Video summary

I Copied Erling Haaland's Protocol At 18 And Grew 4 Inches, Got Shredded and Gained Bone Mass

Main summary

Key takeaways

Wellness and Self-Improvement

Key wellness / health strategies (Nick’s breakdown of Haaland’s “protocol”)

1) Nutrition focused on “ancestral” whole foods

  • Eat: meats, eggs, fruit, dairy
  • Avoid: seed oils, processed foods, processed sugar, alcohol
  • Rationale given: growth needs
    • raw materials for bone
    • hormonal signals to trigger growth
    • fat-soluble vitamins to support those processes

2) Raw milk approach (or best-possible substitute)

  • Drink: raw milk (Haaland reportedly gets it from a local farm)
  • Claimed benefits:
    • calcium/phosphorus in an “exact” ratio
    • contains active IGF-1
    • provides fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, D, K2) to support calcium absorption and growth-hormone activity
  • If raw milk isn’t available:
    • use pasteurized, grass-fed, organic, whole-fat milk (avoid skim)

3) Fat intake from fatty red meat

  • Include fatty red meat
  • Rationale given: dietary saturated fat is a precursor for anabolic hormones (testosterone, growth hormone, IGF-1)

4) Raw honey for hormone/growth-plate support (as presented)

  • Use raw honey
  • Claimed mechanism:
    • contains chrysin, which inhibits aromatase
    • higher aromatase → more testosterone converted to estrogen
    • more estrogen → (as claimed) growth plates close faster
  • Goal: support an endocrine environment that keeps growth plates “open.”

5) Royal jelly claim for height velocity

  • Mention of royal jelly (unique fatty acid 10-HDA)
  • Trial claim cited:
    • 60 days of royal jelly in children: 142% faster height velocity
    • average +1.7 cm vs controls (as presented in the subtitles)

Training strategy (productivity/behavioral structure)

6) Train for explosiveness, not heavy bodybuilding

  • Prioritize: sprints, hill climbs
  • Claimed benefit: sprinting triggers large growth hormone spikes
  • Hormones support IGF-1 signaling and growth-plate responsiveness
  • Nick’s stated personal implementation:
    • sprinting 3 times per week (for his “growth routine”)

Recovery + sleep optimization (the biggest “must-fix”)

7) Growth happens during recovery—especially sleep

“Growth does not happen when you’re training… it happens when you’re recovering”

  • Sleep emphasis:
    • 90% of growth hormone is released during slow-wave deep sleep
    • Nick’s experience: improving from 5–6 hours/night to 8–9 hours/night helped him grow again (in his story)

8) Red light therapy to improve sleep depth (optional tool)

  • Use red light therapy
  • Purpose: improve sleep quality / increase deep sleep

9) Morning light to set circadian rhythm

  • Get 5–10 minutes of light first thing in the morning
    • ideally 20–30 minutes after waking
  • Light “in the eyes” (natural sunlight or a red-light device)
  • Claimed outcome: aligns biological clock → supports correct timing of melatonin and growth hormone

10) Sleep schedule framed as a “height stunter”

  • Example given:
    • bedtime 3:00 a.m., wake 9:00 a.m., sleep 5–6 hours → “stunting height growth”
  • Message:
    • if you’re not getting enough sleep, fix that first

Core “why it works” theme

11) It’s epigenetics + inputs across life

  • Haaland’s continued growth (claimed by Manchester City medical team) is attributed to:
    • epigenetics, diet, sleep, recovery, training, hormonal optimization
  • Framed as actionable for non-elite people:
    • “These are all free… anyone can do it.”

Presenters / sources mentioned

  • Presenter/Narrator: Nick (host of the video)
  • Athlete case study: Erling Haaland
  • Institution/source implied: Manchester City medical team
  • Research source mentioned: “controlled human trials” on royal jelly
    • No specific study authors/journal named in the subtitles

Original video