With help from ‘Iceman’ Wim Hof, Overeem is still fighting Hari at the age of 42

It must be an eerie scene for local residents or casual passers-by. On a sweltering August afternoon, around 20 martial artists are lying on their backs on the artificial turf of a garden somewhere in Amersfoort.

They do exercises, where they hold their breath for as long as possible. Then they enter one of the two freezers filled with ice water in the corner of the garden.

The garden belongs to Alistair Overeem, the 42-year-old martial arts veteran who will face Badr Hari on Saturday night at the Gelredome. The heavyweight of 112 kilos swears only by the method of Wim Hof, the bearded “Iceman” who climbed Everest in shorts.

Overeem previously met Hof in 2015, but was only completely captivated by his cold therapy for a year. He does Hof’s breathing exercises every day, then steps into the freezing water and checks to see if he’s done the exercises correctly. According to Hof, the body can do so much more with proper breathing.

Overeem has a long martial arts career behind him. He fought in Japan in K-1 and lived for ten years in the United States, where he was one of the main fighters in the UFC. In the twilight of his career, he hopes to overthrow Rico Verhoeven from his Glory throne.

If Overeem beats Hari on Saturday, that’s normally the prelude to a world title fight with Verhoeven in the spring.

Overeem started martial arts when he was 12 years old. “During those thirty years, I’ve always been a perfectionist,” he says. “I always looked for things that could be done better. It’s all about the details, those few percentages that could be better. That’s the common thread of my career.”

“I had, I think, twenty different nutritionists. I learned a lot from each of them and have now become a nutritionist myself.” He knows perfectly well how to keep his muscular body of 112 kg in shape.

Overeem eats six big meals a day and often eats a big steak in the morning. “In addition to meat, I eat nuts, vegetables and fruits. And I drink water or juice.” Some products that you will never find in his fridge. “No E numbers, fast carbs or sugar.”

The fact that Overeem is still at the top at his respectable age is due to his iron discipline. He has a fixed daily routine. “I often wake up at 4am. Then I meditate and do yoga exercises to prepare my body for the day.”

Later in the day, carefully thought out meals and strength and combat training follow. And so Overeem has been adding Hof’s breathing exercises to his daily routine for a year now.

“Nutrition is crucial for getting everything out of your body, but oxygen is the most important molecule we need. And that almost always remains underexposed. Hardly anyone talks about the lungs,” says the kickboxer.

“Wim is a forerunner in this field with his cold therapy. He is mentally strong and has shown magical things,” says Overeem enthusiastically. “This man influenced my life.”

Hof will be present tonight at the Gelredome, where Overeem will face Hari. Roy van der Ploeg is also part of Overeem’s coaching staff, helping him with breathing exercises.

Van der Ploeg was struggling with an illness for which no cure was found in various hospitals. However, he did not accept this and tried Hof’s unconventional method. He made a full recovery and is now back to kickboxing himself.

Van der Ploeg leads breathing training in Overeem’s garden. And he travels with Overeem, for example for a five-week training camp in Thailand.

Or in Croatia, where Overeem recently met Budimir Buda Sobat. The Croatian has been in the Guinness Book of World Records since last year, having held his breath underwater for more than 24 minutes.

Such encounters inspire Overeem. “I am someone who always pushes the limits, in sport and in life.”

He now seeks this limit with breathing techniques. Overeem can hold his breath for about five minutes and is in ice baths at near freezing temperatures. “If you breathe well and deeply, you can handle anything: cold, heat, stress,” says Overeem.

“Today we are all stressed out. Then your body is not functioning optimally. It is important to be able to switch it off and you do that through your lungs. The cold bath is then the test: your lungs will- they good?”

Shortly before stepping into the ring on Saturday night to face Hari, Overeem will once again do his breathing exercises. The 42-year-old kickboxer feels fully prepared for the fight.

“Really, I feel much stronger now than ten years ago. And I’m going to show it at the Gelredome”