It’s been two seasons in the Premier League and two titles for Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker has taken the English game by storm and is yet to slow down. And why would he? He’s only 23. The freak of nature has bulldozed everything in his way so far and is looking to do the same next season with a special training.
Thanks to his Scandinavian ancestry and sporting background coming from both Daddy Haaland and Mum, it’s no surprise why Erling is built like a brick wall. His 6’4″ frame is enough to intimidate opponents and his lean yet stocky build is enough to brush defenders aside. But how does Haaland get this strength? Here’s how:
Haaland recently revealed that he’s been chopping wood in Norway after his father, Alfie, forced him to. A former Premier League player himself, Alfie knows exactly what he’s doing, so Erling had no doubts about it. This revelation came to the surface through a video shared by Manchester City. The squad is reporting back for pre-season before heading to the USA, and Haaland also made his way to Manchester after a vacation in his native country.
Haaland also shared a video of him meditating on top of a rock in the middle of a stream during his visit to Norway. His meditation celebration isn’t for show after all. He’s been a known practitioner of meditation, which helps him to concentrate and maintain focus.
Norway is known for its wilderness, and scenic beauty, adorned with mountains and rivers. From 3 years of age, Haaland was raised in Bryne by his mother, Gry Marita Braut, a former heptathlon practitioner. Since childhood, Haaland has participated in all sorts of sports, including golf, handball, and track and field events. If you’re up-to-date with Haaland’s social media activities, you’ve surely seen his videos of running through the hilly terrain through the woods or dusty roads. This running helps Haaland to keep his leg muscles strong, something he needs being a pro footballer.
Apart from the outdoor limbering, Haaland is a fitness freak who makes the most of his time in the gym. His regular gym work involves leg curls, crunches, deadlifts, planks, med ball slams, V-ups, Russian twists, etc. And to recover from all that toil, Haaland consumed almost 6000 calories per day. For a regular person, that’s around 2.5kcal to 3kcal. So not only is Haaland visibly twice the size of a man, but he also eats twice the amount of a regular man.
His diet involves fresh veggies and fruits, just like any other athlete, but what sets him apart is his habit of eating livers and hearts. Yes, you read that right. Haaland eats cow livers and hearts due to the abundance of nutrients in them. The cow’s liver has high iron content, which helps maintain healthy red blood cells and prevents anaemia, while the heart has rich sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals like CoQ10, helping muscle function. Despite his busy schedule and attention to detail, Haaland never forgot the simplest advice he ever received – ‘Let your feet do the talking and everything else will be fine.’