A new nutrition and exercise program created by Tom Brady himself and his business partner Alex Guerrero called, The TB12 Method focuses on muscle pliability to help an individual achieve, “a lifetime of sustained peak performance” (Reynolds, 2017). The idea behind this is based around a technique of lengthening, softening, and dispersing muscles through a targeted approach of resistance band strength training, cognitive health, and extreme deep tissue massage through manual work done by a TB12 Body Coach or assisted devices like the TB12 Vibrating Pliability Roller … whatever that is (Reynolds, 2017; TB12, n.d.). In summary, athletes should decrease the amount of weight training and conditioning they partake in and instead focus on muscle massage to achieve greater pliability (Reynolds, 2017).
But what exactly is pliability? I was unfortunately unable to find a single literary source backing this idea. The definition of ‘pliability’ is the extent in which something can be easily bent or flexed, but according to Judy Atler, an assistant professor of dance at UCLA, flexibility is the range of motion in a joint, and this depends on the pliability, or “give” of the muscles that act on the joint (Condor, 1994). There has been substantial research regarding the effects of muscle stretching on recovery and injury prevention, but there is much speculation that muscle stretching has any real benefit to preventing injury (Andersen, 2005; Witvrouw, Mahieu, Danneels, & McNair, 2004). Additionally, I’m only assuming that the TB12 Method heavily focuses on muscle stretching as a main component.
If muscle pliability has helped Tom Brady win five Super Bowls, then kudos to him. However, is selling and promoting new exercise techniques that haven’t been scientifically proven to show benefit ethical? Brady and Guerrero have not taken any action to develop clinical trials regarding their product, so physiologists like Professor Stuart Phillips believe the TB12 Method to be, “balderdash” (Reynolds, 2017). Additionally, previous business models and products generated by Alex Guerrero have been brought into question by the Federal Trade Commission, one product in particular was a nutritional supplement that he claimed could help prevent concussions (“FTC NeuroSafe Letter to Alejandro Guerrero,” n.d.). With no scientific evidence and a questionable business partner, perhaps the TB12 method is an unethical business strategy that deflates the truth about fitness and physical wellbeing.
Andersen, J. C. (2005). Stretching Before and After Exercise: Effect on Muscle Soreness and Injury Risk. Journal of Athletic Training, 40(3), 218–220.
FTC NeuroSafe Letter to Alejandro Guerrero. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2018, from https://www.scribd.com/document/284209504/FTC-NeuroSafe-Letter-to-Alejandro-Guerrero
Homepage - TB12. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2018, from https://tb12sports.com/
Reynolds, G. (2017, December 22). Tom Brady’s ‘The TB12 Method’ Is Hefty but Short on Science. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/well/move/tom-bradys-the-tb12-method-is-hefty-but-short-on-science.html
Witvrouw, E., Mahieu, N., Danneels, L., & McNair, P. (2004). Stretching and Injury Prevention. Sports Medicine, 34(7), 443–449. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200434070-00003
Writer, B. C., Tribune Staff. (n.d.). FLEXIBILITY IS OUT, MUSCLE PLIABILITY IS IN, SAYS EXPERT. Retrieved December 5, 2018, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-04-21-9404210034-story.html
I don't know about you, but I have serious doubts about most of the new nutritional or equipment fads which become popular among athletes. As you mentioned, the terms that marketers use to push these items often lack a consensus definition in the scientific community, and the lack of regulation on nutritional supplements often puts consumers at considerable risk. We've looked a lot at the amount of work it takes to make a proper scientific judgment about a new treatment of supplement, and I think that physicians have an obligation to remain skeptical of new products until strong evidence emerges which supports their use in particular cases.
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