Fitness
Fitness
Meet the coach who taught international athletes how to cope with the cold
Ice baths and breathwork can improve physical performance and help increase mental strength, as international athletes discovered on a one-day workshop with Níall O Murchú
The cold is a powerful thing. So powerful, in fact, that it can be used as tool to enhance athletic performance – and even help cope with emotional trauma and anxiety. That’s what nine athletes, including four Red Bull athletes, learnt on a one-day Wim Hof Method workshop in Dublin.
The method – masterminded by 59-year-old Dutchman Wim Hof, who has made headlines for his ability to withstand extreme cold and hold his breath for minutes on end – is claimed to reduce stress, boost energy, increase endurance and fortify the immune system. The athletes – including canoeist Joe Clarke, cliff diving world champion Gary Hunt and Irish big wave surfer Conor Maguire – were put through their paces by Níall O Murchú, a fully-certified Wim Hof Method instructor.
Red Bull Ireland caught up with Níall after the course to find out what that workshop was all about, how the athletes got on and what people can do to integrate the method into their daily lives.
Niall O Murchu Wim Hof Instructor
© Inpho Photography
What was your reaction when you were asked to work with Red Bull athletes?
I was flattered to be approached by Red Bull – it’s a brand that everyone knows – and I was delighted to work with their athletes because the Wim Hof Method can give them tools that they can use to improve their performance, which is obviously very valuable to them. It was a great opportunity to work with high level athletes and see how they react to the breathing, focus exercises and ice bath.
What is the objective of a Wim Hof Method workshop?
The aim is to give people the ability to control how they feel and think, and to improve their health, strength and happiness. We do this by teaching people how to breathe profoundly and deeply, and influence their nervous system. I talked the athletes through the science behind the Wim Hof Method, then put them through exercises to help improve their mental focus by using the breath. This prepared them for the culmination of the workshop – getting into the ice bath – where they used their newfound focus to find comfort in the discomfort of the ice bath.
What is the significance of using ice baths?
An ice bath can mimic the stress, anxiety, grief and trauma you might experience in everyday life. Once people learn how to deal with the ice and relax in it, they can apply it to any part of their lives. It helps people deal with stress of all levels – whether you’re a competing athlete or just facing an emotionally difficult time.
How long should you stay in the ice bath?
The objective of the ice bath is to get in, and, just as the cold takes your breath away, use your exhale to control feelings of panic and anxiety. Once the mind is calm and relaxed, while you’re still up to your neck in ice, that’s the point to get out. The athletes got out at the peak of the experience, when their body felt warm, strong, and they felt like they could take on the world.
The athletes remained in the ice bath until they were calm and relaxed
© Inpho Photography
Which athlete lasted the longest?
One of the things I try to do with high performance athletes is to get them to let go of that competitive edge. They live in such a high pressured, competitive environment so I encourage them to let go of any sense of competition. I didn’t time them and it was never about who was winning or in there the longest. When you’re in the ice, it’s just you and the cold.
How did the athletes respond to the workshop?
Very well. And afterwards, it was interesting to hear them talking about the different aspects they found useful. Each athlete took one aspect of what they’d learnt and applied it to each of their fields. For example, Tom Evans [Red Bull ultrarunner] said that he what he learnt about breathing properly and keeping his focus for longer was something he could take back to his competitions. And Nicci Daly [Irish hockey player] said that ice baths had previously always been a terrifying, stress-inducing experience. She couldn’t believe that when she got out of the ice bath during the workshop, having prepared and learnt how to breathe properly, that she felt great, and warm.
How can athletes integrate the method as part of their training?
Some of the athletes mentioned how the moments just before a competition can be the most stressful and traumatic part of the experience. The breathing techniques we teach help you control how you feel, so you can get yourself into a relaxed state – no matter the situation. After the workshop, the athletes felt able to use those minutes before the competition as an essential part of their preparation, because they can now relax their body at will.
How can someone introduce these breathing techniques into daily life?
Life throws all kinds of things at us, such as grief, anxiety and trauma. A simple way people can help cope with this is by practicing breathing. Fifteen minutes of Wim Hof Method breathing every morning makes the body more alkaline, making the chemistry in the body more balanced, and that ultimately means that we have the ability to absorb shock and stress in a calmer, better way.
Anything else people can do?
A cold shower a day keeps the doctor away. Next time you have your normal, warm shower, turn the tap to cold at the end for between 15 seconds and a minute. The cold water will immediately change your mood, balance your hormones, dramatically improve your immune system and get your circulation going. You’ll feel great and it also helps you sleep better. People are often terrified by the cold, but once you start to approach it, it becomes less scary. If you start to use it properly, the cold can become a tool to enhance your performance – and improve your daily life.
Niall O Murchu preps the athletes for the ice baths
© Inpho Photography
How can people take their cold water training to the next level?
If people are inspired to do cold water training, the first thing is to approach it very gradually and respectfully. The aim is to relax under the pressure of the cold. When you’re in the ice, focus on the exhale. Within about three or four long, smooth exhales, the vagus nerve [the large cranial nerve that runs from the brainstem to the gut] will be triggered. One of the main jobs of the vagus nerve is to move you from a state of agitation into a state of rest and relaxation. The result is that the heart rate goes down and the body starts to relax. If you can find this ability to be comfortable in discomfort then you've cracked it, and that skill will help with life.
