i think i will read the tb-12 method, after all

I’ve been on the fence about reading Tom Brady’s somewhat ridiculously named book (1). The reasons in a favor are pretty basic. The TB12 Method, written in conjunction with Brady’s trainer and business partner Alex Guerrero, broadly covers fitness and nutrition, two topics I’m always interested in. Plus, as a Patriots fan who has followed his career closely, I’m intrigued to understand a little more about the methods behind his madness (yes, madness). Brady has definitely achieved good results of late – from watching helmet football games, I think Brady’s foot speed has noticeably increased in the last five years, which is bizarre or proof of PED use. That's only one example of the kind of thing I'm hoping to learn more about from reading this book.

The reasons against reading this, though, are just as basic. As I understand it, the book is filled with training regimens and detailed recipes, two subsets of fitness and nutrition that I am not interested in. Brady’s credentials as a nutritionist are equivalent to mine – I think we are both PhD candidates in nutrition at Search Engine University – while Guerrero’s history as a trainer is littered with allegations about the legitimacy of his efforts. Finally, Brady’s results have been excellent but they are hardly history-making performances. For one, there are plenty of other athletes that have performed at peak levels in their forties. Reader, Drew Brees is arguably playing better than Brady at the moment despite being just one year his junior. If the Drew Brees Fitness Bible is about to hit bookstores nationwide, I’m unaware of it.

Despite the good arguments on both sides, I think I am going to eventually read this book. The decisive reason is a simple one and has no direct relationship to Brady, Guerrero, or even Drew Brees. It’s a lesson I learned several years ago from reading Expecting Better, Emily Oster's examination of the many recommendations given to expecting women – books written by authors who've fully immersed themselves into their topic have a tendency to turn out pretty good. Over the years, I’ve found the rule applies to first-hand accounts about topics as varied as anorexia, managing Manchester United, or living in North Korea. Given what I know about Brady’s obsession with taking care of his body, I think this book will prove to be yet another example of my 'intense experience leads to good books' rule (2).

Footnotes / a passing thought / a metaphor no one asked for / Brady’s crazy

0. My official analogy for Brady’s routine based on my current near-zero understanding of its specifics…

Brady’s old-age performances have been undoubtedly impressive but I don’t think he or any of his books will shake the underlying science behind performance. It would be like if some guy was currently floating above the Grand Canyon – I might be impressed by the spectacle but I would expect him to eventually return to Earth unless I heard some very compelling science that forced me to rethink my convictions about gravity.

1. What I mean by ridiculously named…

Wouldn't it be funny if Brady had to change his jersey number? I think it would require he leave the Patriots for a team that already had retired the jersey number and this seems unlikely... very unlikely... but still, you never know, right?

2. I used ‘method to his madness’ literally in the above post…

Years ago, a friend of mine pointed out how Brady was such a beloved figure that no one was noticing how he was insane. As always, my friend was ahead of the curve – these days, it seems like people are slowly coming around to acknowledge the fact.