The TB12 Method: Inside Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero's fitness philosophy of hydration, pliability, and avocado ice cream
But as long as he keeps winning them championships, no one in the Patriots organization is going to stop the two-time MVP from training how he wants. Echoing the method's tagline, Brady is the epitome of sustained peak performance.
In an 18-season career, he has won five Super Bowl rings and has been named to 13 Pro Bowls, including the past nine editions.
But staying at the top of your game for nearly 20 years isn't easy — in fact, Brady is a bit of a fanatic when it comes to his physical fitness.
He is meticulous about his workout routine...
...and even more meticulous about what goes into his body.
Now, football fans can learn all of Brady's fitness secrets in his new book, entitled The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance. Published in September, the book is filled with tips and recipes ranging from the conventional to the truly bizarre.
The TB12 Method is built on 12 different principles, from balance and moderation to promoting anti-inflammatory responses in the body.
Source: TB12 Sports
But the most important concept may be the first one on the list: pliability. Brady calls it "the missing leg of performance training."
Source: TB12 Sports
According to Brady, conventional weight training leaves muscles short and dense due to the constant contractions. He believes that long, soft muscles lead to peak performance.
He sells a number of items purported to increase muscle pliability, including a foam roller and a "vibrating sphere."
Source: TB12 Sports
And Brady works hard for maximum pliability. His incredibly regimented daily routine has garnered attention in recent years, with numerous other players attempting to emulate it.
Source: Boston Globe
That includes Rob Gronkowski, the Patriots' popular tight end.
Kirk Cousins is another player who likes to micromanage his health, fastidiously recording his hormone levels and even sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber.
Brady doesn't do any of that, but he does go to bed early (while wearing special recovery pajamas, of course), often arriving in the weight room by the crack of dawn. Former teammate Rodney Harrison once joined Brady at the gym at 6 a.m., only to be greeted by a sarcastic "Good afternoon."
But as hard as Brady works out, it's his diet that really throws people for a loop. With a litany of strict rules regarding what and when he can eat, he's the NFL's resident ascetic.
For example, Brady's diet includes a ton of fresh vegetables — but only certain ones. While carrots and dandelion greens are staples, he avoids nightshades, a group of veggies that includes tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and eggplants.
And those aren't the only foods Brady refuses to eat. White sugar, white flour, and dairy are nowhere to be found in his kitchen. He "rarely" drinks alcohol, and he's never even tried coffee.
He's not big on dessert either — for him, avocado ice cream is a special treat.
Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, and two children, Benny and Vivian, are also adherents to the strict diet. The kids almost always eat the same meals as their parents.
Staying hydrated is another bedrock of the TB12 Method. Brady says he drinks between 12 and 25 glasses of water a day, or up to 2.5 gallons.
He also adds electrolytes to everything he drinks. He even sells his own electrolyte solution.
Source: TB12 Sports
He has some odd ideas about the benefits of staying hydrated. While Brady suffered frequent sunburns as a "fair-skinned Irish boy" growing up in California, he says he doesn't get them anymore because of all the water he drinks. "I always hydrate afterward, too, to keep my skin from peeling," he wrote.
Source: Sports Illustrated
But many experts reject the water-as-sunscreen life hack. Jodi Stookey, an Oakland-based hydration epidemiologist, said she had "a small chuckle" when she read the passage, while David Leffell, a dermatologist at Yale University, called it "ridiculous."
Source: The Daily Beast
Others have questioned the strictness of Brady's diet, which he purports to be 20% acidifying foods and 80% alkalizing foods. "What you eat doesn’t affect blood pH," said the exercise physiologist Stacy Sims.
Source: The Guardian
Because of the sunburn claim and others like it, many have serious doubts about The TB12 Method as a whole. A New York Times headline said the book was "hefty but short on science."
Source: The New York Times
It has led to some negative publicity for Alex Guerrero, Brady's longtime personal fitness guru and co-collaborator.
Guerrero has a checkered past. In the early 2000s, posing as a doctor, he developed a nutritional supplement known as "Supreme Greens," which he said could cure ailments like AIDS and cancer. Eventually, the Federal Trade Commission found the product to be ineffective and barred Guerrero, who holds only a master's degree, from ever again referring to himself as a doctor.
Source: Boston Magazine
But even with Guerrero's checked history, Brady sought his help, and he has put on a historic display of consistency and longevity. The quarterback said the training is "huge, huge reason why I’m still playing."
Source: Boston Globe
Brady and Guerrero even opened a gym together. The TB12 Sports Therapy Center is located in Foxborough, less than a mile away from Gillette Stadium.
Source: USA Today
Not everyone is so enamored of Guerrero, though. Bill Belichick, apparently fed up with the TB12 principles, reportedly revoked Guerrero's access to both the Patriots sideline and team charters earlier this season.
Source: Boston Globe
Guerrero has also reportedly been barred from treating Brady's teammates in the Patriots locker room, a once common practice.
Source: Boston Globe
Brady wasn't pleased about being asked about the rift between two of his biggest mentors. When asked to comment at a recent press conference, he became visibly irritated and refused to acknowledge the reports of discord.
Brady may be unwavering in his commitment to his health, but he knows that his lifestyle may not be for everyone. "It’s unique to each individual. It’s a very customized program for each person because everybody’s body type is different," Guerrero said of the TB12 Method.
Source: USA Today
Belichick certainly isn't an adherent. "We see Tom every day," he said when asked if he would purchase the TB12 Method. "I don't really feel like we need to read a book."
But as long as he keeps winning them championships, no one in the Patriots organization is going to stop the two-time MVP from training how he wants. Echoing the method's tagline, Brady is the epitome of sustained peak performance.
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