PERFORMANCE INSIGHTS FROM “THE WIM HOF METHOD” BY WIM HOF

Wim Hof is an “outlier” who certainly loves the outdoors. There is no doubt he is an exceptional human being, but the beauty of his attitude and this book, is that he absolutely believes every one of us has the ability to be exceptional. The “Ice Man” claims he is no superhero.

His method for exceptional health is intuitively believable if somewhat uncomfortable! Indeed, the idea of ice baths for rapid recovery, and breathing for performance excellence is pretty widely applied in the 21st century. But it is seen as the prerogative of the elite rather than a game-changer for guys and girls across the globe. In fact, the simple techniques described and explored in this book can and do literally transform lives. I will summarise my takeaways, many of which I have now adopted as good practice for an extra physical and mental edge.

In his preface, Hof identifies three areas he believes can unlock the extraordinary; cold exposure, conscious breathing, and the power of the mind. He believes “we are all capable of so much more” which is one of my favourite quotes, and he has actually accomplished some unbelievable feats such as endurance in extreme conditions, and composure under severe duress.

Hof is someone whose identity is now immersed in the concepts of breathing and embracing the “ice-cold”. He practices what he preaches and has evangelised about the health benefits of these endeavours for most of his life. Many of his stunts and record breaking feats of endurance have been done to shed light on how immersion in the cold, and how breathing, can aid the nervous and vascular systems, and reverse terminal diseases while also providing myriad other health benefits.

Cold Exposure

The author recommends exposure to cold and cold water as an antidote to stress in the vascular system. He recommends building up to two minutes of cold water at end of a warm shower. I have adopted this and definitely feel more alive and awake after a shower.

Hof explains many experiments in the book, for example an ice-water bath for warmer hands and feet. It sounds counter intuitive but it works.

Breathing

The book focusses a lot on the power of breathing which can suppress inflammatory markers in the blood while also activating the sympathetic nervous system when preparing for performance.

Hof explains a breathing practice which I have started to adopt.

It is recommended before breaking fast each day: Three to four rounds for about 20 minutes.

He suggests 30-40 deep breaths where we breathe in fully and let it go. The mind follows the breath with a rhythm like waves breaking onto the shore. Do this until we feel light headed and a tingling sensation in arms and hands, then 10 more breaths. This helps make the body more alkaline as carbon dioxide and acidity exits the body, it is great for our biochemistry and immunity.

Wim Hof believes that breath is a doorway to our consciousness. After 30-40 deliberate breaths, he recommends holding the breath which at this stage can be done for a surprisingly long time. It can provide a true natural high and is great for our daily energy. After four rounds of the 30-40 deep breaths with hold, we have re-balanced our biochemical and hormonal blood PH balance which has beneficial short and long-term effects.

Mindset

Wim Hof embodies mental toughness. He has achieved some incredible feats, both as an individual and with teams. Standing in packed ice, completing marathons at altitude, hanging out of aeroplanes, and climbing mountains in only shorts. These are just some of his accomplishments. He has endured significant personal tragedy too.

Wim Hof emphasises the importance of commitment, will, and the power to imagine, in order to overcome adversity and unlock excellence. The urgency for survival reactivates the deepest parts of the brain and reveals the true power of mind.

Hof advocates meditation and positive mental attitude. In order to optimise these practices, he reminds us to remove distractions and interference (mobile phones!). We need to surrender unconditionally to realise the benefits. Mindset can affect physiology; optimism can improve immunity.

Wim Hof has been a man on a mission, a missionary for his belief in the power of breath and cold for transformation. He is inspiring as a person with clear purpose, and shows that we can be happy if we maintain a healthy body and mind.

When Hof did a demonstration in New York, standing in a cube packed with 1,000 pounds of ice, his vital signs were monitored by doctors and he measurably showed that he could raise his core body temperature through the power of the mind. He generated heat from within to combat the cold without.

His explanations are informative. He talks about the “adrenal axis”, a system which regulates the body’s response to stress, immune function, energy expenditure, and mood. Before a challenge he recommends the following:

Sit down, follow the breath – deep inhalation and let go as we instil a sense of calm, while focusing on our goal or forthcoming challenge.

“Set attention, tell your body what you expect it to do, wait for the alignment and inner sense of trust, then go and do it!”

The mind can activate the right hormones to allow for increased oxygen absorption. Hof believes that emotion is biological and we have a potential power over our human body which modern medicine does yet not fully understand.

In fairness, the great thing about Wim Hof is that he demonstrates and proves his beliefs beyond doubt. In New York that day, he warmed up his hand live on a monitor on stage, increasing the temperature of his hand by 12 degrees Fahrenheit through mental will.

By harnessing the power of the mind to control the body, Hof has caused heart rate monitors to flatline, he has influenced the Vagus nerve, he has maintained core body temperature in sub-zero conditions. This influence on the autonomic system and thermal regulation is astounding but he has also suppressed inflammatory markers and had no reaction when exposed to certain bacteria.

So there is no doubt Wim Hof has phenomenal self-control. He has been described as a physiological marvel, the “Amazing Iceman”. He was then challenged to train others to demonstrate that his philosophy and methodology could be learned, applied, and replicated by others.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Hof found 12 male subjects and trained them in Poland near the Czech border, in freezing mountain conditions, bare chested, to control their response to the cold using only their mindset and their breath! The trained group was able to voluntarily activate their sympathetic nervous system which was a notable breakthrough for science.

Method

In summary, Hof recommends a simple practice which draws on three pillars; a breath meditation for a few minutes, to set the mind, before standing in a cold shower for increasing periods of time. A degree of discomfort perhaps, but proven long-term benefits to health, happiness, and heuristics!

I was intrigued by Hof’s reference to the push-up challenge so I tried it; do as many as you can for a baseline, then do a single round of the 30-40 deep-breath breathing, then redo the push ups during the retention (breath held out) and recovery breath. I have been working on strict handstand push ups which have seen extremely marginal gains over months, but after one round of the deep breathing I got two more repetitions comfortably! It works, no doubt in my mind.

Wolf

My takeaway is that Wim Hof was a lone wolf who now leads a wolf pack! He has been a missionary on a mission to help others in the same way he has helped himself; to break new ground in our collective understanding of human potential. He has persevered in the face of personal tragedy and public cynicism, but the Iceman won through. I recommend the book; inspiring, insightful, applicable, purposeful.