The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance

by Tom Brady

The #1 New York Times bestseller by the 7-time Super Bowl champion

The first book by NFL legend Tom Brady, the 7-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who reached unimaginable heights of excellence into his forties—a gorgeously illustrated and deeply practical “athlete’s bible” that reveals Brady’s revolutionary approach to sustained peak performance for athletes of all kinds and all ages.

In this new edition of The TB12 Method , Tom Brady further explains and details the revolutionary training, conditioning, and wellness system that has kept him atop the NFL at an age when most players are deep into retirement. Brady—along with the expert Body Coaches at TB12, the performance lifestyle brand he cofounded in 2013 with Alex Guerrero—explain the principles and philosophies of pliability, a paradigm-shifting fitness concept that focuses on a more natural, healthier way of exercising, training, and living. Filled with lessons from Brady’s own training regimen, The TB12 Method provides step-by-step guidance on how develop and maintain one’s own peak performance while dramatically decreasing injury risks. This illustrated, highly visual manual also offers more effective approaches to functional strength & conditioning, proper hydration, supplementation, cognitive fitness, restorative sleep, and nutritious, easy-to-execute recipes to help readers fuel-up and recover.

Brady steadfastly believes that the TB12 approach has kept him competitive while extending his career, and that it can make any athlete, male or female, in any sport and at any level achieve his or her own peak performance and do what they love, better and for longer. With instructions, drills, photos, in-depth case studies that Brady himself has used, along with personal anecdotes and experiences from his legendary career, The TB12 Method gives you a better way to train and get results with Tom Brady himself as living proof.

Genres: Health, Sports, Nonfiction, Fitness, Self Help, Biography, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2017

About the author

Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He is one of only two players to win five Super Bowls (the other being defensive player Charles Haley) and the only player to win them all playing for one team.

After playing college football for the University of Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. In Brady's 15 seasons as a starter, he has quarterbacked the Patriots to seven Super Bowl appearances, the most for any player in history.

Brady has been honored with four Super Bowl MVP awards (Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX, and LI), the most ever by a single player, has won two league MVP awards (2007 and 2010), has been selected to 12 Pro Bowls, and has led his team to more division titles (14) than any other quarterback in NFL history. As of the end of the 2016 season, Brady is fourth all-time in career passing yards, fourth in career touchdown passes, and third in career passer rating. His career postseason record is 25–9, winning more playoff games than any other quarterback, and he has appeared in more playoff games than any player at any position. Brady has never had a losing season as a starting quarterback in the NFL. His 208 combined regular-season and postseason wins are also the most of any quarterback in NFL history. Because of his accomplishments and accolades, many analysts and sportswriters consider Brady to be among the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Due to his late draft selection, Brady is considered to be the biggest "steal" in the history of the NFL Draft.

For his alleged involvement in the highly publicized Deflategate football tampering scandal, Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 NFL season. Subsequently, Brady went on to win Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl MVP that season.

Brady has been married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen since 2009.

Reviews

[da AL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Brady is definitely to be admired. As for his book, this is more like a coffee-table book. Lots of basics about eating right, as well as discussion on the importance of keeping limber as well as strong.

[Sara the Book Slayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is common knowledge that Tom Brady is the product of a coupling between Satan and a cyborg from the future. The title of his book is an obvious homage to his genealogy, similar to T2 Judgement Day.
All jokes aside, this is a a decent book about a new training methodology. I even took screen shots of the section about plantar fasciitis relief exercises to send to a friend. There is some good information about muscle pliability, hydration, nutrition, and supplements.
Most people won’t be able to afford a TB12 trainer but there is some good basic knowledge to be gained from this book. These methods work for Tom Brady so it probably could work for others if they had the time and money to dedicate to this intense training. If I ever win the Powerball I will put it on my short list to get a TB12 trainer, so that I can get rubbed down like a Kobe beef cow before and after my workouts. Until then I’ll have to stick with my trusty homemedics massager.

[Eric C Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the main takeaway is muscle pliability. contracting and relaxing your muscles during a massage of the muscle in the the direction of your heart to lengthen and soften the muscle. i am trying this on my low back where i have chronic pain after surgery. i have felt some interesting sensations as a result. his diet is sound, despite a few carbohydrate assumptions like assuming you will need snacks between meals. but hes the GOAT and i wont hold it against him for not going keto. he is living proof that being conscious of your body and what goes into it, as well as how you take care of it and your brain, pays off in performance and keeps you youthful. i think anyone who mocks Brady should do a quick comparison of life resumes before saying another word. his advice is redundant, but well heard by a fan and someone also continually striving to heal and maximize my health and feeling good. this is just one of many health related books ive read lately and it falls into the useful category.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like everyone else, I am fascinated by Tom Brady and how he manages to continue to perform at an elite athletic level even as he ages. This was an interesting read although somewhat repetitive. My major takeaway is that I'm not willing to invest this amount of effort into maintaining my body :-)

[Bon Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, after so many years in sports I managed to learn something new. Pliability. Totally missed this one and I have to admit, it makes perfect sense. I don't fully agree with some other, nutrition related stuff, especially not making distinction between wholesale and raw milk, but pliability and hydration parts are golden. I'm usually scientific minded and demand proofs and trials, but as somebody else said, "whoever mocks Brady needs to make quick comparison of cv's". This guy is living proof of what he preaches and has all credentials I need. And I'm sure some of my injuries were because of imbalances and lack of pliability. No other way to explain them.

[Lee Downen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has helped me a ton.

I used to be a real meathead when it came to reading. I'd wake up, throw on my SLING SHOT®, chalk up to my elbows, and go straight to the pain cave. I'd max on the Big 3—Kant, Hegel, and Heidegger—every time. When my roommates would tell me to turn down Skeletonwitch, I'd ignore them, continuing to scream, "Light weight! Yeaaah, budddy!", as I went to war with those damned Teutons.

The costs were nothing to me. I scarfed down blenders of baked carrots, pumped my eyeballs full of Prednisolone, and shelled out hundreds of dollars for the latest university-press translations. All for zee gains on Goodreads. I was out of control.

Then I found TB's book. I was skeptical at first. When you've been reading as long as I have, you've seen a lot of BS: speed reading courses, Audible, book-to-movie adaptations. They don't work. The only thing that does is old-school, Mortimer Adler-style hammering. Or so I thought. Now I'm foam rolling my thumbs, sleeping in a bioceramic scarf, and having a body coach rub my temples a few times a week. And it's working. At a time when many of my peers have hung it up, saying that attempts to provide a self-grounding of reason, to articulate a collective and historical account of human subjectivity, or to ask again the question of Being are dead ends, lame, and unlikely to attract women, I'm still able to get after it. And I owe it all to Tom. With these methods, a bag of protection stones, and some weird drops from Gisele, I'm confident that I'm going to be reading for way more than twenty-two years.

[Ben Azadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a ton of things I loved from Tom's book:

- Brady's mindset & dedication to his craft
- His advice on staying hydrated
- Getting quality sleep
- Plyability for injury prevent & treatment (going to buy a vibrating foam roller and sphere this week)
- Eating mostly vegetables and fiber

There were also several things I didn't agree with, or wish he would have went more into detail on.

- Saturated fats
- Canola oil
- Weightlifting benefits
- Hormones

Overall it was an interesting read. I've extracted several golden nuggets that I will implement starting this week!

[Lee Adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

To quote Billy Madison "At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumberfor having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." Sorry, Tom.

[JD · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big Tom Brady fan as he is an immense athlete and being the 199th draft pick nobody gave him a chance, but he has proved everyone wrong and has had one of the most illustrious careers in the sporting world... But even though the book starts okay with a bit of background on him and has some good exercises in the middle, the rest is almost just an advert for his TB12 Method, so if you are not interested in that, do not get this book. Luckily I got the book for free on Great On Kindle, otherwise it would have been even more disappointing.

[Sharon :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned alot I am ordering the paperback so I can reference back on the hydration chapter, recipes and the resistance band exercises 💪🏽

[Liam · Rating 1 out of 5]

i still can believe tom brady scammed me into reading his dumb ass book

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a football fan, thus not a Tom Brady fan. But you have to admit, a 40 year old star quarterback who has won 6 Superbowls and is handsome, fit, and successful, merits investigation. I was so excited to get this book and to begin to understand how he does it. It slowly dawned on me that this is a person who literally devotes his life to his body, keeping it at peak performance for as long as he can. While this is a worthy goal, perhaps, the worthiest, it just doesn't work for the average person (me).

His whole system is based on a concept called pliability, in which his trainer massages his muscle groups while he contracts those same muscles ---it's a 2-person job. And he does this for at least 30 minutes pre-workout and 30 minutes post-workout. He's got an alternate for those of us who don't have trainers, trained in the pliability method. This involves buying assisted devices like a vibrating foam roller or a vibrating ball and using it in place of the live trainer. He also doesn't lift weights, rather he uses resistance bands. The ideas would be more appealing to me if I hadn't just done spring cleaning and thrown out old unused gym equipment. Who am I kidding, the roller and resistance bands would go the way of the Gaiam exercise ball, the hand grips, the dumbbells, and the Wii fitness. I'd probably kill myself accidentally with those resistance bands by hanging them on the wrong door or not attaching them correctly.

Though I like his style and his different approach to exercise, I can't see it working for me. But I also enjoyed his sections on hydration, rest, and nutrition. He advocates drinking an incredible amount of water per day but also electrolytes. He eats a lot of snacks but no white foods or processed foods, and mostly fruits and vegetables. He gets a lot of sleep and does mental exercises to keep his brain young. I admire him tremendously for being such a clean, healthy role model and need I mention: he's also easy on the eyes.

[Deacon Tom F. (Recovering from a big heart attack) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Interesting

I guess it’s hard not to pay attention someone who’s in their mid 40’s and plays like people in their 30s. So that’s why the Tom Brady TB12 attracted me.

At my advanced age, weightlifting or sports in general don’t seem to be on the horizon.

Yet, most of what I’ve been doing in physical therapy is in the core of this book.

This book makes a lot of sense and it would be ideal for someone younger.

[Andy Hausmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished this book, I said to myself “Damn, that was a good book!” So many great ideas in this book, looking forward to implementing them. Read it! :)

1. I wake up and immediately drink 20 ounces of water with electrolytes. Hydration is one of the easiest, most important thing we can all do right now to enhance our pliability

2. Wearing bioceramic-infused functional apparel and sleepwear increases energy, promotes recovery, and improves performance

3. Don't drink while you're eating because drinking too much water during a meal can interfere with your digestion. Drink more water before and after meals than during meals. Wait an hour or so after you're done eating before you drink water

4. Glenn was a club trainer that trained Tom's sister and he would tell Tom "I want you to do one hundred jumping jacks, twenty-five push-ups, and twenty-five sit-ups every morning. One the day you don't come to the gym, I want you to do them at home. And when you're done with your workout, leave me a message on my answering machine." For every message he left him, Glenn promised to pay him a dollar. For every day he didn't leave Glenn a message, he would owe him five dollars

5. Always wash fruits and vegetables before eating them

6. Mental toughness is a learned behavior. Focus on learning from experiences that don't work out. Often they become positive events

7. Supplement your dietary regimen by taking at minimum a multivitamin and a B complex. Limit caffeine, alcohol and soda

8. The foundation of an alkalizing meal is vegetables. Leafy greens are packed with vitamins and antioxidants - I try to eat as many of them as I can. Nightshades are a great source of antioxidants. Coconut is a great form of hydration, and a natural source of electrolytes

9. Check out the BrainHQ app. No real healing takes place in the body unless we also focus on the brain

10. Smoothie ideas

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most repetitive and basic book on health and fitness I have ever read, and I've read them all.

[Tasos Manouras · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is mostly an advertisement for the tb12 sports center but still learned a few things. Most of his theories are born out of personal experience rather than scientific evidence which makes the book borderline holistic in many instances.

Still learned that I can treat my Achilles's tendonitis by massaging the bottom of my foot, dairy can cause inflammation and got the vibrating sphere which as of now is the best work out gadget that I own.

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

#37 in this list - Heatlh and Fitness Best Audiobooks - 2018

The book shows “Tom Brady 12” - TB12 exercises & foods to eat.

I was wrong - I expected contents to have more with NFL, Tom Brady & Super Bowl wins.

[Sean Tenaglia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn’t buy this for myself, but given it as a gift I figured it was worth checking out. This book has plenty of problems (as critics rightly point out), but there is some useful information.

First, the bad:
- Unless you have the money for personal training and/or expensive nutrition and workout gear, many of TB12’s points are incredibly difficult to apply (especially for a broke kid just out of college)
- Mentioning those expensive snacks and performance gear, the book definitely devolves into an extended advertisement for his products
- While the method has seemingly worked for Brady, there is little to no discussion of the science backing the information (just a bit concerning...)
- Many points regarding healthy foods to eat and junk to avoid are pretty common sense

That being said, a few benefits:
- The discussion of alkaline and acidic foods is a reasonable, science-backed assessment of the effects of certain foods on the body
- Focus on pliability definitely emphasizes a critical aspect of strength training missing from most workout plans
- Although most workouts could be found online, many can prove useful; I would’ve like to see more detail regarding muscle groups worked, etc.

Ultimately, I’ll take a few things from this and see how they fit within my own routines, but as much as it pains me to say it, Tommy’s “fountain of youth” plan is certainly not catering to the average person.

[KNCHNGL · Rating 1 out of 5]

Much his book is based on common sense as opposed to clinical studies and/or trials.

Generally, I agree with him. Of his recap at the end of the book - hydrate, reduce caffeine & alcohol, eat whole natural foods, raw veggies, go organic because you are what you eat, avoid processed foods, sleep properly, re-balance your mind daily - most were common sense.

Most beneficial was hearing his take on doing resistance band training and no weights. Refreshing to hear a well-known athlete taking such an unorthodox approach; props to him for having the bravery to do something different. Have always wondered about such an approach (as gymnasts are able to maintain themselves quite well without weights), and will give it a try.

Of most interest to me his take on pliability, but I had to slug through 30% of the book before pliability exercises were detailed. That said though, I've gone out and gotten a foam roller and it has been awesome - totally addictive.

Negatives - much of it was repetitive and every other line a plug for his TB12 business; majority of it read like a memoir.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me a good feel for what Tom Brady is like in real life and an appreciation for his strong work ethic. A majority of the book dealt with his strategies for making himself one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and what enables him to do it year after year. That being said, this book is not just for pro athletes, but he emphasizes that his techniques are applicable to everyone, no matter their age or their athletic prowess. Much of the information about diet and lifestyle habits I had heard before from others, but it was affirming that these choices that I have been trying to follow (for the most part) are part of what TB attributes his success to.

[Donna]

Recommended by my massage therapist, this book details superstar athlete Tom Brady’s holistic approach to maintaining optimum health and fitness as we age. TB12 Method includes pliability training, resistance band workouts, the importance of hydration, whole foods nutrition, even brain challenges. The writing is upbeat and motivational, so much so that I’ve already ordered the bands.

[Lou Berthelson]

The book is just what I was hoping it would be, a detailed look at a low inflammation way to workout, refuel and take care of my body. As a golfer, I am challenged to create relaxed speed, power and accuracy. The TB12 method is the perfect way to achieve and sustain it.

[Kelly Maychack · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Some interesting new concepts here along with the typical advice you always hear. Overall I dislike him less than before 🤷‍♀️

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh where to start... First, I LOVE watching him play football. He is truly a master at the game. And I so wanted to like this book and find some real value...

First, good take aways from the book: clean eating, daily exercise, not overtraining, positive attitude. Yes to all, and undoubtedly a major reason why he is so good at his job.

For the "not-so-goods": basic, high-level information on all of the above, that was simply repackaged into the "infomercial" that is this book. Repetitive, repetitive, repetitive... His editor should be slapped for any number of egregious lapses in judgement here.

I know he's been trashed about his theory of muscle "pliability" (there is no science to support this claim that he and his trainer make), but I get the point. In my world it's "fascial fitness", or the resilience of your connective tissue (if you're not familiar with the science of fascia, try this: http://fasciacongress.org/) . Fascial fitness is a real thing, with science to back it up, and so even though the language is different, the ideas are really similar (you say potayto, I say potahto).

So if some folks read this book , and the language of it works to inspire them to eat better, get more exercise, and live a better, healthier life, then who am I to question!

[William Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book to read not because I’m a Tom Brady fan or a Patriots fan (because I’m not) but because I respect what he has done and continues to do in his sport. I feel I’m struggling putting this review into coherent paragraphs so I’ll just do a standard pros and cons.

Pros:
• I’m a fan of the whole person approach to the sustained peak performance he talks about. He doesn’t just touch on something like how to throw better. He goes into detail about workouts, nutrition, sleep, hydration, and more. It’s a lifestyle, not something you just do on game day.
• I’m also a fan of some of the workout suggestions he had in the book and how it questions the way we have been taught to workout and feel. There’s more to working out than just strength and conditioning and it is my goal to incorporate more of the pliability training in my workouts.

Cons:
• It felt like the purpose of this book was just a big promotional stunt for his TB12 Method and Training facility. Makes sense to put it out a couple of years before you retire and build it up so you’re setup for when you retire. Every page basically stated something he did and then said why the TB12 method was awesome and come join in. This also made the book feel a little surfacey because it would give a vague description of something and then say try it on your own but best results are from TB12 professionals.
• It’s stated in this book that the TB12 method is for anyone. Doesn’t matter if you play a sport or not. Even though I do plan on making changes based upon what I’ve read, I do believe this is best for players and coaches of all levels. This really should be read by all high school coaches where most bad sports habits start. I think a lot of people would be overwhelmed reading this and trying to make changes in their life.

My view might be different if my nutrition, hydration, sleep, and mind set were not as closely matched with the book. Plus I don’t really care about the difference in a percentage point in my performance, I’m more interested in waking up without pain and feeling energized. I get that it can happen with the help of the TB12 method which is why I’m making small changes and not going as intensely as TB does.

[Eileen Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a perfect week to read Tom Brady's right before Superbowl weekend. I learned about his life growing up in California, college days, and pro times. Most interesting that he said he was a late bloomer and not a superstar but trained and had the drive to become one. His TB12 Method is a holistic program of eating right, hydrating, and training with attention to what he calls pliability of the muscles to enhance performance. Some of my take aways form the book included:
-Hydrate more!!! I need to drink more water (he recommends people drink half their body weight in water daily)
-Make note of protein intake
-Eat mostly plant based and organic foods
-Try the Brady Bowl recipe in the book
-Get the right type of sleep
-Do brain exercises too
There are some good recipes for smoothies in the book but the exercises are all muscle specific and use resistance bands (part of the program).
Billy willed the book this week too. While I will never be in the NFL or in the Superbowl, I have my own performance goals (curling/golf/and other sports).

[Jordan Pinto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was really interested in Tom Brady’s regime to prolong his peak performance throughout his NFL career. There were some good takeaways, though a ton of pseudoscience that may work for some but can also put off others. A large chunk of the book included workouts and recipes which I was less interested in, as I prefer the mechanisms behind the science. The info for sleep, nutrition, and hydration was fairly obvious to me except for his obsession over pro-inflammatory foods, electrolytes supplementation throughout the day, and his own line of sleepwear.

Recommend this to athletes who want to explore every edge they can get, but otherwise there are better books for holistic healthy living rooted in peer-reviewed science.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some legit insights in this book:

1) his concept of pliability training,
2) the concepts of "positive-intentional trauma" vs "negative-unintentional trauma" and the idea that you can train your body to better handle the later by inducing the former via certain types of massage,
3) the limitations of "training heavy" as you age,
4) the benefits of resistance band training vs traditional weights,
5) differentiating between "linear workouts" (sprinting, squats, deadlifts, running) vs "rotational" sports tasks (swinging a golf club or tennis racquet, throwing, cutting/planting/turning), and how you want to train for your sports tasks.
6) there were useful insights in here on recovery/rest, hydration and even brain plasticity and even "attitude management."

[andré crombie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes: I read this bizarre book between episodes of Deadwood in the week before Christmas of 2017, mostly because it was, for reasons still unclear to me, on my dad’s living room side table. Tom Brady doesn’t eat tomatoes. I made a few of the smoothie recipes and they were fantastic if you enjoy terrible health smoothies. I think he’s won two rings since I read the book, so deep muscle rubs and eating .67 eggplants only when the moon is waning and Mercury is in retrograde must work.

[Charles Huard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like this book, Tom Brady tell us about pliability for muscles which is incredibly important although not a lot of us are college athletes. He also used pliability to push vibrating roller and vibrating ball to improve pliability on the reader. Talks about hydration, supplements and receipts all great pieces of advice but it just was not good..