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[DunDunDunpachi]

(guided breathing video if people wish to learn / follow along)


I've been doing this since last August. I'm typing this outside in a thin t-shirt and shorts, in ~40*F/4.4*C temp. I can feel the cold, but my body isn't shivering. I just tolerate it. I bike for 1 1/2 hours several times a week (to/from work) in shorts and t-shirt as well and I can manage the trek fine. I don't get sick from all this cold exposure, either. Last year, I was walking around in the snow barefoot in nothing but sports shorts. That... was pushing the limits of my tolerance, I won't lie. It was quite extreme, but I never once broke out in shivering or caught a cold. One day I actually built a snow-fort with my kids in nothing but shorts. Spent an hour out there in sub-freezing temp. The sunlight helped, admittedly.

So now that I've established how thoroughly crazy I am, would you like to learn what led me to do this?

The idea is to build up brown fat. In order to stay warm, most people must resort to shivering. However, if the body has sufficient stores of brown fat, your ability to maintain internal temperature is improved. Brown fat is dense tissue full of mitochondria. It's main purpose is to burn calories to generate body heat. That's pretty much it. Babies have a lot of it because they cannot shiver. Burns calories. Keeps you warm.

Well, if you gradually expose yourself to cold temperatures, your body will start converting yellow fat into brown fat. And this brown fat also is burning calories while you expose yourself to the cold. You can do this by taking cold showers, wearing fewer layers of clothing, turning down the thermostat in colder months, and walking outdoors in the cold. The Japanese have been studying this phenomenon as well.

If you shiver, you're done. Put on more clothes and go about your business. The goal isn't to torture yourself in the cold. You are supposed to gradually introduce yourself to longer stretches of time and colder temperatures, gauging yourself as you go.

Has anyone else heard of this or tried it themselves? If nothing else, I can definitely tolerate much colder temperatures than I ever could. Growing up, 60*F was considered "make sure to put on a jacket or hoodie" weather. Now I can tolerate sub-freezing for quite a while.

Since winter is coming for many people, might be a fun thing to investigate and try out for yourself.

 

[lil puff]

Interesting stuff here.
I have never heard of this brown fat vs yellow fat. (damn it's almost lunch time)
I'm a bit skinny and can't handle the cold too well but I seem to do ok. I cannot, however, take a cold shower at all. No way.

As an aside, sometimes I see people in the cold shivering way to much with this look of struggle on their face.

You know. If you relax and don't overthink it, it doesn't feel as cold. I wonder if some people psych themselves out into feeling colder than they need to. Dancing around and shaking and all that, just reminds you that it is cold.

Likewise, vigorously fanning yourself in the heat aint really working for you, old ladies. If it works, why are you still fanning your damn self?

 

[Pejo]

Cool info, never heard of most of this stuff. I think i've become a wimp since moving from a colder climate to a warmer one, this sounds pretty scary to me now, lol.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

A week of cold showers is all it would take lil puff . The breathing exercises do help, too. You'll get used to it in no time at all.

 

[lil puff]

DunDunDunpachi i don't know! I can't even stand the thought of a cold shower.

You are a real man to do that shit.

 

[God Enel]

One drop of cold water in the shower and I’m already gasping like a lil bitch.

I would love to be so tough. But coldness is killing me

 

[Cunth]

Cold water kills me. I can’t even go into a pool unless it’s heated

 

[Dice]

One time I was forced to walk in like 5f for a couple miles with just a normal shirt. It was bitterly, painfully cold at first, but I determined myself to accept the cold and power through. After a bit it's like a furnace turned on in my body and warmth washed over my skin and my nose started to run a bit. I was totally fine. I figured that I found my nordic genes there, but also that if I went too long like that I'd run out of calories to burn and rapidly freeze to death. Helped me to get across to where I had to be, though.

 

[haxan7]

My cold tolerance seems to have shifted back and forth over the years - coinciding with changes in my bodyweight... although paradoxically I'm at my fattest right now, and more sensitive to the cold than I've ever been. So ... my thoughts tend towards cautiously accepting this as possibly true.

I used to always end my showers in cold water just because I believed it was healthy to close up your pores before going out to face the world. But that stopped more than a decade ago.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Cold weather isn't too bad at all.

It's when it's windy that really makes cold weather feel bitter.

 

[Kenpachii]

As long as your core keeps warm, middle part of your body you won't get sick. I trained in 1 degree enviroments for 5-10 hours a day at some point without much to cover me up.

 

[5secondrulesucks]

whats with all this cold shit. i miss the old days when people would just hang themselves by their balls with hooks

 

[Kadayi]

I've done the Wim Hof cold showers thing before (I do about 30 seconds) and it definitely ups your cold resistance for sure. I dropped off it for various reasons, but I'm thinking to go back to it again once my foot is fully healed as I need to get my resistance up for when I'm able to get back to doing early morning exercise because it's cold as shit at 5.30 am.

I've done the breathing thing also, but in truth beyond just giving you a buzz I haven't really found a use for it.

whats with all this cold shit. i miss the old days when people would just hang themselves by their balls with hooks

But it's even more fun if it's in a cold storage

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

Sometimes I'll hit myself with cold water in the shower, just because it helps me cool off quicker when taking a hot shower.

I didn't know there were any other benefits beyond that.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I've done the breathing thing also, but in truth beyond just giving you a buzz I haven't really found a use for it.

Lung capacity/oxygen capacity.

After I quit smoking cigarettes a few years ago it helped tremendously to improve by lung capacity and heal up all the scarring I had no doubt incurred. Your internal heating mechanisms (especially brown fat) are basically oxygen + calorie source = heat machines, so you want your lungs to be in good shape, too.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

There have been a few other threads on GAF about cold showers and fitness, but I wanted to bump this Wim Hof one based on a recent video that showed up on my feed:



Apparently, the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (awarded to William G. Kaelin Jr, Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe and Gregg L. Semenza) affirms some of what Wim Hof has been practicing and teaching for years.

Medicine Prize

Medicine Prize

www.nobelprize.org

it's fascinating to see these techniques bolstered by scientific evidence.

Plus, it's starting to get cold outside and I am eager to cold train through another winter.

 

[Rentahamster]

I'd be curious to see how many practitioners of this method have COVID and how that compares to a similar sample of non-practitioners.

 

[sonomamashine]

Cold water kills me. I can’t even go into a pool unless it’s heated

Fat confirmed.

 

[EverydayBeast]

The greatness of breathing techniques can be attributed to consistent training methods.

 

[TrainedRage]

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I'd be curious to see how many practitioners of this method have COVID and how that compares to a similar sample of non-practitioners.

Such knowledge sounds... dangerous.

Anecdotally, when I was a cigarette smoker I would get an awful chest cold every single winter around the same time. It would last a week and it would get so bad that I would stop smoking (and then would pick it back up like an idiot after it passed).

The breathing techniques have helped me heal and strengthen my lungs. Of that I have no doubt.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

This is terrible for your heart though isn't it?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

This is terrible for your heart though isn't it?

I don't see why it would be.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

COVID "second wave" bump.

One of the prevailing questions during the lockdown was not only "how can I keep myself from catching it?" but also "how can I strengthen my immune system?". Now there's another "wave" and people still have these unanswered questions.

BOILERPLATE: I am not a dr and I am not suggesting any medical advice

Wim Hof cold training and breathing is known to improve immune system resiliency. I see more videos / more comments about the guy. I'm just under 3 years into the practice (as stated in the OP, started in Aug 2017) and I look forward to winter every year. People are looking for diet changes, fitness goals, probiotics, and eatings certain "superfoods" to keep their immune systems up and Wim Hof breathing / cold should be another item worth seriously considering.

 

[Kadayi]

This is terrible for your heart though isn't it?

The cold showers? Nah. The first couple of weeks, your body is a bit taken aback by it all, but over time you just get used to it. Best to ease into it so do like 5 seconds initially for the first week, then 10 the seconds, etc etc. I do about a minute overall these days. Not that I couldn't do longer, but I don't like wasting water at the end of the day, and I do the ablutions side of things beforehand.

 

[God Enel]

COVID "second wave" bump.

One of the prevailing questions during the lockdown was not only "how can I keep myself from catching it?" but also "how can I strengthen my immune system?". Now there's another "wave" and people still have these unanswered questions.

BOILERPLATE: I am not a dr and I am not suggesting any medical advice

Wim Hof cold training and breathing is known to improve immune system resiliency. I see more videos / more comments about the guy. I'm just under 3 years into the practice (as stated in the OP, started in Aug 2017) and I look forward to winter every year. People are looking for diet changes, fitness goals, probiotics, and eatings certain "superfoods" to keep their immune systems up and Wim Hof breathing / cold should be another item worth seriously considering.

Thanks for liking my comment. I’m a believer now (as you most probably have already read in the fitness section)

a day without a cold shower is a lost day.

Cutty Flam wrote a lot of stuff about cold showers in the fitness|OT. I forgot this thread here existed, so maybe his remarks would be worth posting here as well. He helped me tremendously to kickstart this shit after 30 years being a whiny bitch

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Thanks for liking my comment. I’m a believer now (as you most probably have already read in the fitness section)

a day without a cold shower is a lost day.

Cutty Flam wrote a lot of stuff about cold showers in the fitness|OT. I forgot this thread here existed, so maybe his remarks would be worth posting here as well. He helped me tremendously to kickstart this shit after 30 years being a whiny bitch

Yeah man, you've contributed good stuff to that OT. Glad that cold showers are now a regular routine for you. Have you attempted colder weather / ice baths?

Michigan has suitable winter surfing on a few of the great lakes. Not huge waves, but consistent windy waves in the 5- 10ft range (perfect for my amateur skill level). My wife taught me around when we met and visited Florida, but since I don't foresee ourselves traveling out of state any time soon, figured I could learn more surfing skills up here. She has already gleefully agreed to do cold training with surfing as the dangling carrot. Figured it would be a nice way to put my cold training to good use.

 

[GymWolf]

I love both cold shower and taking a bath in cold sea...

They are refreshing, especially if you are stoned as fuck.

 

[haxan7]

Been taking cold showers pretty regularly still. Started because of this thread. Unfortunately in the summer here the water barely gets cold so they’re more like lukewarm showers these days.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Been taking cold showers pretty regularly still. Started because of this thread. Unfortunately in the summer here the water barely gets cold so they’re more like lukewarm showers these days.

That's true dedication, right here.

afaik even ~60F / 15C will trigger the brown fat effect. Underground pipes usually keep water around 50-60F so even in the heat you can get a (reduced) effect.

Dunno if you have an ice maker or cheap ice at the corner store, but I spend a few bucks for a 20lb bag of ice once each week during the summer. I can't really justify spending more than that, but it's worth it imo.

 

[Soodanim]

I’ve come across Wim Hof a few times in the past couple years, and his methods seem to be slowly gaining traction as time goes on. I started trying out cold shower parts for a while, then I did fully cold showers (that was best at night before getting into bed) but I stopped for some reason. I'm getting back into it now.

If anyone is reading thinking "I can't do that",your body reacts by adjusting your breathing, but if you control it with steady deep breaths you adapt quickly and it becomes a non issue. You get out of the shower and only get warmer too, not colder. Eventually walking into a cold shower doesn't cause you to react and it's calming in its own way. Not tried a cold bath yet.

I've never tried the breathing techniques, but I did see Wim on TV a couple months ago getting the hosts of a daytime show to do it. They loved it. Wim started talking about how he taught a group of people the breathing method, and how they were injected with E.coli and got no symptoms because of this particular state the body goes into. I never looked it up, but it's one of those things that sounds too good to be true.

Reddit has a couple subs for this stuff, and there's apparently a similar thing that also may be worth looking into. If I find it I'll report back, but maybe someone knows about it enough to speak in detail already.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Wow, amazing thread DunDunDunpachi thanks for bumping it and inviting me here God Enel

I think this subject is extremely interesting. I want to research into it more as time goes on, and keep current with the studies / scientific literature so I’m sure I’ll end up posting in here at least a few times

The other day, yesterday actually, I did 7 rounds/cycles of contrast therapy so hot water shower water then cold shower water

1st round = Hot 10 min, cold 3 min
2nd round = 3 min 3 min roughly
3rd-7th = about a minute each

I noticed it was very taxing in my upper chest area. Felt like I had been exerting myself a bit so maybe that was too much strain. It did seem obsessive and I wanted to quit at the 4th or 5th round of hot/cold. My mind wasn’t in it plus I felt like it was again a bit obsessive or too much for my body. But I did it anyway because that was about how many times Kobe Bryant would take it to, 6-8 sets of contrast therapy so I wanted to see how it felt to put in the work you could expect day in day out from a world class champion and legendary athlete. Personally, although cold water showers are not difficult anymore and I have adapted to them, that many cycles is surely something that would take time to get used to. I never breathe properly during the hot portion either so maybe that was probably a huge factor as well. But it was a feeling of feeling drained and sort of like I had overworked or played too hard at the bball courts, lifted too long in the gym etc. That spent feeling where your cortisol levels are probably way too high and you need to replenish or rest. Those are my thoughts on that

I need to focus more on the breath though. The cold I am used to. The ice is next. And the breath I do intend to master. But I’ll have to listen more of Wim Hof first to get better at that. Very inspiring man, I respect him a lot and will have to reach out and thank him one day

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

The upper chest is typically the highest concentration of brown fat (the supraclavicular area) Cutty Flam so that makes sense. I don't know if your area has the proper weather and/or the proper facilities, but I'd highly recommend pushing your cold training outdoors for extended (1 hour+) "sessions" if the weather gets chilly enough. Submerging / swimming in cold lake water (40F or colder) would certainly do the trick as well.

Work on your breathing for sure. You're essentially pushing into that light-headed territory on purpose to shock your system. Breathing training also pays off bigtime during conditioning training. I can regularly push far "beyond" the sensation of feeling "tired" because I notch up my breathing, draw it in deep, and push further. The sensation of fueling your muscles / heart with oxygen becomes very sharp / keen once you're doing breathing stuff. It helps train you to manipulate your breath as if it is a resource.

Watch a video or two, practice it, get into the habit, and I'm sure you'll be posting about the specific improvements in no time. Your meticulous tracking is always worth reading.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

Interesting stuff. Thanks for the head up, DunDunDunpachi

 

[Rien]

I am going to need this Cold Train so my breath will as strong so I can sound like Coltrane.

Interesting stuff!!

 

[God Enel]

The upper chest is typically the highest concentration of brown fat (the supraclavicular area) Cutty Flam so that makes sense. I don't know if your area has the proper weather and/or the proper facilities, but I'd highly recommend pushing your cold training outdoors for extended (1 hour+) "sessions" if the weather gets chilly enough. Submerging / swimming in cold lake water (40F or colder) would certainly do the trick as well.

Work on your breathing for sure. You're essentially pushing into that light-headed territory on purpose to shock your system. Breathing training also pays off bigtime during conditioning training. I can regularly push far "beyond" the sensation of feeling "tired" because I notch up my breathing, draw it in deep, and push further. The sensation of fueling your muscles / heart with oxygen becomes very sharp / keen once you're doing breathing stuff. It helps train you to manipulate your breath as if it is a resource.

Watch a video or two, practice it, get into the habit, and I'm sure you'll be posting about the specific improvements in no time. Your meticulous tracking is always worth reading.

Can you link some videos for breathing exercises/training bruh

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Can you link some videos for breathing exercises/training bruh

I do Wim Hof method as explained in the OP video, but I should add a tutorial too



30 breaths, with a focus on pulling air in
Exhale on the last breath and start a stopwatch.
Hold your breath out (no air in lungs) and relax.
Try to hold your breath to 30 seconds. (eventually start holding out for 1 minute or more, as you get conditioned)
When you can't hold it any longer, inhale deeply and hold that breath for 15 seconds.
Breathe out.
Repeat.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Oh apparently for you powerlifting / calisthenics nuts ( Tesseract VlaudTheImpaler et al) anaerobic pushups with your breath held out is wacko-tobacco for your vascularity, hypertrophy, and "pump". I use pushups as a strength test, not a strength builder, but I've done it before and it feels.... zen. Crushing 30 pushups with your breath held out is a reasonable mountain, well worth summiting.

Or 80 pushups without breathing. Y'know, no biggie.



(the video mentions the book 'What Doesn't Kill Us' by Scott Carney as well)

 

[Melon Husk]

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is very good for you. I am a man-bat - skreeeeee

 

[Cutty Flam]

Cold therapy has been a game changer for me. I've been doing it for two or three months now, I can't see myself ever letting go of this routine. I think it's been an immense help for me personally, both mentally and physically

Today, and usually most times, I will focus on anything 'beach' themed while I endure the cold water, and simply try to breath deeply. I still need to focus on the breathing and improve there, but that will be ongoing so I will not stress it; improvement will come. I think it's vital to, whenever training or even just taking time to do something/anything, to set your mind straight and think positively. Just think good thoughts. So that is the other aspect I want to take seriously, at the very least, when using cold therapy to improve my mood, vascular system, entire body really

I had this song in my head today while going through the contrast cycles mid-shower



I would encourage all posters to look into cold therapy / contrast therapy and see if it's for you. All you need is a shower, and if you're lucky enough to live in cold climate maybe a small plastic pool, barrel or something to plunge in. I never thought I would want to live in a freezing climate but after actually practicing the Wim Hof method I sort of envy such places now lol. Only takes a few minutes of cold to reap the benefits of cold therapy too. Again, would strongly recommend looking into Wim Hof. This is one of the most powerful threads on the entire site in my opinion based off how it will impact others' lives if they go for it, and make cold therapy a regular part of their routine

Thanks again for this DunDunDunpachi and a big thank you to the sensei, Wim Hof as well



An interesting little discussion

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Cold therapy has been a game changer for me. I've been doing it for two or three months now, I can't see myself ever letting go of this routine. I think it's been an immense help for me personally, both mentally and physically

Today, and usually most times, I will focus on anything 'beach' themed while I endure the cold water, and simply try to breath deeply. I still need to focus on the breathing and improve there, but that will be ongoing so I will not stress it; improvement will come. I think it's vital to, whenever training or even just taking time to do something/anything, to set your mind straight and think positively. Just think good thoughts. So that is the other aspect I want to take seriously, at the very least, when using cold therapy to improve my mood, vascular system, entire body really

I had this song in my head today while going through the contrast cycles mid-shower



I would encourage all posters to look into cold therapy / contrast therapy and see if it's for you. All you need is a shower, and if you're lucky enough to live in cold climate maybe a small plastic pool, barrel or something to plunge in. I never thought I would want to live in a freezing climate but after actually practicing the Wim Hof method I sort of envy such places now lol. Only takes a few minutes of cold to reap the benefits of cold therapy too. Again, would strongly recommend looking into Wim Hof. This is one of the most powerful threads on the entire site in my opinion based off how it will impact others' lives if they go for it, and make cold therapy a regular part of their routine

Thanks again for this DunDunDunpachi and a big thank you to the sensei, Wim Hof as well



An interesting little discussion

Thanks for the mention. The consistency is the key here, like Cutty said. The simple act of stepping into the cold shower is a mental hurdle that anyone can overcome, then simply turn that "oomph" into other tasks and you'll notice productivity improve. And I can attest to the mood improvement, better cardiovascular system, healthier skin, more energy, better sleep quality, etc

The breathing + cold endurance training has also been shown to improve immune system, so I wonder if these methods will become more popular in a post-COVID world. I'm not suggesting Wim Hof would keep you safe / cure you from COVID but there have been other scientific studies performed on practitioners that affirm the immune system is more powerful.

I have been breathing + cold training for awhile (I mean, you can check the date on the OP) and I recently got into daily fitness conditioning (back in Feb/March). The cold showers / ice baths at the end of the day are essential for reducing soreness, improving circulation, and keeping me "in it" from day to day without taking breaks. Sometimes I'll even do an ice bath, exercise a bit more in the evening, then take a cold shower.

Someone might think "hey I'll do some extra pushups for some extra calorie burn" and cold endurance can work the same way. Your brown fat burns calories to generate heat, so exposure throughout the day will help you lose weight, even if you are only exposed for 5 or 10 minutes at a time.

I'd like to go surfing on the Michigan lakes this fall/winter. The wind makes the waves nice and choppy but still short enough for an amateur like me. The only hurdle is wearing a wetsuit and/or tolerating the cold, so it'll be a nice way to put the endurance to the test.

 

[Anki]

I always wanted to try it out but the thought doing it winter is scary

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I always wanted to try it out but the thought doing it winter is scary

Simply put on a sweater / jacket if you start to shiver.

It's that simple. You're not trying to torture yourself. If anyone has an impression in their mind of a Spartan warrior gritting their teeth and shivering through a winter storm, you have the wrong idea. This endurance is built up incrementally. 100% emphasis should be on doing it daily, not necessarily doing it for a long period of time (at first). Your body will handle the rest as it builds up brown fat. Trust the method. By the middle of my first winter, I was playing shirtless/barefoot outside in the snow for an hour at a time before things started to ache from the cold. No frostbite, no injuries, no harm done. Just make sure you obey the #1 rule above. Shivering means you're at your limit. Do not push beyond.

Even if you can only go 30 seconds, soon you'll be able to do a minute no problem. And if you can do a minute, you'll be able to do 5 minutes within a month, no problem at all. The breathing helps because it feeds your brown fat oxygen, fueling that heat-generating dynamo.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Will this transform me into Old Snake in Act 4?

Fantastic Thread, btw

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Will this transform me into Old Snake in Act 4?

Fantastic Thread, btw

No you turn into Hot Coldman

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

No you turn into Hot Coldman

Who the hell is this character!?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

lol guess who didn't play Peace Walker only one of the best games in the franchise oops

But seriously, try out the method. Maybe your friend's PC build will also improve.

 

[Cutty Flam]

I always wanted to try it out but the thought doing it winter is scary

I wish I lived in a climate at was freezing in the winter, it would make taking an in i e cold dip in a cheap pool or a barrel so convenient. The benefits of cold therapy are tremendous. The initial 20 seconds of discomfort from stepping into cold temperature are well worth it every time. I don’t even view it as discomfort any longer but the start of a process that will help strengthen my vascular system and body entire

 

[Blitzmangoman]

Might as well try this (again). I tried the cold showers two or so years ago but then stopped for whatever reason. I was watching Elliot Hulse back then and he visited Wim Hof, so it started back then for me. Damn why did I stop?

 

[Cutty Flam]

Might as well try this (again). I tried the cold showers two or so years ago but then stopped for whatever reason. I was watching Elliot Hulse back then and he visited Wim Hof, so it started back then for me. Damn why did I stop?

I saw that vid too. Your body adapts if you keep doing it, and eventually it's nothing to you, as it is for Wim Hof and DunDunDunpachi

I've mastered cold showers, but haven't invested in an ice maker or deep freeze yet so I still have hat next step to look forward too. Ice is probably worlds better too...But the benefits just from cold showers are amazing. Simply amazing how you feel and how your systems feel more revitalized and even more efficient just because of a few minutes or so spent in cold water