Let me paint you a picture… The year is 2040; the metaverse has taken over society, crypto and NFT’s are the only acceptable form of currency, and Tom Brady has won his 15th Super Bowl. That may be a bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea. Born in 1977, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. has defied odds his whole life. As a sophomore in high school, Brady was beat out of a starting job on the JV team. As a senior at University of Michigan, Brady was once again beat out of a starting job for quarterback. Once he reached the NFL, in which he was drafted with the 199th pick, he was benched for almost two years. Through all of this adversity, Brady has stayed resilient, going on to become arguably the best player in NFL history, with more Super Bowl trophies than any franchise. However, this was not always the story of Tom Brady.
At 25 years old, after winning two Super Bowls in three years, Brady said he was “hurting all the time,” and figured that he would never be able to play into his 40s if he didn’t do something. (1)” This is when Brady met his biggest opponent, bigger than any defensive lineman he had ever played against. Its name: time. Ever since then, Brady has embarked on a journey to beat time, through some of the most unconventional methods possible, more famously known as the TB12 Method. This method is based around the principles of a strict diet, “consisting of plenty of all-natural and whole foods while excluding foods like tomatoes and peppers for fear of bloating. (1)” In an interview with Brady’s chef, the chef revealed, “Tom doesn’t eat nightshades, because they’re not anti-inflammatory. So no tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, or eggplants. Tomatoes trickle in now and then, but just maybe once a month. I’m very cautious about tomatoes. They cause inflammation…. Be mentally prepared to leave the table feeling 75 percent full, and then stop eating when you reach this point. (2)” This is what separates good from great. Brady has become a connoisseur in mastering the little things and has learned that success takes time, and that it is more important to get one percent better every day than to try to become twenty percent better overnight. Schay Gilinski even went so far as to say, “Tom Brady is the purest example of what hard work and discipline can achieve, even when the odds are stacked against you.” Brady goes to sleep by 9 pm every night, abstains from alcohol, and does not lift heavyweights. Rather, Brady has accredited much of his success to pliability, coming from his unorthodox trainer, Alex Guerrero, who is also the Co-founder of the TB12 brand. According to Brady, “Pliability is the crucial missing leg that will complete and complement your workouts. (3)”
Now 44 years old, in the best shape of his life, and still playing at the top of his game, winning his most recent Super Bowl only last year, Brady’s NFL career truly has no end in sight. As Isaac Feldman noted, “Tom Brady is the greatest football player of all time. He has proved to the world that age is just a number.” While Brady is still terrorizing NFL defenses, he has launched several ventures to keep his plate full after football, or 75% full for that matter. In conjunction with Facebook Watch he has created a docuseries called “Tom Vs. Time,” written a book about his secrets – called “The TB12 Method” – and has made yet another docuseries with ESPN+ called “The Man in the Arena.” As to what future holds for Tom Brady, only time will tell, or not.
- https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-brady-says-diet-lifestyle-saved-his-career-2017-2
- https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tb12-diet-diary-we-tried-to-eat-like-tom-brady-43-year-old-super-bowl-champion-for-one-week/
- https://tb12sports.com/blogs/tb12/pliability
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- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tom_Brady_8-28-09_Patriots-vs-Redskins.jpg