Nov 13, 2022

 by Beth Roberts

I grew up in New England in the 70’s and 80’s. I’m a true Boston sports fan. I have been there through the thick and the thin. I sat on the cold cement seats of Sullivan Stadium back in the day. I spent countless hours listening to WEEI, the home of Boston sports radio. The Celtics were in their heyday while I was growing up but the Red Sox and the Patriots struggled.

Like most Boston fans I was used to the letdowns and days of avoiding ESPN after devastating losses. I developed a special loathing for the Yankees. In the early 2000’s everything started getting better for Boston fans. The Red Sox finally won another world series after an 86 year drought and the Belichick/Brady Era was just beginning. Tom Brady. The 43 year old who sets an example for all of us that are trying to stay as active as possible while aging gracefully.

I avoid discussing politics and religion as much as possible and I typically avoid stirring the pot but this topic is unavoidable even though I know there are some Brady-haters out there. Bear with me, I will tie it all together with my personal training methods and nutrition habits in the end.

Let’s talk about Tom Brady. People outside of New England love to hate this man but I think any true football fan has to see that he is truly the greatest quarterback of all time. He is the GOAT. He’s 43 and going to his 10th Super Bowl in 20 seasons. And this time it’s with a brand new team to boot.

Tom Brady is the oldest QB to play the game. He is in better shape now than when he was in his early 20’s. Two things stand out when you take a look at how this is possible: his diet and his pliability training method.

He eats a primarily plant based diet of anti-inflammatory foods. He chooses mainly organic, whole foods. His clean eating and diligent awareness allows his body to run at top performance.

The pliability training method keeps him flexible, aligned, agile and strong. Muscle pliability is crucial to better movement. The more pliable the muscle and the healthier the joint the easier it is to perform activity. Flexibility is best described as “the range of motion in a joint”. That range of motion depends on the pliability of the muscles that operate the joint. The more “give” in the muscles, the greater your ability to perform everyday chores and activities. Or in Tom’s case: compete in your 10th Superbowl at the age of 43.

I have been trying to find the perfect formula for my nutrition plan for years. I’ve been a pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, raw-foodist (that one was tough), lacto-ovo vegetarian and an omnivore. I also apparently went through a phase in elementary school where I declared mustard sandwiches and candy to be my favorite meals. Thankfully that one was short lived.

Today, at 51.9, I am vegan again. This one I’m sticking with. I try to eat high quality organic whole foods as much as possible. Just like Tom. He does eat some lean meats so we differ there, but overall the focus of the nutrition plan is the same. Clean eating, especially plant based, takes the guesswork out of how to eat. I don’t count macros or calories. The most calculated thing I do on a regular basis is make sure to eat most of my carbs after my most active time of day, usually after my morning workout. I feel great. My body is responding so well to this eating style that I had to share and recommend it. It’s easy, too. When something is easy it’s more likely to become a habit.

I started learning about pliability training when I read Tom Brady’s book a few years ago. I incorporated pliability drills into my own workouts to learn the system. I did a drop in at the TB12 studio in Boston and took a class from their trainers. I was hooked immediately. I loved the way the workouts flowed and how I felt afterwards. I installed the necessary equipment in my fitness studio and started introducing the method to my private clients. Soon I added small group training sessions specifically for pliability. The method became very popular with my clients. My clients are typically recreational athletes from 40–70 that are looking for conditioning to improve their sports performance. They are skiers, snowboarders, hikers, cyclists, runners, triathletes, mountain bikers, kayakers, paddle boarders and golfers. Pliability is helping them stay flexible and strong regardless of their age.

Fast Forward to today 11/13/22:

Pliability Training is still my favorite training method for myself and clients. We have even added Pliability Classes to our group class schedule. We also work pliability into Strength, Boot Camp, Butts and Guts, Cycle and Winter Sports Conditioning classes.

Our new (in 2021) location has ample room for pliability training for groups.

Come give it a try! As of today we have noon Pliability classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We plan to add more class times soon! Here's a link to the schedule.