How Tom Brady Trains to Stay Sharp During the NFL Season

The 2019-2020 football season has started much like every other of the last two decades, with Touchdown Tom and the New England Patriots playing at the highest level. The team is once again dominating their division and contending for the top squad in the league—with Brady in control at the helm.

In case you forgot, this is Brady’s twentieth year in the league, and this is his age 42 season. Football players are supposed to have a short shelf life, and even kickers usually start slowing down well before their fortieth birthday.

But Brady doesn’t follow conventional protocol. Everything about the quarterback is different—his success from a low draft position, his gaudy career stat line, his six (and counting?) Super Bowl rings. That unconventional nature is largely why we went so far as to label him the GOAT (that’s Greatest of All Time, for those unschooled in unofficial accolades) when he graced the MH cover earlier this year.

Unsurprisingly, Brady trains differently than most NFL players, too. He’s gained no small amount of notoriety working with Alex Guerrero, an unconventional trainer who Brady has credited for his physical longevity. Guerrero is the co-founder of Brady’s wellness company, TB12.

Brady and Guerrero have developed a style of training over the past 15 years that eschews traditional weight-heavy workouts in favor of using resistance bands to work at the “speed of sport” to induce muscle fatigue, which they refer to as ‘pliability’. The training method doesn’t have reams of research backing it up, which is why some traditionalists are eager to call B.S.—but then again, there’s pliability practitioner Tom Brady racking up gaudy stats on the field at age 42.

We’ve already showcased how Brady prepped for Season 20 over the offseason, so the Men’s Health crew took a trip to the TB12 facility to get an inside look at how Guerrero is keeping Brady in prime condition during the long NFL season. The trainer broke down his workout protocol for us with the help of TB12 Body Coach Christian Boucher.

If you want to try these pliability moves for yourself, you’ll need plenty of resistance bands. Check out this starter set from Brady’s TB12 brand to get started.

Remember, this workout isn’t designed to get you jacked—Brady is beyond big muscles and record lifts. Guerrero’s routine is meant to maintain an already strong foundation, so consider using this between other programs, or when you’re looking for a solid active rest protocol.

Tom Brady’s Full Body, In-Season Workout The Warmup Resisted Quick Feet, Quick Hands As needed

The Workout

1. Standing Row 1 set to failure

2. Banded Pushup 1 set to failure

3. Banded Core Rotations 1 set to failure, both sides

4. Banded Deadlift 1 set to failure

5. Banded Biceps Curl 1 set to failure

6. Banded Triceps Extension 1 set to failure

7. Deceleration Lunges 1 set to failure

8. Banded Shoulder Press 1 set to failure

9. X-Band Squat 1 set to failure

Pliability Foam Rolling Targeting the calves, hamstrings, glutes