This Wim Hof Method review will take you ~4 minutes to read if you’re a fast reader. Thanks to the Wim Hof Method, I can hold my breath at the beginning of this article and not need to breathe until I reach the end. Can you?
I was burned out.
Too many stimulants, pain pills, and sleepless nights.
I needed a distraction from the anxiety and aches that had become my constant companions. So I put on an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience.
The guest was “The Iceman” Wim Hof and he was there to talk about his “Wim Hof Method“.
If you’re reading this article, you probably saw that episode. You were probably as amazed as I was when Wim Hof got Joe Rogan to hold his breath for OVER 3 MINUTES.
I didn’t know who Wim Hof was before that show. But he certainly caught my attention. Not just because he was so charming but because his claims were ridiculously audacious.
Wim Hof can control his immune system through breathing.
Wim Hof doesn’t get sick.
Wim Hof doesn’t get jet-lag.
Wim Hof has 21 world records. Including swimming under the ice for 120 meters with one breath, climbing Everest in his shorts, and running a full marathon in the Namib desert without water.
And perhaps the most audacious claim of all:
‘What I am capable of, anybody can learn’ – Wim Hof
The Wim Hof Method, a combination of breathing techniques, cold water therapy, and physical exercises seemed too good to be true:
- Burn fat
- Recover faster
- Sleep like a baby
- Feel more creative
- Mood improvement
- Reduce inflammation
- Boundless energy levels
- Reduce your stress levels
- Enhance athletic performance
And the list went on and on.
Personally, I wanted something that would give me more energy, creativity, and clarity.
Could the Wim Hof Method do that?
The Wim Hof Method course is pricey.
The classic 10-week Wim Hof Method course is just under $200, while the Fundamentals course is just under $300 (although Wim is doing a half-price discount due to COVID).
I had to think about it. Spending almost $200 on a breathing course isn’t an offhand purchase for me. So I watched and listened to a ton of interviews with Wim Hof. The more I listened, the more I was convinced.
I decided, hey, the money’s an investment. Not an extravagance.
If the course did even a fraction of what it claimed, it would be worth it.
With more clarity, energy, and greater well-being, you will make that money back. Plus Wim Hof offers a money-back guarantee.
I decided to cut all spending that typically went on addictive substances and put the cash to something that would improve the quality of my life.
As it turned out, I made the money back very quickly and not only that.
The Wim Hof Method is one of the best purchases I have ever made
I’m actually struggling to think of a better purchase right now.
I’m going to get into the benefits but, before I do, I gotta tell you something in case you think the course is “just” a breathing course.
Before I heard of Wim Hof, I had tried everything.
I’d read and applied stuff from Eckhart Tolle, I winged it with my own simple breathing meditations, pranayama, yoga, binaural beats. Everything. But none of this had the effect that the Wim Hof Method has.
It seemed like the Wim Hof Method got me to a place that would have otherwise taken 10+ years to get to on my own and through other methods.
If you think yoga and meditation is a bunch of woo-woo, you will actually be the one to benefit most from the Wim Hof Method.
You don’t have to be a chia-eating marathon runner who says “namaste” in order to relate to Wim and his method. I’m not knocking those people because I’ve done that stuff too. But Wim’s approach is so much better at speaking to me.
Wim’s philosophy? In his own words:
“Breathe, motherfucker.” – Wim Hof
Now let’s talk about the course.
Wim Hof Method Review
When you join the course, Wim gives you a PDF journal so you can track your progress.
There are some focusing questions and tests at the beginning.
He asks why you want to learn this method. Some examples are no more cold feet, doing 30 push-ups, having more energy, seeing chakras.
I had no idea what chakras were (still don’t really, although I’m convinced I’m seeing them now) and I could already do a ton of push-ups. So these were my goals:
- More grounded
- Increased energy
- Less anxiety/worry
- Increased creativity
- Increased happiness
- Increased productivity
Wim asks you to set a baseline at the beginning and see how long you can hold your breath.
My result was dismal: 38 seconds.
As someone who used to smoke in their foolish younger days, I’ve always been concerned about my reduced lung capacity. If Wim could improve my breathing, that would be an awesome extra benefit.
Then Wim Hof asks you how many push-ups you can do with proper form.
I could do 30. I’ve been able to do more push-ups at a lower weight but I recently amassed a lot of weight very quickly, so this was actually pretty difficult.
Wim asks if you experience cold hands or feet. Then he asks what your mindfulness is like during the day and what your sleep is like.
My mindfulness? Easily distracted, rarely in the present moment, worrying a lot, procrastinating a lot.
My sleep? Pretty fractured. Less than 7 hours and waking up a lot, finding it hard to drift off, and feeling tired even after sleeping.
It felt like I was a mess but I think you can identify with this too. It’s the smartphone, coffee chugging, 24/7 email culture that we currently live in.
- Check out the Wim Hof Method here.
Breathing retention times
Increasing my breath-holding time was not the prime reason for me starting the Wim Hof Method. It’s probably not why you’re interested either. But, trust me, when you see how rapidly your retention time improves, you will LOVE this part of the course.
On the first day of Wim Hof Breathing, I doubled how long I could comfortably hold my breath: 62 secs.
Second day: I tripled it: 94 seconds.
Third day: I quadrupled it: 120 seconds.
Second week: I could hold my breath comfortably for five times longer than when I started: 154 seconds.
I also managed 60 push-ups without any air in my lungs. That’s double what I could do while breathing!
By the third week, that turned into 70 push-ups.
By the fifth week, I could do 90 perfect form push-ups in a row with no air in my lungs.
Insane doesn’t even begin to cover it…
First week Wim Hof Method results:
First day – Extraordinary difference in mood and energy. I was able to feel fully awake and happy without any coffee (quite an achievement for a chronic caffeine addict). I had consistent and elevated energy all day. I focused on and completed things that I would have typically struggled with.
Second day – Clear thinking, energy, drive, motivation.
By the third day, I already noticed improved sleep quality.
I started to get a slight cold by the end of the first week (just a sniffle). I took this as a sign that my body was changing. I was also ditching a bunch of insidious little addictions so I’m sure they were the main influence.
Second week Wim Hof Method results:
This was a strange week. I felt amazing, happy, powerful, and content. But, at the same time, I also felt like I was detoxing. I literally was detoxing but I do wonder if the cold showers made this feeling more prominent.
Third week Wim Hof Method results:
This is where things started getting REALLY good. This week was a sign of the good stuff to come in the fourth and fifth week.
I felt in control, powerful, positive, creative, focused, alive.
For the first time in years, I leaped out of bed in the morning with a superhero sense of purpose.
I wrote more than my daily word count for the first time in a very long time (I can’t remember when I last did that). Not only that, but I had a BLAST while writing. Writing had started to become a drag. But I suddenly remembered why I loved it so much.
I ended up writing some of the best material for one of my new books.
Fourth week Wim Hof Method results:
This was a game-changer week.
Every single day I wrote more than my daily quota. I felt powerful, creative, motivated, and happy. I also slept incredibly well.
Fifth week Wim Hof Method results:
My daily word count kept going up and up.
My gym workouts were insane.
Doing Wim Hof breathing while lifting weights increases your endurance and strength.
My flexibility became ridiculously good.
I can now do stuff I could never do before. I can almost do the splits. I can touch my toes with ease. This is huge for someone who suffered from sciatica in the past.
- Check out the Wim Hof Method here.
Most insane benefits I’ve experienced from the Wim Hof Method
Seeing electric lights (or chakras)
I didn’t expect this from the outset and it was never my goal. I also wasn’t sure it was possible. But recently I have been seeing blue and white electric lights in my vision when I close my eyes during the breathing. It doesn’t last long but I like to think it’s an indication of stronger effects to come.
Greater creativity
It’s hard to measure this. So I’m just going on feel. I’ve been able to make connections in my fiction writing that I don’t think I would have done before. Surprising plotting and character points come easier to me.
More productivity and focus
Again, using writing as a measure, before the Wim Hof Method my typical daily word count goal was 2,000 words of fiction a day.
I actually write a lot more than that but I don’t count stuff to pay the bills.
Before Wim Hof, I was stagnating. Long stretches went by where I didn’t write any fiction at all. And when I did sit down to write, I’d have to bang my head against the keyboard and bleed out a measly 300 words.
But 3 weeks into the Wim Hof Method, I started to exceed my standard goal. I was writing 3,000 words on many days and some days even got close to 5,000. It felt like quality stuff too.
Content, Grounded, Happy
Right now I’m happy more than not (pretty much all the time).
It’s easy to overlook this benefit when you’re just reading about it. But ask yourself, how many days in a row were you truly happy all day long last week?
How many times have you caught yourself singing or dancing randomly for no reason during the day?
How many times has something bad happened and you’ve been able to return to a happy, stable state within minutes?
You know how you know you’ve gotten happier?
The people around you are happier. They smile, laugh, and talk to you more.
You laugh more. You see beauty around you. You sleep better. You get more done. You don’t binge-eat. You feel grateful. You appreciate the small things. Your muscles feel relaxed. You get more opportunities (remember I said I made the cost of the course back?)
- Check out the Wim Hof Method here.
Wim Hof Method Bottom Line
The Wim Hof Method is pricey but it’s an investment. It’s actually underpriced when you consider how much it will improve your life.
Most people easily blow more than $200 a month just on binge-drinking, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and junk food alone.
Taking some of the money you would have spent on things like that and making the conscious choice to invest in your happiness and well-being is a very smart decision.
One of the great things about the Wim Hof Method video course is that it tells you exactly what to do in order to feel a certain way.
There’s no nonsense. It’s streamlined, there’s no skipping ahead, and it builds your abilities up in incremental steps that keep you excited, motivated, and committed.
If meditation has failed you before, you’ll really be blown away. Laird Hamilton puts this best in the first 10 minutes of this interview.
The bottom line is that you feel like you are in private one-on-one training with Wim himself. The course is made so it’s easy to build it into your day.
Commitment and accountability are built into the course.
There is a wealth of beautifully shot, well-ordered videos. The online course feels like a comprehensive library on the subject. There’s books and articles and the whole things is just damn fun.
You can learn the Wim Hof Method here.
When you invest in the Wim Hof Method, you’ll see why people like Laird Hamilton, Rick Rubin, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Ferriss, Joe Rogan, and many more are raving about it.
Ask me any questions you might have in the comments below.
Man, what a great read to find! It’s pretty insane, I felt like I was reading about myself in 5 weeks! 99,9% of what you wrote I can relate to, even, actually making the investment. But after weeks of thinking about it, reading reviews, watching every documentary and interview I could find, I think your article is the one thats going to push me over the cliff. Instead of going anywhere on vacations, I think I’m going to invest that money and do this for myself.
A lot is going well in my life at the moment, however I cant seem to kick certain habits and patterns. I am getting sick quite often, losing weight after the hassle it was to gain it. I’m hitting 31 on January and I just want to be the best version of myself possible.
Thank you so much for sharing. Really hope to be feeling what I am reading in some weeks! If you have any additional tips and such, I would greatly appreciate it.
That’s awesome you decided to take the plunge, man! I’m so happy my article was able to give you the push you needed. I remember I spent a while searching articles and watching videos too because, obviously, it’s an expensive course. But I was so happy when I finally did. It’s hands down the best course I’ve ever invested in (that includes 3 years of university).
Many months on and I still follow the Wim Hof Method every day. I just took an ice bath this morning and I’m actually preparing for a video update which will involve me doing the breathing exercises outside in freezing temperatures (hopefully I can find some snow).
The benefits are too many to name but, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself putting your weight back on (I shot up from around 180 pounds to 220 this year) and you’ll also find your immune system improving. I can’t remember the last time I was sick. I also don’t get bad jet-lag when I travel long distances anymore.
Please let me know how you get on with the course. I’d love to hear your thoughts. As for tips, I love using the breathing time as meditation time. I find it helps to listen to some soothing music while holding your breath and listening to rock and roll music while taking the cold water challenges. Other than that, just have a blast and enjoy your new life 🙂 Work, play, relationships, everything improves when you follow the course.
I’ve been using his $4 app on my phone for tracking breathing, pushups, cold showers, and stretching. It’s awesome by itself, so I’m not interested in the courses at the moment.
I’ve known about him for a year, but didn’t commit until three days ago. Finally finding peace in my stomach this easy is laughable.
What’s the most amount of breathing rounds you’ve done in a session?
Hey, Jack! I didn’t know there was an app. I’m totally downloading that now. I know he also has free courses available on the site (they recently migrated to a new platform). It’s great isn’t it? Once you start really breathing, you start to wonder why more people don’t do it. Such a simple solution to life’s problems.
The most amount of breathing rounds I’ve done in a session.. I would say around 8-10 rounds. I’ve started doing multiple sessions a day so daily rounds are easily approaching 20-30.
Were you shocked at how you increased your breathing retention time? 🙂 And what about those push-ups? Crazy stuff!
Yeah definitely, it feels really weird though since it isn’t that demanding.
Yeah, people think it’s weird when I say I can hold my breath for 4 minutes. They think it would be uncomfortable but it’s actually super peaceful.
Hey Ben, thanks for your awesome review on Wims course. I too bought his app and have been practicing his breathing techniques and cold shower (not too cold yet) it’s winter now and haven’t got the guts to turn on the real icy showers. But I noticed that the first time I did his breathing technique, I got the sense of euphoria on the first round. Then the second day, it got a little harder to get into this sense of lightheadedness. My question to you is – on your fifth week and more, did you have to do more round of breathing to get to that stage of euphoria?
Today is my third day and I feel a real change already. Funny thing happened to my teenage daughter after she did this breathing technique.. today, at her cafeteria, everyone was wearing their coats and jackets in the cafeteria except her. Everyone was complaining that the schools cafeteria was cold but she didn’t feel the cold at all. Lol.
I’m sure more strange stuffs will follow as long as I stay committed to Wims method.
The one thing I wanted to know from you is, is there a difference between the online course and the app? Would I be missing somethings from the course that is not from the app? Thank you in advance..
Hey, Jee! Great to hear you’ve been enjoying the method. The lightheadedness/euphoria is great. It’s like a shot of a drug. Like Wim says: ‘Get high on your own supply, man!’
Yeah, I did find that it was harder to achieve the lightheadedness/tingling after a while. I think it was a combination of getting used to having that much oxygen and also maybe forgetting how to do the technique correctly. Whenever I go back to the videos in the course, I find I get it again when following Wim’s instruction. I haven’t had to add more stages to get the same effect but the effect will be more pronounced depending on the day. Sometimes just one round will do the trick. Sometimes it takes 3-4.
I can also totally relate to your daughter not needing a coat. Everyone at work complains about the cold (it’s been below freezing recently) but I’m still walking around in a t-shirt and feel great.
The online course is more comprehensive. You have a bunch of 1-hour long videos with Wim one-on-one and in a class environment that really help guide you through everything. You also have built in progression and each week gets more challenging. If that sounds like something that might benefit you, the course is great value. But obviously it’s super pricey so if you already know how to do the breathing and you’ve been immersing yourself in the cold and doing stretches and you’re feeling great, I’d say you’re all good.
However, on the app vs the course idea, I will say this: I started the full course when I was at a dark time in my life. I was struggling to overcome something significant that no one knew about. Friends and family weren’t there to support me because they didn’t know I had this problem. But with Wim’s course, I overcame my issue, he helped me through, and my health and happiness increased x1000. It’s with real sincerity that I say Wim’s course is the best investment I ever made. And I don’t think an app would have had quite the same effect. If I had just used an app, I think would still be battling my problems today.
From what I gathered I have to take cold showers (are they daily or just a few times a week?), do the breathing exercise (under sixteen and hold my breath for over a minute and a half? and on the first time? pretty good if you ask me, but how many rounds can I, should I or shouldn’t I do?), and.. do some exercises? Just asking if I’m missing something, didn’t pay for the course or app, so no need to tell me what I missed as it might be as bad as pirating. By the way, can doing too many breath-in’s do any harm and or make me miss something, or did he say nothing about this?
You’ve got it, man. Don’t get hung up on any one approach. There’s no dogma. Everyone’s different. Personally I try to take a cold shower every day (sometimes twice) and I do the breathing every day. I stretch around 3-4 times a week. But I don’t beat myself up if I miss a day of cold showers or breathing. Do as much or as little as you like. Not sure about whether too many breaths can cause harm but I know I’ve pushed myself very far and felt lightheaded/close to fainting. So be careful! Don’t push your body too hard. I don’t wanna give away the program in detail because, as you mentioned, that’s kinda like pirating but I would say you can work a lot of stuff out just by watching the videos Wim puts out for free. Follow along with the breathing in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1C_3OXhEs – Then take a shower and do some yoga and you’re all good!
Hey, I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong, But I started to feel bad on my second week, I just started week 3, and still don’t feel so good, I find it hard to get out from bed, my energy is low.
My 1st week was great, I cud hold my breath for about 3 min from second day, I never was out of breath while training, I felt so calm, and nothing in the world cud piss me off, but on the second week, I started to feel bad, any advice will be appreciated.
Thank you
Hey, Alex. I can totally relate to your experiences. I also felt bad on the second week. Not as bad as you are saying, but still bad nonetheless. I credited most of it due to the fact that I was quitting a heavy caffeine and painkiller addiction. But I’m sure some of it was due to the breathing making me detox. Personally, I would suggest you ease up or take some time off completely until you feel better again. My experience was that I felt a bit crappy before I felt super awesome so I would definitely recommend you continue. But maybe give the cold showers a break until you feel better? You could also try the breathing every other day or just take 3-5 days off before trying again. It’s definitely quite stressful at the beginning but you should take it as a sign that you’re getting stronger in the long-run (but remember I am not a doctor). Congrats on achieving 3 minutes by the way. That’s awesome. Please let me know how you feel after taking a short break. I’m sure that’s all you need 🙂
Thnx for the reply. I also think that this is because of the detox, I will take 2-3 days off from cold shower, will tell you how it goes.
Good luck!
Hi Ben. I appreciate this article. While I have not purchased the course, I am in my second week of practicing the breathing exercises every morning, along with a cold shower. I had already been taking cold showers, so that part is not as much of an adjustment. The breathing really is an amazing thing. I have been doing about 5 rounds/morning. I have a couple of questions that I’d love to hear your response to. 1) How often are you taking a cold bath? is this a one or two times per week thing or more frequent? 2) You mentioned that Wim Hof breathing was great while weight training. Could you clarify what you are talking about? Are you doing breath holding while weight lifting or just using the breath in an release cadence in between sets? Something different? Just curious. Thanks!
Hi Chris! That’s great you’re getting a lot out of the method. I was also taking the cold showers before starting this so, like you, it was the breathing that really impacted me the most.
I hardly ever take a cold bath mainly because I’m a shower guy. But maybe once a month, I’ll get a couple bags of ice, fill up the tub and get in. I’ll probably take more frequent ice baths in summer. I was in Japan last summer and it was hotter than hell so I was taking an ice bath several times a week.
For the weight training, I mix it up and just go with what feels good. Sometimes I’ll do a round of breathing before a set (no breath holding). Sometimes I’ll do the deep breathing during the set itself when it gets difficult, which allows me to crank out way more reps. Try both out when you need an extra boost and see what works best for you. Just be careful. I would never lift weights if I was lightheaded.
Keep enjoying your training, Chris!
Hi, coupon code doesn’t seem to be working. Do you know if it still applies?
Thanks
It looks like that one might have expired. I’ll do some digging and see if there are any more current ones. But the course is totally worth it without the discount.
Thanks a lot Ben, I’m always skeptical about something that promises such benefits that seem to be too good to be true. But I have read your glowing recommendation and some other similar types of recommendations from respected scientists (Dr Rhonda Patrick with Dr Pierre Capel) so I reckon it is worth trying out
It’s good to be skeptical about this sort of thing, especially when you’re buying a product. Like you said, the benefits sound unbelievable but once you try it out for yourself, you’ll be converted. I’m a big fan of Dr. Rhonda Patrick. Anyone considering taking the course, should check out her interview with Wim here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=389c31dD9xg
Will do. Thanks again Ben
Thanks, Hugh. Let me know how it goes!
Will it help with erectile dysfunction that is due to depression and nervous system issues?
Hi Limp Unit,
I’m sure it would. This breathing technique and cold showers are my number one recommendation for anything depression related. As for ED, surely something that increases the oxygen and blood flow in your body is going to have a positive effect on that.
Try it out. Tell me if it helps you get your mojo back. Then change your name to Stiff Unit 😉
Thanks for the reply. I have some concerns about the Wim Hof method. Depression is primarily due to sympathetic nervous system staying switched on and would not switch off. But reading the science behind the Wim Hof method I read that it increases Epinephrine (secreted by the adrenal gland) due to increased sympathetic nervous system activity and hence the increased immunity to diseases. As someone already suffering from a overactive sympathetic nervous system it certainly looks like the technique is not to be tried. What are your thoughts on this? Btw what is your resting heart rate and has it come down or gone up after doing the Wim Hof method?
I don’t really have any thoughts on that, to be honest. Try not to overthink it. If it sounds like something that will be bad for you, avoid it. Or give it a trial run. You won’t know until you try. Sometimes we can overthink these things. As Wim says, “Feeling is understanding.” My resting heart rate is around 60 beats per minute. It’s definitely come down a lot since starting the Wim Hof Method. I used to have a resting heart rate of around 90 beats per minute, which I know is pretty bad.
I agree, what works is what works, better to go by results than research papers. For what it is worth, there is research indicating that repeated cold shower exposures activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the good nervous system) : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18785356 I think I will give it a try as I have nothing to lose. Your HR lowering is impressive, 60 from 90 is awesome.
Nice! Let me know how it goes. The lower heart rate has really resulted in a better quality of day-to-day life 🙂
My take on the problem (suffered from related thing) is that the overactive system is due to that it have problem to go to standby-mode due to lack of energy of your system (body). Like a car that goes on only one chamber, need to go on a higher torque than a car going on all four or six chambers. When the engine problem is fixed, torque can be reduced, and system can relax and recover.
“Will it help with erectile dysfunction “…. “Limp Unit” lol nice.
The gentleman certainly shares my sense of humour lol.
Hi,
I have not invested in the course but have listened to Mr Hof on all the main podcasts and have watched and read many demonstrations of the method .
I have been doing 30 deep breaths and doing the hold for 4 -6 rounds for a few months now and I really enjoy it when I get it right.
I have found that my retention times are significantly better when I lye down on the floor or my bed.
Does it matter wether you lye down or sit up when doing the breathing exercises or is it just about being comfortable?
I am also taking the cold showers , do I need to be having one long cold shower or alternating between hot and cold?
I suffer from cold hand that go numb and white at the tips in the cold and I have not found the cold showers to help with this problem yet.
Would I get more benefit from just buying the course or is what I am currently doing sufficient in your experience ?
Thank you for making this post/blog it has been very informative for me as I am sure it has for many other people.
Hi Rob,
I have found the exact same thing as you. When I’m lying down, it feels as though I can hold my breath forever. When sitting, my retention rates are cut in half. But personally I don’t think it matters whether you’re lying down or sitting. Just do whatever’s comfortable/convenient. I do both methods and I’m not always trying to increase my retention times. I just like using it for meditation time. Even though I can retain my breath for 4+ minutes, most of the time I only go for around 2 minutes.
A lot of this is all about whatever feels right for you. Go with the flow. One long shower or a contrast shower – it doesn’t matter. Just use what works in the present moment. I like both but I’ll admit it can be a lot more daunting to take one long cold shower (even though you feel awesome afterwards) so I mostly use a contrast shower.
What you’re currently doing is great. If you want to learn a bit more, like different stretches and how to do the brown fat activation thing (makes you feel pretty high and should help with the numb hands) then I would suggest the course. Mainly I would suggest the course as a way to give back to Wim. He has provided so much upfront value for free to so many people around the world. He does extremely great work and I believe he should be supported. I want him and his team to continue doing what they are doing, spreading the message, getting more scientific backing, and taking this around the world and into schools. So I choose to support him by investing in the course and, in return, I get a little extra oomph that makes a huge difference in my life. It’s win-win.
Thank you for your kind words, Rob. Glad I can help in some way 🙂
Hi Ben,
Loved reading your report. Very inspirational indeed. I’m only on my 3rd day of the basic breathing and cold showers. I honestly feel better already. I’m working on cutting a certain narcotic out of my life and feel very positive that this is the way for me. I’m going to his London workshop on Saturday so will be learning lots from the man himself, but just wanted to say thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Question in the meantime, do you do the breathing rounds before bed? Jo x
Hi Jo,
Thanks for the kind words. It’s so great to hear you’re benefitting from the course. Your story sounds like mine. I honestly don’t think I would have been able to beat my addiction without the Wim Hof Method. One day I will shake Wim’s hand and thank him in person. That’s so great you’re going to his London workshop. I’m very jealous! I would love to hear your update after the course 🙂
To answer your question, I don’t do the breathing before bed. I have done it a few times but I found that it stimulates me just enough to make it difficult to sleep immediately after. I do, however, sometimes take a cold shower before bed and it gives me the deepest, most restorative sleep ever!
Great tip! (The cold bedtime showers) works a treat 🙂
I’ll give you the low down on Saturday
How’d the course go? 🙂
Hey, Ben
It was absolutely amazing. There was the best buzz, and I feel so privileged to have been there, listening to Wim, first hand. There were around 500 of us, all together, doing the breathing at the same time, with Wim’s guidance over the microphone. I’ve never felt a vibe so positive and powerful. And I got to meet the man himself! I had my first ice bath there, too…brrrrr…it was freeeeeeeezing (obviously, haha) but the most invigorating feeling. I’ve been having very cold showers, but they don’t compare to the bath..I found it a lot more tranquil and calming, being in the water that way. This past few weeks have been the best I have had in years. I feel sharp, enthusiastic about life, present, happy and strong. I will be continuing with this for sure.
How are you getting on? You’re more advanced than I am, are you still feeling the benefits?
Jo 🙂
Thanks for the update, Jo. That sounds amazing. I’m very envious! Meeting Wim is definitely on my (cold ice) bucket list. The ice bath really is a whole new beast compared to the showers, isn’t it? It can be hard to motivate yourself to do it but it’s totally worth it afterwards. I’m so happy you’re feeling great. The benefits really do continue as long as you keep it up. I’ve been doing the Wim Hof Method for over a year now and I’m definitely still feeling the benefits. If anything, there’s a compounding effect. Everything in my life has improved since I started and I credit that to having a drastically lowered stress response. I rarely get ill and I’m super positive almost all the time. It’s pretty great 🙂
Great to read you’ve been doing WHM for over a year. I was wondering what your long term experience has been like. I’ve heard about Wim since he appeared at TEDxAmsterdam in 2010. I was supposed to be in the audience but ironically I slipped on the ice and sprained my ankle! 7 years later after seeing his name pop up increasingly I finally invested some time to watch that VICE doc film on him and decided right there and then to try the breathing + pushups. Despite having drunk a bottle of wine on Sat night, I was shocked by the result and my sleep over the next 3 nights was amazing.
That experience got me to confront the cold showers which for me was my idea of torture. It wasn’t long that I went from experiencing it as torture to something I knew I could endure to something I actually enjoyed. Remember the first time coming out of a 5 minute cold shower feeling like a superhero. 2 months later I tried ice baths and that’s definitely a big step up from cold showers but I actually enjoyed the ice baths even more than the showers.
And I was seeing some big benefits particularly physically with cold exposure. Have been weightlifting consistently for the past 4 years and keeping good records. Of my 5 core lifts I’ve now blown through personal bests in 4 categories. I’ve lost 10 pounds with nothing else changing in this time in terms of diet or exercise frequency. I’ve avoided any sickness despite being in direct close contact with sick folks like my young daughter and my assistant at work.Typically after a long trip abroad I’ll come back from that and catch something on the plane. Again nothing. On top of that? Greatly reduced jetlag.
Perhaps the macho side of me was emphasising the cold exposure over the breathing iniitally but having maxed out on cold I decided I needed to get more disciplined about doing the breathing exercises consistently and emphasising proper form. This was partially due to reading your post on Quora a little while ago. While I’ve been doing them all along, by performing the exercises consistently and properly I realised how much I was missing by just focussing on cold exposure. I think the cold exposure gives you a lot of the physical benefits but I’m really seeing the mental impact – particularly anxiety reduction – from the breathing. With lower anxiety that is translating directly to obvious productivity impact and general feelings of happiness.
So thanks for sharing and helping me get even more out of WHM!
Hi Herb!
Thank you for sharing your experience with the Wim Hof Method. Your comment was a really fascinating read and I’m so happy to hear you’ve benefited from it.
I can totally identify with the “feeling like a superhero” after the 5 minute cold shower. I’m still kinda chasing the high of my first 10-minute cold shower. Man, that was insane! Who needs drugs, right? I literally felt like I was wearing a red cape and had the ability to fly through the city battling Godzilla.
Again, I totally identify with blasting through personal records with weightlifting and avoiding sickness. I used to get sick every month but after a year of the Wim Hof Method I think I’ve only had one minor sniffle. It’s outstanding really. It also definitely helps with jet lag. I can’t believe I travelled so much without doing the breathing and cold shower because it really reduces around 80% of the jet lag.
I think my biggest benefit is my massively reduced resting heart rate. It’s now around 60 beats per minute when resting. I always thought that would be impossible to attain because, before WHM, I used to have a resting heart rate of around 90 (really bad). This low heart rate translates to feeling calm and anxiety free in a lot of situations where before I used to feel stressed (e.g. public transport in the city).
Thanks again for sharing your story, Herb. I wish I had something to add but really I think we’re experiencing the same wonderful benefits 🙂
P.S. I checked out Thinking Digital. Wow! Fantastic line-up!
Nice article.
Thanks, Aditya! Let me know what you think of the Wim Hof Method when you try it 🙂
Hi Ben, thanks so much for the write up and detail provided. Much appreciated. I started following the Wim Hof method a couple weeks ago. 1st week was phenomenal. Second week was great too. Now in my third week, I believe I’m experiencing detox. The breathing is great, but the cold showers are giving me a significant headache that last quite awhile. I love the method and crave it every day but the headache is rough and I’m not the type of person that ever gets headaches. Just curious what your detox symptoms were like and any advice you can lend me? When I first started my retention was only around 45 seconds. I’m now up to over 2 mins and my cold showers started with just barely 15 seconds and are now over 3 mins. Thanks buddy!
Hi Michael! Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like, aside from the detox symptoms, you’re experiencing some real positives.
My personal detox symptoms included headaches like you and I also had a scratchy throat and runny nose. For me, the key to getting through the detox was to scale back on the cold showers when you’re feeling rough. If you’re getting headaches and feeling lousy, I personally wouldn’t push on. I’d suggest treating yourself to nice warm showers until you’re feeling better. That’s what I did. I continued with the breathing and (if I remember rightly) my symptoms subsided after a few days. I think I waited about a week or so before getting back in the cold showers again. After that, all my symptoms were gone for good. Even if I don’t take a cold shower or do the breathing for a few days, I can transition back into them both easily without feeling any adverse effects.
So maybe give your body a little break from the cold and resume the showers when your head’s feeling better. I think Wim would advise the same too. He basically advises to go with the “feeling” and “feeling is understanding”. Our bodies are really good at giving us clues for how to act.
Let me know how that goes, Michael 🙂
Thanks so much for the quick response Ben! I been following the app for now. Planning on purchasing the course as well. Didn’t expect the detox symptoms but makes complete
sense. The breathing has appeared to give me any issues. I always feel great. Just the cold showers that have caused the headache. However, I’m looking forward to progressing. It’s amazing how I crave to breath like this everyday. Almost like my body was craving it! Will let you know how it continues. Thanks again!
It really is amazing. We need to get this breathing into schools. I think that’s one of Wim’s aim. It would really sort a lot of problems out if everyone knew to do this! I hope you feel better soon 🙂
Hi, I have a herniated disc and doctors had suggested surgery or a conventional traction therapy at the hospital. But I stayed home, mostly on bed rest, taking NSAIDs. After 10 or so days, I have started physio sessions. My pain is mostly gone. But I feel some tingling and numbness on my leg from time to time, indicating the inflammation is persisting. I saw great results with the Wim Hof method for a few days then I stopped. I want to start again and was wondering if you could help me with how much of it I should do. Any guidelines? Thanks. Cheers.
Hi Tina. I’m sorry to hear about your herniated disc. That must be so painful. I’ve suffered from sciatica for many years and I’ve found the Wim Hof to be extremely helpful in alleviating and practically obliterating all pain. But I think a herniated disc is a lot more serious. If it was me, I’d continue the physio sessions and ask your doctor if you could incorporate some of the stretching from the Wim Hof Method into it. I’d imagine it would be really painful but with some deep breathing and the leg stretches (coupled with more anti-inflammatory painkillers) I’d imagine that would be very useful.
I’d also say that cold therapy would massively help inflammation and pain and help to manage stress or depression as a result of the condition. Personally, I would take an ice bath regularly if I was in that condition. However, I’m not a doctor and definitely can’t give you medical advice. If it was me, I would build up, small steps, with any breathing, stretching, and cold therapy. But I’d try to do that several times a day if possible and if not too painful and keep working through.
I hope you make a speedy recovery soon, Tina. Would love to know how you get on. Best of luck!