As both a longtime athlete and skeptical consumer, I‘ve been curious to test out the fitness brand that helps one of the greatest quarterbacks defy time itself. Do TB12‘s training philosophy, supplements, and strict diet represent forbidden knowledge that could unlock our human potential? Or is it mostly inflated hype preying on Brady fans?
I decided to answer this question by fully immersing myself in the TB12 ecosystem. Over two months, I committed to the entire regimen – personalized coaching, equipment, app workouts, and appointed meals. It pushed my body and budget to the limit! Here’s what I learned during my journey towards pliability enlightenment.
Overview: Inside the TB12 Fitness Empire
In case you just emerged from a cave, TB12 was launched in 2013 by Tom Brady and his body coach Alex Guerrero as a direct-to-consumer fitness and nutrition company. Brady became enamored with Guerrero’s training style after recovering from a devastating knee injury in 2008. Together they opened the TB12 Sports Therapy Center based in Foxboro, MA focused on injury prevention through strength, conditioning, and “pliability” exercises.
Seeing great personal results from the nascent TB12 Method, Brady decided to commercialize the entire training approach beyond his own body. TB12 has expanded to offer personal coaching, equipment, supplements, informational apps, and strict dietary guidelines claiming to speed up recovery, maximize performance, and slow the aging process across team sports, endurance activities, and everyday life.
While America eagerly awaited Brady’s un-retirement announcement, business at TB12 was booming:
- $20M+ in 2022 estimated revenue according to Growjo
- 150+ employees across 5 locations
- 100K+ website visitors monthly
- 4.9 star rating across 2,800 reviews
Despite little marketing beyond Brady’s name recognition, TB12 seems to have cracked the code on an aspirational wellness brand. But could the average gym rat hope to recreate those results without Brady’s Superhuman genetics? I aimed to find out.
My TB12 Testing Methodology
I signed up for TB12’s highest tier pliability-focused training package for a 6 month membership term that included:
- Biweekly 1-on-1 remote sessions with an assigned Body Coach
- TB12 Vital Bands resistance band system with foam rollers
- Access to full TB12+ video workout database
- 20% discounts on all products
- Customized nutrition plan based on Brady’s approved foods
This put me back $750 upfront alongside a $300 equipment starter pack – no small investment! But it gave me everything needed to fully embrace the regimen.
I also read cover to cover Brady’s 2017 bestseller The TB12 Method which outlines his training philosophies in detail. And I interviewed experts in sports medicine, exercise science, physical therapy, and nutrition to separate fact from fiction.
Here’s exactly what I asked my Body Coach, gear I used, milestones I hit, and ultimately what I learned about my human potential.
Phase 1: Building My Pliability Foundation
The TB12 method is anchored around maintaining muscle “pliability” through resistance bands to keep tissues elastic and injury resistant. Before touching a weight, my Body Coach Luke got me set up safely with the TB12 Vital Band system designed for portable, full body training without straining joints or tendons.
The starter kit includes:
- 5 progressive resistance bands up to 150 lbs tension
- 2 vibrating massage spheres
- Lacrosse ball
- Ab roller
- Collapsible workout bench
After an initial posture and movement analysis on video call, Luke prescribed target areas for me to focus my pliability work:
- Tight hip flexors
- Weak glute activation
- Rounded upper back and shoulders
We started with bodyweight and light band exercises like banded squats, good mornings, and standing band rows for high reps on a 3 days/week split. Sessions focused heavily on form rather than chasing hypertrophy or fatiguing at first.
The key was learning to maintain constant tension on target muscle groups throughout the motion’s full range rather than pushing maximum resistance. It required slowing down and focusing inward far more than my usual workouts pumping iron. Mentally, it felt ridiculously easy at first. But as the band tension increased progressively, I began feeling new aches, pains, and muscle burn in unexpected areas I clearly needed addressing.
After a few weeks of pliability work, I noticed:
- Better posture walking around day-to-day
- Decreased lower back tightness after long workdays
- Less knee and hip discomfort biking
- Overall easier mobility and flexibility
Once my body adapted to the motions safely, I started integrating more challenging plyometric movements borrowing from yoga, Pilates, even dancing into our programming to turn up the burn. Things like lateral band walks, body saws, and standing ab crunches pushed my athleticism and coordination.
Through continuous check-ins and form feedback from Luke, we crafted a customized 4 week pliability program to address my biggest functional gaps and prepare for adding weight back in down the road.
Phase 2: Adopting the Alkaline, Plant-Based TB12 Diet
Alongside building foundational movement strength, I also fully committed to the notoriously strict TB12 nutritional methodology outlined in Brady’s book with ingredients approved by his in-house chefs and dietitians.
The regimen classifies food into alkaline (promoting less inflammation) and acidic (leading to inflammation and injury) categories, prohibits mixing certain food groups together, and provides specific macros guidance:
- 75% plant-based produce, nuts, seeds – alkaline
- 20% complex carbs and plant/fish protein – alkaline
- 5% animal protein – acidic
- No fungi, nightshades, processed foods, caffeine
- No combining fruits with meats or starches
To simplify sticking to the guidelines day-to-day, I ordered several weeks worth of custom meal prep from FreshlyFit, TB12’s official meal delivery partner. This included 3 Brady-approved meals and snacks delivered daily basis my Body Coach’s guidance on optimal fueling times.
Here’s a snapshot of meals in my regular rotation:
Breakfast
- PB & Banana Protein Smoothie
- Veggie Scramble with Sweet Potato Hash
- Overnight Chia Oats
Lunch
- Forbidden Rice Bowl with Tofu & Veggies
- Lentil & Roasted Root Veggie Salad
- Curried Red Lentil Soup
Dinner
- Cauliflower Pizza Margherita
- Coconut Chili Lime Bowl
- Veggie & Quinoa Power Bowl
Snacks
- Roasted Seaweed Snack Packs
- RXBARs (various flavors)
- Trail Mix with Berries
While the food was delicious, adhering to the schedule proved challenging on busy work days. I often needed supplements shakes to bridge nutritional gaps when meals didn’t align with hunger cues. And going out to eat required scanning entire menus to find compliant dishes, eliminating most cuisine beyond salads.
But through the strict first month, I noticed several benefits including:
- Increased energy throughout workouts
- Better digestion with less bloating
- Improved sleep quality waking up refreshed
- Healthy weight loss of 5+ pounds
As an experiment, I fell off the wagon for a weekend by binge eating pizza, beer, milkshakes – all the forbidden vices. Shockingly I developed full body acne and severe lethargy almost immediately, seemingly confirming Brady’s anti-inflammatory principles manifesting before my eyes. It spurred me to double down moving forward.
Phase 3: Leveling Up With Weights & Plyometrics
Having built a movement foundation emphasizing technique over intensity, I received the green light from my Coach to incrementally begin reincorporating free weights, resistance machines, and more advanced plyometric circuits into my programming.
This involved blending the classic lifting staples like squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows with multi-dimensional, explosive full body exercises to translate my newfound pliability into applied athleticism. Things like lateral sled drags, slide board mountain climbers, and box jumps now appeared regularly in my workouts alongside trusty resistance bands.
I also introduced Tom Brady’s favorite core workout device – the 3D Core Trainer – into my regimen which employs suspendable padded coils providing unrivaled instability. Just balancing on the thing without toppling over works your transverse abdominals and obliques like no other ab exercise I’ve ever attempted.
Sessions at this stage followed a push/pull upper body, lower body split across 3 weekly workouts per muscle group, cycling heavy and light loads with a focus on time under tension.
My Coach programmed me a 12 week block peaking at the highest challenge level having sufficiently prepared my body to handle the stress and intensity. I tracked tangible athletic outputs like power output on machines, seconds held in a plank, repetition maxes on lifts like the hex bar deadlift, and vertical leap height to gauge progress.
Here were my beginning baselines versus end targets:
- 5RM Hex Bar Deadlift: 225 lb. –> 315 lb.
- Standing Vertical Leap: 21 in. –> 28 in.
- Forearm Plank Hold: 1 min –> 3 min
- Sled Push Force Output: 800W –> 1200W
Through intense tri-weekly training plus band work on off days, I indeed achieved all my strength and power goals by the end of the 12 weeks. Muscle soreness present early on nearly disappeared over time as my soft tissue adapted.
In the process, I gained visible muscle, mostly shed stubborn belly fat, and felt generally healthier compared to prior training cycles. I credit the pliability base building for allowing me to endure the grueling full body workload without missing sessions or suffering adverse setbacks.
Final Verdict: Who Can Benefit Most From TB12?
My two month TB12 immersion challenge was utterly grueling, requiring extreme discipline across training, nutrition, and lifestyle factors. But it delivered results matching the same principles that allow Tom Brady to still outduel opponents literally half his age.
I firmly believe TB12 delivers immense value for:
- Rehabbing athletes rebuilding movement strength after injury
- Endurance competitors seeking improved mobility and recovery
- Gym newcomers needing structure, equipment, and coaching
- Folks with inflammatory conditions responsive to diet
However, the program seems less suited for:
- Seasoned lifters unlikely to benefit from beginner instruction
- Budget-focused consumers given the above-average price points
- Anyone unable to fully commit to the sistema rigid protocols
While the cult-like culture around Tom Brady raises skepticism, I found the TB12 Method firmly backed by science both in theory and practice. But results require tremendous consistency applying all interconnected training modalities simultaneously.
If you strongly align to Brady and Guerrero’s training philosophies and have the means to fully invest, TB12 clearly provides industry-leading guidance towards your peak performance. Just prepare to enter an immersive lifestyle system rather than just phoning in a few workouts per week.
I’m proud to have pushed myself to new limits and learned to tap into muscle groups I didn’t know existed before TB12. And my sights are set on putting a dent in Father Time himself armed with this toolkit. But for now, I’m excited to just not wince every time I stand up out of my office chair.
