Off-Topic Wim Hof
- Thread starter wespom9
- Start date
- Status
Deleted member 316
Guest
When is the best time for the cold shower/bath according to Wim Hof?
pet'
Level 8 Valued Member
Hello,
It can depends on the person's feeling. I enjoy doing them when coming back from work. It helps me to relax and gives an energy boost after 1h20 of train.
Some will prefer on the morning after the night fasting to optimize hormonal functions. You can "hack" and doing your shower in the evening and reap the benefits of hormonal boost if you do a warrior diet with your meal in the morning.
Kind regards,
Pet'
It can depends on the person's feeling. I enjoy doing them when coming back from work. It helps me to relax and gives an energy boost after 1h20 of train.
Some will prefer on the morning after the night fasting to optimize hormonal functions. You can "hack" and doing your shower in the evening and reap the benefits of hormonal boost if you do a warrior diet with your meal in the morning.
Kind regards,
Pet'
Harald Motz
Level 8 Valued Member
Got it, read it. It is a good book, short, understandable.
Written by Wim Hof and Koen de Jong.
Lots of forewords, nothing new with DD, lots of success stories.
It gives an intellectual base of knowledge and it is up to oneself, to take this into daily practice, to experience for oneself. Practice consists of 3 things:1. breathing exercise,2. immersion to cold (daily showers, hands and/or feet to ice water occasionally, maybe ice bath when experienced) 3. commitment. Fairly simple...
Another highly recommended reading: The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown. Explains Dr.Buteyko's method very good and "The way of the Iceman" takes reference on Buteyko quite frequently, and in my opinion the breathing exercises both recommend, are not that far away.
I do not remember, if there was a suggestion in the book, but the recommendation, getting used to cold showering just when one showers anyway. For some it may be twice a day, for another maybe once a week. Thinking for myself, it would be a good challenge and habit to develop, just doing it after climbing out of bed.
My own little growing experience:
The last two weeks it was a bit colder here in Germany (gone the days, when there was winter continuosly, freezing days and nights for weeks)
I did my A+A snatches outside bare chested, same with rowing, and had a frosty run with vibrams, shorts and thin (StrongFirst)-shirt (the only thing that prevented me puling it of, was a little remainder of..I would call it shame?). Afterwards cold cold/warm showering. It feels not as grazy as it may look to thick clothed winter people.
I am doing cold showering for years and I am a fan of sauna (warm-cold-warm-cold...). Key with that, is to just breathing calmly, as there is a natural reflex, to suck air, quite like doing a hardstyle set of swings or snatches in later sets. I am training breath control after exertion on and of for almost 2 years (Pavel's breath counting suggestion in Simple and Sinister). It is just a pity, that it is starting to get warmer here again, but I am tinkering something out to practice cold immersion whole year round, as the shower in summer is not that cold.
In a nutshell I find this stuff surprise, surprise just cool. Feels right.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, an expert, just subjective.
Last edited:
the hansenator
Level 6 Valued Member
Does a cold shower have the same value when you're already cold? I'm usually pretty cold in the morning when I wake up and stepping into a cold shower sounds miserable.
pet'
Level 8 Valued Member
Hello,
I do not see any difference between when I am "normal" and "cold".
Kind regards,
Pet'
I am not a physio but I think so. I do it even when I am cold after coming back from work and it works the same on me.
I do not see any difference between when I am "normal" and "cold".
Kind regards,
Pet'
Harald Motz
Level 8 Valued Member
then taking a cold shower is not a good idea. detrimental. Better get the blood flowing, some exercise, get near a warm place, getting under a blanket is a healthier option.
Harald Motz
Level 8 Valued Member
In my opinion, there is a difference about being cold (cold hands, cold feet) opposed to being more sensible to a given stimulus. When coming out of bed, then yes, my unheated bedroom feels damn cold (it is the contrast). A cold shower would feel damn colder. Then, after that, going back into my bedroom it would almost feel warm.
EricFrohardt
Level 1 Valued Member
Very interesting discussion. I've been thinking about giving either WHM or Buteyko a try. Going to try Buteyko and see if it helps.
@Steve Freides : What's the best resource? I noticed this website: oxygenadvantage.com the other day. Appears they have a book, courses, etc.
@Steve Freides : What's the best resource? I noticed this website: oxygenadvantage.com the other day. Appears they have a book, courses, etc.
@EricFrohardt, thank you for asking. The main site is
Advanced Buteyko Institute: www.advancedbuteyko.com
Here are some other links we regularly recommend:
BBC Documentary on Buteyko:
Australian TV broadcast on Buteyko:
Scientific formula: www.buteykoeffect.com (connection between breathing, CO2 and VO2)
About good breathing: About Good Breathing: 10 Reasons Why We need CO2 | Advanced Buteyko Institute - ABI
General article on Carbon Dioxide by Yandell Henderson: The Buteyko Effect: The Scientific Formula for Buteyko Breathing
-S-
Advanced Buteyko Institute: www.advancedbuteyko.com
Here are some other links we regularly recommend:
BBC Documentary on Buteyko:
Australian TV broadcast on Buteyko:
Scientific formula: www.buteykoeffect.com (connection between breathing, CO2 and VO2)
About good breathing: About Good Breathing: 10 Reasons Why We need CO2 | Advanced Buteyko Institute - ABI
General article on Carbon Dioxide by Yandell Henderson: The Buteyko Effect: The Scientific Formula for Buteyko Breathing
-S-
David V
First Post
Steve, in the new Wim Hof book, The Way of the Iceman, the author frequently references Buteyko and that we need to breathe more slowly and allow a better exchange of gas (optimizing both CO2 and O2). Wim's method goes about achieving this differently. He starts with controlled hyperventilation followed by a control pause ("CP").
"By breathing in deeply and out slowly, you expel a lot of carbon dioxide. The CO2 concentration in your blood will decrease and your blood vessels will contract. When you hold your breath after breathing out, your body retains a large quantity of carbon dioxide, and your body compensates by releasing more oxygen in the mitochondria."
Wim's method its at odds with Buteyko's more controlled breathing exercises, and the author knows this but states:
"Konstantin Buteyko emphasizes the importance of more shallow breathing and says that breathing in through the nose is sufficient to ensure that you do not breathe too deeply. Wim Hof’s breathing techniques, which involve breathing in deeply and then exhaling slowly, seem to be completely at odds with this. Yet, after doing these exercises, most people start to breathe more calmly, and their carbon dioxide levels return to normal."
Unfortunately, the book is very light on theory, but Wim's method of mild hyperventilating first, seems to cause - in theory - a super-compensation when ending with a controlled pause. I am only aware of Buteyko training methods which strive to increase CO2 by shallow breathing to increase "air hunger." I know Steve is a Buteyko trainer and maybe there are some others out there. Are there Buteyko methods that are more similar to Wim's or is Wim just different?
"By breathing in deeply and out slowly, you expel a lot of carbon dioxide. The CO2 concentration in your blood will decrease and your blood vessels will contract. When you hold your breath after breathing out, your body retains a large quantity of carbon dioxide, and your body compensates by releasing more oxygen in the mitochondria."
Wim's method its at odds with Buteyko's more controlled breathing exercises, and the author knows this but states:
"Konstantin Buteyko emphasizes the importance of more shallow breathing and says that breathing in through the nose is sufficient to ensure that you do not breathe too deeply. Wim Hof’s breathing techniques, which involve breathing in deeply and then exhaling slowly, seem to be completely at odds with this. Yet, after doing these exercises, most people start to breathe more calmly, and their carbon dioxide levels return to normal."
Unfortunately, the book is very light on theory, but Wim's method of mild hyperventilating first, seems to cause - in theory - a super-compensation when ending with a controlled pause. I am only aware of Buteyko training methods which strive to increase CO2 by shallow breathing to increase "air hunger." I know Steve is a Buteyko trainer and maybe there are some others out there. Are there Buteyko methods that are more similar to Wim's or is Wim just different?
"At odds" seems too strong to me.
My Buteyko practice feels like a kettlebell swing, something one can learn quickly, get good enough to be useful at pretty quickly, but still spend a lifetime perfecting and, perhaps most importantly, continue to benefit from for a lifetime as well. I usually do one session a day now that takes about 20 minutes - sound familiar?
What I know of Wim Hof's method all sounds fine to me but I am not personally interested in learning it right now.
-S-
My Buteyko practice feels like a kettlebell swing, something one can learn quickly, get good enough to be useful at pretty quickly, but still spend a lifetime perfecting and, perhaps most importantly, continue to benefit from for a lifetime as well. I usually do one session a day now that takes about 20 minutes - sound familiar?
What I know of Wim Hof's method all sounds fine to me but I am not personally interested in learning it right now.
-S-
I have been doing Chinese breathing exercises for years, same goes for cold showers. Recently I have started WHM breathing, and so far it feels great. It is similar to "Hard Qigong". Buteyko would be the "Soft Qigong". Anyway, the message is clear - breathe!
Btw., S&S has an excellent chapter on breathing that many miss/ski.. Yes, it is that important! Currently I can do 100 swings in 40/44, and breathing gets to normal literally in seconds.
Btw., S&S has an excellent chapter on breathing that many miss/ski.. Yes, it is that important! Currently I can do 100 swings in 40/44, and breathing gets to normal literally in seconds.
MikeMoran
Level 6 Valued Member
pet'
Level 8 Valued Member
Hello,
I tried a bath at 7-8C. From my experience, the most difficult is not to stay in water (to a certain extent of course) but "moving" in that water.
Indeed, the relative move of water on our body creates a cold perception far greater than the real temperature (it is the same with cold wind).
A slow breath permits to relax and manage cold efficiently.
Hyperventilation is something that can be dangerous, at least in free diving. Hyperventilation artificially pushes back CO2 tolerance threshold: The brain thinks it has more O2 than it has in reality so it "endure" more CO2. It is a technique which requires attention and dedication to be properly done.
Related to the benefits, I also sleep better than before and I am less cold sensitive in the air. I have a far stronger immune system.
Kind regards,
Pet'
I tried a bath at 7-8C. From my experience, the most difficult is not to stay in water (to a certain extent of course) but "moving" in that water.
Indeed, the relative move of water on our body creates a cold perception far greater than the real temperature (it is the same with cold wind).
A slow breath permits to relax and manage cold efficiently.
Hyperventilation is something that can be dangerous, at least in free diving. Hyperventilation artificially pushes back CO2 tolerance threshold: The brain thinks it has more O2 than it has in reality so it "endure" more CO2. It is a technique which requires attention and dedication to be properly done.
Related to the benefits, I also sleep better than before and I am less cold sensitive in the air. I have a far stronger immune system.
Kind regards,
Pet'
pet'
Level 8 Valued Member
Hello,
@mikhael
I use cold showers for a long time, about one year. I have a very progressive approach. I cut some degrees after a long adaptation. Basically, I do it when I do not feel the temperature that cold.
Plus I also noticed that very hot and then cold water help a lot in cold management. I guess this is due to the great temperature difference in a very short time (a few seconds). It is always important to consider the difference between your body temperature and the environment temperature.
If you are patient with this practice, you will reap a lot of benefits.
Kind regards,
Pet'
@mikhael
I use cold showers for a long time, about one year. I have a very progressive approach. I cut some degrees after a long adaptation. Basically, I do it when I do not feel the temperature that cold.
Plus I also noticed that very hot and then cold water help a lot in cold management. I guess this is due to the great temperature difference in a very short time (a few seconds). It is always important to consider the difference between your body temperature and the environment temperature.
If you are patient with this practice, you will reap a lot of benefits.
Kind regards,
Pet'
- Status