2 Steps To Become The Iceman, Right Now

“Just breathe, Motherfucker.”

Imagine this grizzly-bearded man staring you down and screaming this in your face.

“I’m not coherent and I don’t care. I just want to get to your heart.

Now, breathe!”

Wim Hof, known as The Iceman, is well known for having superhuman abilities.

However, he didn’t fall into any radioactive material to acquire them. He just learned how to breathe and embrace cold.

I’ll explain those in a moment.

But first, here are a few “superhuman” things he’s done:

• He injected himself with endotoxin (under doctor supervision) to demonstrate his ability to control his autonomic immune response. He consciously raised his cortisol levels and lowered his blood concentrations of cytokines using only his meditation techniques. He then repeated this with 12 of his students.
• In 2007, he climbed past the “death zone” altitude on Mount Everest wearing nothing but shorts.
• In 2009, he completed a marathon in −20 °C (−4 °F) dressed only in shorts. He finished in 5 hours and 25 minutes.
• He currently holds 21 Guinness World Records, including the longest ice bath at 1 hour, 53 minutes, 12 seconds.

As Andrew Huberman, a professor of Neurobiology at Stanford, said: “Wim violated the rules laid out in medical textbooks so drastically scientists had to pay attention.”

And, fortunately, they are.

Wim and his methods are now being studied at universities around the world, including in Andrew’s Neurobiology lab at Stanford.

They are studying how Wim’s method impacts adrenaline, cortisol, mitochondria, and the brain.

You, however, can experience how it feels to be the Iceman right now.

A room of eager Wim Hof students are breathing religiously as Wim yells directions and motivation at them.

“Have no FEAR! You are master of your own body.”

“Follow your breath. It will lead you where you must go.”

His method is simple, yet powerfully potent. Best of all, it’s free and accessible to everyone right now.

There are only 2 parts.

1. Breathing

Wim’s breathing technique has allowed him to:

• Consciously influence his own immune system.
• Increase his blood circulation, improving his muscle endurance and recovery.
• Oxygenate his body to alkalize his blood.
• Experience deep meditative states with a relaxed, quiet mind.

Here’s how you can do it too:

Step 1: 30 power breaths

Inhale strongly through the mouth. Feel air filling your belly, then your heart, and then your head.

Then exhale quickly through the mouth.

Inhale… exhale…
Inhale… exhale…
Inhale… exhale…

Do that 30 times.

Your body will become saturated with oxygen. You may feel light-headed and a tingling sensation.

If you feel dizziness or pain, stop the practice and breathe normally again.

After 30 reps…

Step 2: breathe out fully and hold

Relax your body and mind. Notice the oxygen spreading around your body.

You’ll be able to hold your breath for much longer than usual, even with no air in your lungs.

When you are about to gasp…

Step 3: inhale fully again and hold for 15 seconds

Feel the oxygen going to your brain.

That’s one round.

Ready for the full thing? Do this:

1. Before starting, do as many pushups as you can. This will be baseline.

2. Now do 4 rounds of Wim’s method (4 rounds of 30 reps)

3. After exhaling and holding on your last rep, do another round of pushups. You’ll be able to do at least twice as many.

2. Embracing Cold

By training his body to stay calm in cold, Wim has gained incredible benefits.

• Enhancing immune function (here’s a study where it increases glutathione levels).
• Increasing adrenaline while keeping cortisol low, putting him in an energized, focused, and calm state.
• Activating brown adipose tissue which increases metabolism, helps break down fat, and repairs muscles.
• Increasing cell longevity, similar to calorie restriction and intermittent fasting.

Here are 3 ways you can embrace cold on a daily basis:

Option 1: Ice Baths

Put two bags of ice in your tub and fill it with cold water. Let it sit a few minutes and then plop yourself in.

Alternative: Submerge just your face, which is supposedly easier but similarly effective.

Option 2: Cold Showers

Turn your shower’s water knob to the coldest possible setting. Wait a few seconds for it to become frigid. Then step in. Brrr!

Option 3: Go outside or jump in a lake/ocean

Do you live somewhere cold? Walk around outside in your shorts. Or jump in the ocean or nearby lake.

“The cold is your power!”

After breathing, Wim had all his eager students jump into an ice bath.

As one of those eager students, I can confidently say, it was f***ing cold!!!!

A few seconds after we get in, Wim screams at us …

“Ready? Now, SING!”

Then, with shivering and horribly out-of-tune voices, we sing:

“Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high. And the dreams that you dreamed of once in a lullaby…”

Singing makes you let go of the controlling part of the brain, Wim taught us. If you start to feel numbingly cold, sing.

When you eventually get out of the water, you feel surprisingly amazing.

Now Your Turn

It’s now your turn to experiment with Wim’s methods. Will you become superhuman, like The Iceman himself?

To do so, you must believe in yourself.

You must know that you are the master of your body.

And you must always remember …

“Just breathe, Motherfucker.”