by Tom Brady
EQUIPMENT: RESISTANCE BANDS (LOOPED)
By running in place as fast as you can while maintaining stability, you train your brain and body to do these same movements, only slower, in the course of daily living.
RESISTANCE BAND POSITION: WAIST HEIGHT
Attach a band around your waist.
Move away from the wall until the band grows taut. With your stomach and glutes engaged, begin running in place at a comfortable speed for twenty seconds. Keep your knees up at all times.
Turn so your side is to the wall. Begin running in place.
Now turn and face the wall. With the band taut, run in place for another twenty seconds. Turn sideways and do the same, then turn in the other direction and repeat.
6. RESISTED SHUFFLE
EQUIPMENT: RESISTANCE BANDS (LOOPED)
The challenge in this exercise is to stay stable, level, and relaxed at all times. It’s not easy.
RESISTANCE BAND POSITION: WAIST HEIGHT
With the band looped around your waist, crouch low, engaging your glutes, with your feet hip-width apart.
Now shuffle-leap from one side to the other, making quick explosive motions as you go.
Turn, face the other direction, and repeat.
7. HEIDEN HOP
EQUIPMENT: NONE
A great knee-stability exercise that we use a lot at TB12. Start with small jumps, then work your way up.
The goal of this exercise is to jump from one leg to the other.
Keeping your knee directly over your toes, jump up and land on the other side. Hold for two seconds. Jump again, switching directions.
Do this for twenty seconds. The goal is height, not distance.
8. SINGLE-LEG CLOCK JUMPS
EQUIPMENT: NONE
Jump, land on one foot, and turn. This exercise seems tailor-made for wide receivers.
Sit backward slightly, with your knees directly over your toes. Engage your core and glutes. Now raise one leg and jump in place. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat, then another 90 degrees, until you’re back to where you started. Don’t let your raised leg touch the ground.
Do the exercise for twenty seconds. Repeat, this time counter-clockwise.
ALTERNATIVE: If the single-leg clock jump is too difficult, do the same exercise on two feet (without raising one leg).
9. SQUAT JUMP
EQUIPMENT: NONE
If you’ve ever jumped down off a stone wall, this exercise will remind you of the importance of landing on both feet.
Keep your knees directly over your toes. Raise your arms in front of you at chest level.
Assume a squat for a 1–2 count. Jump up, and then return to the squat position. Hold again for a 1–2 count. Repeat.
Go faster to increase the cadence. The emphasis is on height, not distance. Keep your knees directly over your toes at all times.
Do the exercise for twenty seconds.
10. SQUAT TO PRESS
EQUIPMENT: RESISTANCE BANDS (LOOPED)
In this exercise, you explode upward while lifting your arms high up over your head.
Step inside the band with both feet and assume a squat position, with the band at shoulder level.
As you straighten up, raise the band overhead. Return to your squat and repeat the motion. Keep your knees directly over your toes, making sure they don’t collapse inward.
Do this for twenty seconds, gradually increasing the pace.
11. HIP THRUSTERS
EQUIPMENT: RESISTANCE BANDS (LOOPED)
Imagine doing a squat while being pulled backward. This one can take a little time to master.
RESISTANCE BAND POSITION: KNEE HEIGHT
Attach the band to a low point on the wall, door, or anchor point and loop it around your waist. With your back to the wall, walk out a few steps until the band is taut.
Assume a squat position, keeping the band taut. Rise up in an explosive movement, then lower back down to your squat position. Repeat for twenty seconds.
12. BAND DEAD LIFT
EQUIPMENT: RESISTANCE BANDS (SHEATHED OR LOOPED)
A much better way to do a dead lift, since a resistance band is more forgiving than weights.
Place both feet over a sheathed or looped band. Hold both sides of the band (or the handles) with your hands and manipulate the slack in the band until it is taut. Assume a squat, keeping your back as flat as possible.
Pull up with the bands, pushing your hips forward.
By manipulating the slack in the band, you can make this exercise easier or harder.
Making sure I get proper hydration is critical to my performance on and off the field.
CHAPTER 7
HYDRATION
ACHIEVING SUSTAINED PEAK PERFORMANCE MEANS building up and maintaining your body’s ability to do what it needs to do at its highest levels. To accomplish that, one tool isn’t enough. We need a set of tools we can use at the same time, the goal being the health and constant regeneration of our muscles—in other words, our inner environment. As we get older, we all have to deal with some degree of slowdown, but by bringing together the right variety of tools in a holistic manner, we can decelerate that aging process as most people experience it today. At TB12, we do that through pliability and amplifiers that maximize our daily vitality.
Of these tools, the first—proper hydration—is, to me, by far the most important. The body’s lymphatic system—which helps vacuum out damaged cells and fight infection—can flush out many of the effects of poor nutrition, but if we don’t drink enough water, the lymphatic system can’t flush out much at all. The lymphatic system is more than 95 percent water, and we need to keep it clean and flowing constantly so it can rid our bodies of toxins that build up. That’s one reason why keeping well hydrated is key to our overall health. Not only that, but it increases our chances for optimal pliability.
Twenty years ago, when I was playing at Michigan, I didn’t drink nearly as much water as I do today. On top of that, I drank a lot of other things—alcohol, juice, soda—that I later found out can be dehydrating. I definitely experienced a lot more fatigue in my twenties than I do today, and I got more headaches, too. Today I rarely get fatigued, I never get headaches, and I never cramp. I credit this to the amount of water and electrolytes I drink.
Electrolytes are chemicals and nutrients that are already present in our bodies in the form of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and others. They create an electric charge, either positive or negative, whenever they dissolve in the blood, urine, or body fluids. Electrolytes are essential for maintaining blood chemistry, proper nerve and muscle function, and acid-alkaline balance. They help our muscles expand and contract and our lymphatic system circulate water and fluids inside the body. That’s why electrolytes are so critical to proper hydration—which maintains our levels of pliability.
On any given day, I easily drink more than 150 ounces of water with TB12 Electrolytes, and on active days I drink close to twice that. To help you visualize, a can of soda or a normal bottle of water is twelve ounces. I drink the equivalent of twelve to twenty-five of those every day, and always with TB12 Electrolytes. Basically you’ll never see me without a bottle of water in my hand, and I add electrolytes to virtually everything I drink—and that’s been true for the past twelve years. Even if I’m drinking lemonade, I’ll add electrolytes to it. Otherwise I feel like I’m doing myself a disservice. For anyone who exercises regularly and who’s committed to sustained peak performance, the rule of thumb at TB12 is simple: Drink at least one-half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. That’s the minimum. Ideally, you’ll drink more than that, and with added electrolytes, too.
This makes sense, considering the composition of our bodies. As is well known, our bodies are made up of anywhere from 60 to 80 percent water, and our muscles alone are 75 percent water. Water aids in brain function; ensures healthy metabolism, digestion, and kidney function; helps circulate oxygen into the bloodstream; lubricates joints; and ensures proper muscle function. If we
don’t drink enough water, we risk decreasing the supply of oxygen in our bloodstream and depriving our muscles and organs of the proper nutrients. That means we build up more toxins in our cells, tissues, and organs. Let me repeat: That means we build up more toxins in our cells—which creates an unhealthy inner environment. Our metabolism slows down, which makes us more vulnerable to infection and inflammation. For athletes especially, drinking enough water decreases joint pain by softening and hydrating cartilage and increasing how much water gets absorbed.
That’s why proper hydration is linked to pliability. Our body coaches can often predict how sore clients who come to the TB12 Sports Therapy Center may be based on their discomfort level after their first pliability session. Pain and soreness are normal responses to pliability if an athlete’s muscles are dehydrated from poor hydration or nutrition. A trained body coach can literally feel the difference between someone who’s eating well and is properly hydrated and another person who doesn’t drink enough water and eats poorly. How fast or slowly we’re able to develop pliable muscles, and optimal strength, depends to a large extent on how hydrated we are.
That’s why the first and most critical amplifier of the TB12 Method, and of pliability, centers on making sure you drink enough water, ideally with electrolytes.
WATER BASICS
Dehydration is a chronic problem, and is more common than most people realize. I’m not just talking about for athletes, either. I’m talking about everybody. A lot of people I’ve met through the TB12 Sports Therapy Center believe that they’re properly hydrated, or at least hydrated enough. They might drink one or two glasses of water in the morning, bottled water at lunch, tap water at dinner, and keep a glass by their bedside at night. But when you add up the totals, they’re getting only about three or four cups of water daily, which doesn’t come close to how we at TB12 define proper hydration. Most athletes don’t realize they’re sweating and breathing out anywhere from eight to ten cups of water a day, especially in warm temperatures. That water needs to be replenished—and ideally with electrolytes, too.
When people ask whether other beverages count in their daily hydration, I remind them that coffee, tea, alcohol, and soda can be dehydrating, and that the sugar content in alcohol and soda makes them even worse. Put another way, water adds to pliability, and diuretic drinks containing sugar, caffeine, or alcohol take away from pliability. Dehydration is also a compounding issue, meaning that you need to drink more fluid ounces of water to make up for each fluid ounce of a dehydrating liquid you drink. This is why I try to limit caffeine and my intake of alcohol, as they go against all my efforts to stay as hydrated as possible.
If there’s one simple thing everyone can do to enhance their own muscle pliability, it’s to drink enough water regularly and continuously. Also, it’s not enough to drink one-half of your body weight or more in ounces of water on Monday, thinking your body will be properly hydrated one or two days later. Reaching a baseline of proper hydration takes at least fourteen days.
When I explain hydration to people, I use the analogy of going into a butcher shop. Imagine the difference when you look behind the counter at a beautiful, fresh piece of tenderloin and right next to it you see a dried-up piece of beef jerky. The tenderloin is healthy and supple, whereas the beef jerky is shriveled and dried out. That beef jerky is what dehydrated muscles look like. No, it’s not a perfect or exact analogy, but the next time you consider drinking a cup of coffee or a glass of wine without rebalancing their dehydrating effects with water and electrolytes, you need to picture that image!
Consider that when you drink a single cup of coffee or glass of wine, it can create a “dehydrating factor” of as much as 2 to 1 per cup or glass. In other words, to offset the effects of a single serving of coffee or beer, you may need to drink two glasses of water with electrolytes on top of the water you already drink.
It’s also important to recognize that not all waters are created equal. Here are some of the varieties out there.
A REMINDER
Remember that the only way our brains and bodies store positive and intentional trauma is via nervous-system stimulation during a pliability session. When we contract and relax our muscles as they’re being lengthened and softened, we’re reeducating our brains to train those muscles to stay long, soft, and primed. And how quickly or slowly we’re able to develop pliable muscles, and optimal strength, depends to a large extent on how hydrated we are.
TAP WATER
Tap water is water that comes from a municipal source. Depending on where you live, most sources of tap water contain fluoride, chlorine, and, in some cases, lead. Excessive amounts of both fluoride and chlorine have now been linked to a number of health risks. Drink tap water only if you filter it first, which gets rid of many impurities. Even when you use tap water for steaming vegetables, it’s better to filter it first.
DISTILLED OR FILTERED WATER
Distilled water is water purified of any contaminants or pollutants. Unfortunately, it’s also been stripped of its mineral content, which means it doesn’t give our bodies the nutrients they need. If I were drinking distilled water, I would always add electrolytes.
SPRING WATER
Most bottled waters start off as spring water, which may or may not have gone through a treating or purification process. That said, many bottled waters contain bacteria and chemicals. In addition, as a result of their popularity and demand, more than half of all bottled waters whose labels claim to be “spring water” are nothing more than treated tap water, drawn from multiple sources.
MINERAL WATER
Many brands of mineral water contain alkalizing minerals, and therefore have an alkalizing effect on the body, which is optimal (I’ll talk about alkalinity in the next chapter). Some mineral waters claim to be “naturally alkaline,” but always check the label to make sure. Mineral water is always a great option.
CARBONATED WATER
Carbonated water—such as seltzer water, sparkling water, and, in cases where sodium is added, club soda—is water pressurized using carbon dioxide gas. Carbonated water has less oxygen than regular water, is slightly more acidic, and can also be dehydrating. I avoid it.
PURIFIED WATER
Purified water has the fewest number of impurities, since chemicals and pathogens have been eliminated to a degree exceeding what the US Environmental Protection Agency requires for everyday tap water. As the name says, purified water, which is identified on the label, is the purest water out there. It’s my recommendation for what to drink, though I add electrolytes to it first to replenish the electrolyte and mineral content I lose each day.
When I was growing up, and playing outside in the sun, I got sunburned a lot. I was a fair-skinned Irish boy, after all. These days, even if I get an adequate amount of sun, I won’t get a sunburn, which I credit to the amount of water I drink. I always hydrate afterward, too, to keep my skin from peeling. When I once told that to my sister, she said, “You mean I don’t have to use all those moisturizers and facial products to keep my skin looking good? I should just drink as much water as you do? I think you should market your TB12 Electrolytes as a beauty product.” I just laughed.
SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION
Water helps our bodies carry out their normal functions—and dehydration means only that we’ve lost water in our bodies without replacing it. The more we exercise, the more water we lose. Even nonathletes are vulnerable to dehydration. Dry lips, dry skin, dry eyes, headaches, nosebleeds, and waking up in the middle of the night with a dry throat are all symptoms of dehydration. Personally, I’ve always noticed that the more hydrated I am, the less likely I am to get sunburns! (I’m in the sun a lot, especially on the practice field.) I credit that to my hydration levels.
Electrolytes replace the minerals our bodies lose through working out. I go through a bottle of TB12 Electrolytes every day.
WHY THE RIGHT ELECTROLYTES MATTER
During and after exercising, athletes lose a lot of water and elect
rolytes via breathing and sweating, which can lead to faintness and dizziness. That’s why I go through a bottle of electrolytes every day. In 2013, we at TB12 developed what we believe are the purest, highest-quality electrolytes available. TB12 Electrolytes, which are enriched with seventy-two trace minerals and contain no added preservatives, flavors, or sweeteners, are a natural mineral concentrate that allows athletes to turn any liquid into a hydrating sports drink.
To recap, electrolytes are chemicals and nutrients that are already present in our bodies in the form of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and others. Alex has explained it to me this way: Our muscle cells can either resemble soft soap bubbles or hard glass bubbles. When you’re dehydrated, your muscle cells are more likely to take on the look and consistency of hard glass bubbles. You can drink a gallon of water, but unless it has electrolytes in it, the water molecules won’t be able to pass into and out of the fluid compartments in your body. They run off and never permeate the cell. Imagine a rain jacket doing its job by resisting rain. We don’t ever want to prevent water molecules from penetrating our cells. By contrast, water that’s been enhanced with electrolytes passes into and out of your muscle cells easily and efficiently. The more electrolytes your body has, the more easily water is able to penetrate your muscles, and the more likely your cells are to take on the qualities of soap bubbles. Imagine a sponge that absorbs maximum amounts of water. During a workout, if you’re drinking only plain water to replace the natural salts your body loses through perspiration, you’re not replacing them with the minerals your body needs. The goal of electrolytes is to make the water you drink “wetter” and more likely to be absorbed by your body’s cells. It’s the best way to hydrate.