of the breathing cycles. First two tries I did breath holds of 1:45 and 2:20. I've never held my breath anywhere remotely close to 2:20 before. Felt super energized afterwards too. Time to read the e-book.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Watched the mini class videos yesterday and tried out a couple of the breathing cycles. First two tries I did breath holds of 1:45 and 2:20. I've never held my breath anywhere remotely close to 2:20 before. Felt super energized afterwards too. Time to read the e-book.

Are these vids and e-book part of the paid program?

[Dantheman]

Nope, free.

[east or bust]

I just got 1:30 partially intoxicated, any longer would have been painful.

[gaijin]

Just for those curious, this is where my exhaled retention times have plateaued to a daily standard--

Round 1) 1:00 or 1:15
Round 2) 1:15 or 1:30
Round 3) 1:30 or 1:45
Round 4) 1:45 or 2:00

If I miss a day, it's hard to break two minutes. If I do two sessions in one day, I can often get to 2:30. I have gone so high as 3:30 a few times, but at those times I was so far out of it I don't know where I went or if I passed out.

But again, not forcing things is important. It's not about personal records, but rather about feeling your body shift from an O2 saturation to a CO2 saturation. It has a sensation. Mitochondria firing off ATP has a sensation. Pinning your pineal gland with O2 often results in a light show.

The deep inhale & hold after retention is one of the best feelings I have ever been able to achieve. But I generally max that out at 1:00... 15-30 seconds is usually enough for me. Those moments get heavy. I've seen stories unfold before my closed eyes. Others have reported breaking down in tears.

I have a good yoga/surf/skate/snow friend who does the breath training with inhale retentions and breaks 5:00 on a daily basis because he finds it relaxing. But he's an absolute chicken-shit about cold water.

[KenJongIll]

I was just about to pull the trigger after reading this bread and watching a few videos...had the PayPal page up and loaded. Then decided to see if he posted a discount code in the AMA. Lol, reading the AMA, made me back off. Still might do it though.

[2stix]

I was just about to pull the trigger after reading this bread and watching a few videos...had the PayPal page up and loaded. Then decided to see if he posted a discount code in the AMA. Lol, reading the AMA, made me back off. Still might do it though.

What's the AMA?

[Dantheman]

What's the AMA?

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/commen...he_iceman_ama/

[gaijin]

I was just about to pull the trigger after reading this bread and watching a few videos...had the PayPal page up and loaded. Then decided to see if he posted a discount code in the AMA. Lol, reading the AMA, made me back off. Still might do it though.

What, specifically, killed it for you in the AMA? I think he got his ass handed to him, but I also think those who did the ass-handing are taking him out of context to suit their own agenda, as is common with any troll on a mission.

Have you found anyone who has finished the course claiming it to be BS?

Have you researched meditation, cold exposure, or immune system regulation away from Hof-related content?

[KenJongIll]

No. Took a cold shower this AM and it felt great....how's that for scientific examination? Your testimony was convincing. I hope I have th fortitude to complete the program.

[FJ62]

I'm on week four, day three. I haven't lost any weight (gaijin, curious if that happened immediately or when the exercises ramped up or if you're just super active to begin with?) but I can definitely feel the difference.

My current take: I feel better and stronger. I'm less hungry than I was before: I used to eat a light breakfast, go out for a coffee break, then do lunch promptly at 12. Now, around 2pm I think "I should probably eat something" but I'm not truly hungry even then and def. don't need the coffee like I used to. Maybe just all mental and reduced stress via meditation or maybe something else is at play.

I do enjoy the hour of routine each morning, even though Wim is a so-so teacher on some of the exercises. Week four ramped up in a big way, too. English isn't always his strong suit (this def. came out in the AMA, too). Eventually, though, you learn to figure it out and follow your body's cues. I do like the videos, though, and don't think I would have lasted this long just trying to figure it out off the breathing videos or the app. I probably will need to lose a few lbs before I can actually hold a Raven pose for 30 secs but you never know...

The cold - I'm getting used to it. I don't feel the energy / power / draw that Wim speaks of but I am impressed that every day it gets a little easier to do it.

So I keep going.... Frankly I'm just excited to have a new routine that I've been able to stick to on a daily basis for a month. In the past, I've dropped out of Crossfit, gyms, etc after just a couple of weekly sessions. I'm proud of myself for that minor feat.

The AMA didn't do him much justice. I've also been bummed out by the private Facebook group: Seems to be a lot of grumpy/skeptic Euros/Russians combined with daily posters who just want to brag about their stats. I was thinking it'd be more of a community, questions answered from Wim's team, etc. Seems to be mostly people who joined despite ever buying or really trying the program.

[gaijin]

I'm on week four, day three. I haven't lost any weight (gaijin, curious if that happened immediately or when the exercises ramped up or if you're just super active to begin with?) but I can definitely feel the difference.

My current take: I feel better and stronger. I'm less hungry than I was before: I used to eat a light breakfast, go out for a coffee break, then do lunch promptly at 12. Now, around 2pm I think "I should probably eat something" but I'm not truly hungry even then and def. don't need the coffee like I used to. Maybe just all mental and reduced stress via meditation or maybe something else is at play.

I do enjoy the hour of routine each morning, even though Wim is a so-so teacher on some of the exercises. Week four ramped up in a big way, too. English isn't always his strong suit (this def. came out in the AMA, too). Eventually, though, you learn to figure it out and follow your body's cues. I do like the videos, though, and don't think I would have lasted this long just trying to figure it out off the breathing videos or the app. I probably will need to lose a few lbs before I can actually hold a Raven pose for 30 secs but you never know...

The cold - I'm getting used to it. I don't feel the energy / power / draw that Wim speaks of but I am impressed that every day it gets a little easier to do it.

So I keep going.... Frankly I'm just excited to have a new routine that I've been able to stick to on a daily basis for a month. In the past, I've dropped out of Crossfit, gyms, etc after just a couple of weekly sessions. I'm proud of myself for that minor feat.

The AMA didn't do him much justice. I've also been bummed out by the private Facebook group: Seems to be a lot of grumpy/skeptic Euros/Russians combined with daily posters who just want to brag about their stats. I was thinking it'd be more of a community, questions answered from Wim's team, etc. Seems to be mostly people who joined despite ever buying or really trying the program.

My weight loss began when the cold showers got real. The first few weeks they were pretty short, but around week 4 or 6 or something, if I recall, is when they got longer. That triggered the metabolic shift and white fat to brown fat transfer. That metabolic shift might be why you aren't very hungry in the mornings recently. I went through a similar phase but I have since flipped it, whereas I now eat 90% of my food between 10-noon. No dinner anymore.

Super stoked to hear you are sticking to a new routine. This program is all about commitment and patience. Physiological changes are slow.

I don't do much of Wim's yoga, as I already have my own stretches and mild weight lifting for my shoulders. But I do find myself breathing completely differently now during my stretching-- compared to the last 15ish years.

And that Facebook group used to be limited to those who paid for the course. But I think the manager of the page got a bit overwhelmed by the amount of requests and just ended up doing bulk acceptances. Yes, I think it has deteriorated over recent months. Just ask when you want, veterans will chime in.

As for getting used to the cold, or feeling the draw... be patient, but push it. Bring ice buckets into the shower to dunk limbs while taking a break from the cold shower.

Cold shower. Rest. Dunk limbs. Cold shower again. The second cold shower should feel warm... or it will begin to in time. Those limb dunks trigger a lot.

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.

Have fun! Keep us posted.

[FJ62]

Thanks. That's interesting intel.

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.

Nah, I haven't gotten sick. I've actually felt pretty energized. My caloric intake is definitely down from a month ago but I'm still drinking beer / wine.

[charles martel]

I just started this after reading about it here, checking some stuff out on Youtube and a good article I found online.

Five days in with this, I really like this program.

I do two showers a day, first on waking and later at night. I do the breathing once a day.

I am much more energetic, my appetite has lessened and my general inflammation has decreased.

As I get more into thus, I plan to intrgrate my Qi Gong and Hatha Yoga jnto this.

Thanks for posting this.

[gaijin]

IBS? I don't know if it'll cure, but it sure as hell can't hurt... and will likely reduce inflammation and other symptoms. So...

Thumbs up to you, Charles! Keep it up. I'd be super stoked to hear your impressions as you move forward.

In case you didn't read it earlier-- this program is giving you a detox that might trigger an immune system over-reaction... resulting in a cold, flu, or for me-- an eczema flair up. It generally happens around week two. Take a break, if you need, but do start again.

The latest from Wim--
http://www.collective-evolution.com/...roving-it-too/

I just had the biggest, most nerve-wracking presentation of my life here in Japan, in Japanese, in front of medical professionals. The topic is not related to this thread, but I must admit to you all that I took a solid 30 minutes prior my presentation to simply breathe because I knew how much it would calm me. After the first 24 hours at this conference acting as a translator, being constantly stressed out at having to face rapid-fire new language and context in live time, I have wanted nothing less than being alone to breathe.

Sadly I used to drink like mad at these events to soothe the nerves. /Thanks Wim. This is better.

[charles martel]

Thanks. Will keep you posted on how it progresses.

[gaijin]

Kelly Slater...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFYPQOZTbE1/

[FJ62]

Kelly Slater...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFYPQOZTbE1/

gaijin, Any idea what is actually going on here? Is this one of the workouts that happens in the second half of the program? Assuming it's some sort of breath holding while jumping exercise?

I got a digital thermometer and realized that my coldest shower setting isn't all that cold (70 degrees). So I ordered one of these from Amazon. Figured I could fill a bucket with water and some ice and bring down the temps.. or just take it into Puget Sound, use it and save water (I'm starting to feel a little guilty about all these long showers and water waste).

[gaijin]

gaijin, Any idea what is actually going on here? Is this one of the workouts that happens in the second half of the program? Assuming it's some sort of breath holding while jumping exercise?

No, that workout was not in my program. I think it's at one of Wim's retreats. I don't know any more than you. But when I saw it I laughed... "Yup, that's about right."

Good call on the shower pump. Wasting water is hard to justify. I miss winter temps already.

[Ridgehippy]

Been following thread for a bit and had started working on some breathing and transitioning to colder showers. Interestingly enough, my hot water heater went tits-up a few days ago and the switch to a tankless system is taking a few days; guess that's one way to get from here to there :-)

[KenJongIll]

Been following the thread and hacking my way through some breathing and cold showers. Haven't bought the course yet, though I might.
I've been trying to do a breathing exercise once per day, cold shower, twice a day. I think im slowly getting more acclimated to the cold shower. Tonight at my hotel, I actually couldn't get the water cold enough to be uncomfortable other than initially. I look forward to hearing others reports.
As an aside, I'm pretty much a daily drinker. And pretty heavy by normal standards. A bottle and a half of wine a night is common. My wife has a medical issue and is supposed to lay off the booze for a while, so of course she's asked me to join her. I haven't had a drink since Friday night. I could not tell you the last time I went that long with no alcohol. Ive also been trying to walk or get on the treadmill daily.
So, while none of this is directly related to Win Hof, it is funny how it's all come together at the same time.

A question. I saw one of those Cryotherapy salons tonight where I'm traveling. Does that not provide the same benefit as what Hof is preaching? Granted you gotta pay, but was wondering if it's an option and more efficient. I've never done it.

[gaijin]

A question. I saw one of those Cryotherapy salons tonight where I'm traveling. Does that not provide the same benefit as what Hof is preaching? Granted you gotta pay, but was wondering if it's an option and more efficient. I've never done it.

In one of the interviews (Tim Ferriss ?) cryotherapy tanks came up. But I think the consensus was that cold water was likely more efficient due simply to the physics. But there hasn't been a study yet that I know of. That said, there is a reason cryotherapy is so popular.

Here is another summary & graphic to help understand the benefits of cold:
http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0...showall%3Dtrue

And, a fairly detailed overview of published literature--
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049052/

Last week I was at a conference for four days in Kyoto staying on the 5th floor of a big hotel. I missed cold water when there. Sure, I could set the tap on cold, but the plumbing up to the 5th floor warmed the ground water to a point where it was noticeably warmer and I found it odd for the first time in my life to truly miss cold water.

No joke-- the first thing I did when I got back home (up north) was sit in cold water.

[ddsnake]

I checked out the "Wim Hof method revealed" link someone posted and tried it for the first time. After the breathing exercises, I achieved a breath hold of 3m49s.... first try.
The breathing exercise works, because my previous record was 3m12s, and that was after many attempts a few yrs ago.
I achieved these times in a relaxed state, sitting with my eyes closed, not watching the stopwatch and only opening my eyes right before I stop.
I have not tried the cold stuff yet, but look forward to trying it as well and will try to continue with the breathing.
It's interesting to learn about this and hear other peoples experiences.

[Dantheman]

Watched the mini class videos yesterday and tried out a couple of the breathing cycles. First two tries I did breath holds of 1:45 and 2:20. I've never held my breath anywhere remotely close to 2:20 before. Felt super energized afterwards too. Time to read the e-book.

Finally read the e-book Friday and it was a waste of time. It's clearly written by a non-native English speaker, but that's not the problem. I was hoping for some more in-depth instruction on the breathing and cold exposure, but it just describes the benefits you can receive from practicing the method and gets pretty repetitive in places.

I realized awhile after my above post that I was screwing up and was inhaling some before holding, hence why the times were fairly long on my first try. After my post on 5/9 I didn't try doing the breathing again until Saturday when I found myself with a tweaked back and a cold, so laying on the floor breathing and holding my breath sounded like a good plan B on an otherwise busted weekend. After three days of doing it properly, my exhaled retention times are in line with what gaijin posted. First round has been a bit under a minute, and each round gets 15-20 seconds longer. Best so far is 1:56. Times on the subsequent inhaled hold have been about 1:00-1:30.

I've been doing five rounds, four with the exhale/inhale retentions and on the last one going straight to an inhale retention just for the hell of it to see how long I can go. Yesterday it was 2:56. It's pretty crazy holding your breath long enough that it would otherwise cause brain damage.

The deep inhale & hold after retention is one of the best feelings I have ever been able to achieve. But I generally max that out at 1:00... 15-30 seconds is usually enough for me. Those moments get heavy. I've seen stories unfold before my closed eyes. Others have reported breaking down in tears.

The later rounds definitely become a pretty intense experience.

[digitaldeath]

but should we all fall in line and do it?