Eddie Hall has broken a few records in his time, including the 500kg deadlift in 2016, but someone who beats The Beast when it comes to records, is Wim Hof, aka The Iceman.
Wim has claimed 26 world records to his name, with one of his most notable moments taking the world’s longest ice bath, coming in at 1 hour, 52 minutes and 42 seconds. If that doesn’t impress you (or make you feel cold) enough, in 2007 Wim ran the world’s fastest barefoot half-marathon, running on ice and snow.
With a record like that it’s no surprise that Eddie was keen to chat to Wim, so much so he invited the Dutchman over for a cup of coffee, plus a guided tour of Eddie’s incredible gym, spa, and recovery room. And Wim was ready to give everything a go.
This is what happened when Eddie met Wim.
‘I’m going to heal myself’'
Eddie also got to hear first-hand some of Wim’s incredible stories. Like the time Wim managed to avoid amputation despite a doctor’s diagnosis.
“I also did a half-marathon barefoot in mid-winter and then after 18km I got frostbite on my left foot and the doctor said this is irreparable damage done and we’ll need to cut away that tissue in four months. That was three months before I went to mount Everest. I said ‘no way, I'm going to heal myself, and I did’.”Like most of us, Eddie was in disbelief...
“When a doctor literally said ‘we need to amputate’ you said ‘f*** off I’m keeping my toes.’. That is incredible.”
‘Nice and cold’
When Wim tried out Eddie’s cryotherapy machine, which Eddie plummeted to –140 degrees centigrade, he couldn’t be happier.
As soon as he stepped in Wim said how the machine was “nice and cold” and he was “feeling good” before kicking off his signature breathing routine to get him through three minutes of extreme cold.
When Eddie asked if Wim fancied a cryotherapy machine of his own, he said he just didn’t need one thanks to his own personal giant freezer, which does basically the same thing...
“I don’t need it now; I’ve got my freezer and I go in and have a great time.”
Take home message
Eddie Hall has some serious kit in his house, and Wim was like a kid in a candy shop looking round (although we don’t blame him). Both of these guys have admirable dedication, and although we respect it, we doubt we’ll be trying sub-zero temperatures any time soon.
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