When Tom Brady revealed the secret of unconventional massage that helped QB extend his career

Tom Brady had a legendary career in the NFL, and many of his major achievements are almost unparalleled. One of the highlights of his career was his longevity—24 years in the NFL—with four Super Bowl victories in the latter part (2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021) of his career. So, what did Brady do differently to perform at such a high level for so long?

In Jan. 2018, producer Gotham Chopra presented the Tom vs. Time documentary series, giving a sneak peek into Brady’s life after the Patriots’ 2017 victory. The documentary premiered on Facebook, and its first episode was titled The Physical Game. Aptly, the episode took viewers into a massage therapy session with therapist Alex Guerrero.

During the documentary, Brady recalled his first impression of Guerrero:

“I met Alex when he was coming to our facility to work with different players. And I was like, 'Yeah … What can he do? What can he do that's been different than what everyone else has done for me?' And boy, did I learn a lot.”

Guerrero applied some pliability therapy on Brady, which helped him extend his career into the 40s. Brady started seeing things differently, saying:

“I see pliability as lengthening and softening of muscles to get back into balance. Over the years, so many muscle contractions, or through all the workouts that we do, we shorten our muscles. So if you can get them to lengthen, then when you contract, they can fully contract and relax.”

Tom Brady introduces pliability training into the TB12 program

Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero became partners for the TB12 program. Pliability muscle training is a core component of the TB12 sports program, which started in 2017 with a book launch explaining pliability therapy. It focuses on stretching muscles, connective tissues, ligaments, and joints so they can withstand active use and recover from impact and exertion.

According to the official TB12 website, Brady thanked Guerrero for applying pliability therapy to his elbow. Brady said:

“The first treatment with Alex began my understanding of what pliability was. It has been an ongoing evolution. In effect, I replaced injury and rehab with flexibility and prehab.”

In the end, Brady regretted not starting pliability training when he first entered the NFL at 22. He believes that the training can help athletes perform better.