The Wim Hof Method is a breathing technique built on rounds of deep breaths followed by a breath hold on the exhale, and I have done it every single day since October 2015. Nothing else have I learned, tried once, and continued every day after, because I felt the effect immediately and kept seeing benefits in performance, clarity, and health. In this How 2 Tuesday I walk through exactly how to do the method and the proof that convinced me it works.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The Wim Hof Method is a breathing practice created by Wim Hof, a fascinating person I first learned about through a Vice documentary. At its core you take a series of deep breaths to super-oxygenate your blood, then hold your breath on the exhale, repeated for several rounds. People use it for athletic performance, mental clarity, immune health, and recovery. Wim Hof has an online course and an app to track your breath retention, and the basic version takes only ten or fifteen minutes a day.
Get comfortable sitting or lying down, I like a yoga mat. Breathe in as deeply as you can and let it go, about thirty times, sometimes thirty to forty or even sixty. On the last breath, breathe in deeply, let it go, and then hold your breath on the exhale with no air in your lungs, which is the opposite of normal breath holding. Because you have super-oxygenated your blood, you can hold a long time. When you need to breathe, take one big inhale and hold about fifteen to twenty seconds. That is one round. Do three rounds.
Wim Hof recommends three rounds to start, and that is what I do. Each round is roughly thirty deep breaths followed by a long exhale hold, then a single recovery inhale held for fifteen to twenty seconds. It is not a contest, so do not force the holds, just go until you genuinely feel the need to breathe. Three rounds takes only about ten or fifteen minutes, which is why it fits so easily into the start of a morning, even on a busy day.
For me the benefits showed up immediately and have lasted, more focus, more relaxation, and finally the clear mind I could never get from meditation alone. I have not been sick since October 2015, avoiding the flu and everything that has gone through the house. On the performance side, my hundred-burpees-for-time dropped from around five sixteen to four twenty-seven with no change in diet or exercise, which I can only attribute to adding the method. People also report better recovery and workout preparation.
The clearest proof for me is in the numbers. I log my hundred burpees for time on Beyond the Whiteboard, and from 2013 to 2015 my times gradually dropped to about five sixteen. After I started the Wim Hof Method, with no change in diet or exercise, I dropped to four thirty-five, then four twenty-seven and held there. I also do a twist where I take a big breath in and hold it before doing push-ups, and I can do more than when fully rested, which I believe ties back to blood oxygenation.
Treat it with respect and common sense. Never do the breathing in or near water, while driving, or anywhere a brief lightheadedness could be dangerous, and do it sitting or lying down. It is not a contest, so do not push the holds to an uncomfortable extreme. For me it was an immediate, genuine physical change with no downside, but everyone is different, so start gently with the basic three rounds. If you like how it feels, keep doing it, and consider the app and course to go deeper.
I came across the Wim Hof Method in October 2015 and I have done it every single day since, which is something I cannot say about anything else I have ever learned. I felt an effect immediately, and the benefits kept stacking up, athletic performance, mental clarity, immune health, and recovery. I learned about Wim Hof through a Vice documentary, and I will put videos in the show notes at tomrowlandpodcast.com. I get into the whole story in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here are the steps I walk through in this How 2 Tuesday. I cover the details and stories behind each one in the episode.
I unpack each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above.
Here is a variation I added: find your max push-ups when fully rested, then run the rounds, and on the last breath take a deep breath in and hold it before doing push-ups. You will do more than rested, and it also works on a full exhale. I am convinced it ties back to blood oxygenation. I explain exactly how I do it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
I am a numbers person, and the clearest evidence for me is my hundred burpees for time logged on Beyond the Whiteboard. After years of gradual progress to around five sixteen, the method took me to four twenty-seven with no other changes. That kind of jump is hard to ignore. I lay out the full timeline in the episode, so press play in the player above.
This is just the beginning of a multi-part series on breathwork. Wim Hof opened my eyes to what breath can do, and I have since added techniques from XPT with Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece, and from SealFit.
Give the basic three rounds a try, and if you like how it feels, keep doing it like I have. The app and the online course are great ways to go deeper. Press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Wim Hof · Wim Hof Method · breathwork · Vice documentary · XPT · Laird Hamilton · Gabby Reece · SealFit · Beyond the Whiteboard · meditation · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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