The TB12 Method

Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is known to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. With five Super Bowl championships and multiple other successful accomplishments, he has also been described as one of the best athletes ever. Coached by Bill Belichick, the two minds together are almost unbeatable. Brady attended the University of Michigan and then was drafted in the sixth round of the year 2000, becoming a role model to amateur players and looked up to daily.

Brady is also known for his superior diet throughout his life which helped get him to the point he is at now. In his book The TB12 Method, he details 12 principles for sustained peak performance on and off the field. The quarterback claims that this will keep him on the field until he is 45 years old, meaning he would be playing another four years. He developed these principles with his body coach Alex Guerrero, and they include doing exercises, massages, and yoga to increase “muscle pliability”.

The diet of this 41-year-old phenomenon includes branded nutritional bars and dietary supplements prominently featured throughout the book. In the first chapter Brady states “It doesn’t matter how much exercise you do, if you are not eating the right food and providing your body the right nutrients.” For Brady, anti-inflammatory foods help enhance athletic performance and his recovery after being physically active. He writes that alkaline foods lower his pH level and help him with ailments from boosting low energy to preventing bone fractures, muscle weakness, or nerve tissue damage.

In the morning, Tom starts with 20 ounces of “water with electrolytes,” then a fruit smoothie. After his morning workout another 20 ounces of water is consumed with a protein shake following. Lunch for the 41 year-old is typically based off fish and vegetables, and occasionally afternoon snacks of fruits, protein bars, and even more protein shakes. Come nighttime, his dinners include occasional white meat, more vegetables and soup broth for digestion.

What is even more notable is what Brady doesn’t eat. He avoids alcohol completely as well as gluten containing bread, pasta, breakfast cereal, corn, dairy, foods that contain GMOs, foods with high-fructose corn syrup or trans fats, sugars, artificial sweeteners or soy, fruit juice, grain-based foods, jams and jellies, most cooking oils, frozen dinners, salty snacks, sugary snacks, sweetened drinks, white potatoes, and prepacked condiments like ketchup and soy sauce.

The list of restrictions and preferences does not end there but he makes it clear how strict you diet has to be in order to be this successful.

In addition to diet and nutrition claims, the book also expounds on a concept called “muscle pliability,” which is much different from flexibility, Brady claims. Pliability is all about lengthening and softening the muscles and it can be achieved through what is known as “deep force muscle work.” Brady states, “many people don’t take care of their muscles the right way and put too much stress on them without recovery and that is why they won’t last as long as me.” Your recovery is just as important as your performance when you get to the professional level.

This book explains every health-conscious step for the quarterback. When you live such a successful lifestyle, it is easy to highlight the points that get you there.

The TB12 Method is a big seller that has been given to many college and amateur athletes all across the globe. You can purchase his book off Amazon or almost any online purchasing site for less than $30 and if you are an athlete, it will change your outlook on yourself, your sport, and maybe even your life.