Are Erling Haaland’s strategies to become a superman effective?

Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland is breaking all records in his first season with Manchester City: he has 20 goals in 13 league and Champions League games. He is not a great technical talent, but He has an exceptional physique (22 years old, 1.94 meters tall and 88 kg in weight) and a winning mentality. Some want to look for the explanation of the phenomenon in the Viking genes, but he himself clarifies everything he does to be stronger every day and the truth is that his practices can be surprising.

Haaland’s carnivore diet

The Daily Mail newspaper assures that Haaland consumes 6,000 calories a day, twice the average for a man of his size, which is justified by the intense physical training program he undergoes since he is gaining muscle (it is said that he has gained 12 kg of muscle in the last 15 months).

But the most curious thing is that eat cow’s heart and liver, two viscera that currently do not have many followers. Haaland believes that they have exceptional nutritional qualities, such as their richness in zinc, iron and vitamins A and group B. In addition, the footballer worries about the local origin of the meat and that the animals have been fed with grass, not with feed .

It is true that these pieces of meat provide many proteins and nutrients, but it is also true that are very high in cholesterol and may increase your risk of cancer, as stated by the World Health Organization, which classifies red meat as a probable carcinogen in humans.

Haaland you could get all the protein, vitamins and minerals you need from plant foods such as legumes (including soy derivatives), whole grains, nuts and seeds. It has been tested by elite vegan athletes such as the athlete Carl Lewis or the NBA player Kyrie Irving. In addition, these foods would provide fiber and antioxidant compounds that are not found in meat.

Cryotherapy: “freezing” to reduce inflammation

Haaland has bought a cryogenic chamber where he can be exposed for a few minutes a day to temperatures of up to –200ºC to take advantage of the anti-inflammatory effect of cold, that helps you in physical recovery and injury prevention. This therapy, which has become fashionable among soccer players and athletes, has abundant scientific evidence in its favor.

Extreme cold causes blood vessels to narrow, so less blood flows to inflamed areas and discomfort is reduced. When leaving the cryogenic chamber, the vessels dilate and the concentration of anti-inflammatory proteins in the blood increases. For Haaland, it’s a way to recover after training and games.

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Take care of rest and circadian rhythm

Less frequent than concerns about diet or cold therapy, is Haaland’s interest in adjusting his circadian biological rhythm, which is marked by the succession of light (day) and dark (night) periods. It most likely influences that it is Norwegian, since in the Nordic country seasonal depression related to winters with very few hours of sunshine is frequent.

Haaland assures that Get up early to receive the first rays of the sun, which is certainly the best way to cut the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and favor the activating hormones, cortisol and adrenaline. This habit helps regulate biological rhythms, so that you are wide awake and active during the day, and sleep well at night.

In addition, the footballer wears glasses with a filter for blue light at night, aware that the light of this color emitted by the screens of mobile phones, computers and televisions could inhibit the production of melatonin.

With these strategies, it is true that Haaland does everything possible for your body to recover and it works perfectly.

yoga and meditation

Football fans have been able to see how often Haaland celebrates his goals by adopting the meditative posture. It could be assumed that it is only posing for photos, but it turns out that it is not: Haaland meditates and it is a way of drawing attention to the benefits of this practice, which is somewhat surprising in such an explosive and competitive athlete.

Meditation lowers blood pressure and levels of anxiety and depression, which may be associated with sports competition, with the succession of victories, defeats, successes and criticism. Haaland himself says it: “I like to meditate. It has been helping me a lot to find an inner peace. That’s why I sometimes celebrate like that when I score.”

As if that were not enough, Haaland too she does yoga to stretch her muscles after training. As is known, yoga combines the advantages of physical stretching with the practice of conscious breathing and a meditative attitude. All this can favor recovery and mental balance.