Mental Health Over Muscle Strength: Building Superbowl Champions

Ever wondered what it takes to build a Superbowl champion? While we get to see them at peak performance and think it’s all about muscle strength, there is also a considerable amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to develop optimum mental health, making their achievements seem so effortless. This is a fact that the undisputed Super Bowl G.O.A.T, Tom Brady, knows all too well. 

Tom Brady’s commitment to both his physical and mental health is a big reason why he could keep playing in the NFL until he was 45, lasting 23 seasons in the league. However, he attributes a lot of his success to mindset rather than muscle growth or athletic performance.

Mental health over muscle strength

Tom Brady believes that peak performance requires top-notch mental health just as much as physical preparation. For example, developing a quarterback’s throwing motion takes the same amount of physical training as a basketball player needs practicing free throws — it requires hours of tireless repetition that needs unremitting mental effort.

In the Facebook Watch documentary “Tom vs. Time,” Brady shares that the mental aspects of football came more naturally to him than his physical skills. He mentions that he still worked on his athletic abilities, like free throwing, running, and jumping, but these were only a small part of his overall focus.

These are four lessons that can be learned from the strategies Brady used to achieve optimum mental health and succeed in his career, both on the field and in the off-season.

Focus on improving weaknesses rather than training strengths

In the show, Brady admitted that being a late bloomer was helpful in some ways. In his senior year of high school, he felt out of place because his teammates were generally much faster or stronger than him. When he got to the professional league, his excitement made him eager to improve and learn, even though he knew he would never be as good physically as some of his teammates on game day.

In 2000, Tom Brady was picked by the New England Patriots as the 199th draft pick in the NFL, chosen by the team and their quarterback coach, Dick Rehbein. This meant that every NFL team passed over him four to six times. Instead of letting this discourage him, Brady stayed motivated and worked on improving his weaknesses. He believes that much of his career success comes from having a strong mindset focused on determination rather than just relying on talent.

Train your brain

Besides working out his body, Brady also exercises his mind. In his book, “The TB12 Method,” he mentions that achieving optimum mental health involves getting the right amount of exercise through activities that train it. He even plays brain training games on his iPad to keep his mind sharp. Brady also says that while staying hydrated and eating nutritious foods are important for health, they aren’t enough on their own.

Brady also uses his mind to train his body to develop new habits using a technique called neural priming, which is based on neuroscience. He explained that mental health requires building stronger and faster brain connections. Repeating a habit, skill, or behavior is essential. The more it is practiced, the more the brain starts to do it automatically, making it very handy for those long throws on game day.

Always treat practice like a real game.

One thing Brady learned in college was to treat practice as seriously as a game. He thought, “If I don’t take practice seriously, the coaches won’t let me play in real games.” To earn respect from his coaches and teammates, Brady put as much effort into his training sessions as he would in a real game. He knew that if he didn’t put in the extra effort and treat every practice like a real game, the coaches probably wouldn’t let him play in one.

Turn negatives into positives

Brady believes that effort is more important than winning or losing games. The main focus is on giving his best effort in relation to his team’s potential rather than just worrying about the outcome of the game.

Some of the toughest times in his life turned out to be the most valuable because they taught him important lessons about mental health. He believes that challenges bring out his best and now sees them as gifts. Brady shared that he had to fight hard to reach his current position, which taught him the importance of determination. He said that having a positive mindset and attitude opens up chances to do one’s best and reach the potential that exists within everyone.

Diets and supplements are important

Of course, a good diet regime, plenty of water, and supplementation are important for any athlete. While supplements do not replace a balanced diet, they can enhance a football player’s nutrition and support muscle growth, recovery, and repair. Athletes might benefit from using certain supplements, such as:

Protein

Whey protein can be strategically used to meet protein requirements and facilitate muscle growth and recovery. Plant protein can also be used for those following a vegan diet. There is plenty of evidence that consuming protein around the time of a workout induces a significant rise in muscle protein synthesis – the process through which your body repairs and builds muscle tissue by producing new proteins.

Creatine

Creatine is a natural molecule found in muscles that helps produce energy. The body makes creatine from amino acids and then adds a phosphate to it, turning it into phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine plays a key role in providing quick energy for short bursts of high-intensity activity. After that, the body needs to use a different energy source while it regenerates phosphocreatine.

During repeated high-intensity efforts (such as a sports game), the demand for phosphocreatine is greater than the supply, and this limits physical performance. Increasing the amount of creatine in muscles may increase the speed at which phosphocreatine is formed between efforts, improving overall athletic performance.

Creatine is a popular supplement often used by athletes during specific training periods. Typically, people start with a “loading phase” for about a week, then switch to a smaller “maintenance phase.” Studies show that your body might absorb creatine better when taken with protein or carbs.

Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

Branch-chain amino acids (BCAAs) play a role in muscle growth and reducing muscle soreness. Leucine, isoleucine and valine are key BCAAs. BCAAs are broken down in the muscle and send signals that promote growth, which is thought to improve athletic performance, body composition, and recovery. 

Multivitamin

Multivitamins like His Essentials do not replace a balanced diet, but they can be useful to fill any nutritional gaps caused by diets that are not particularly varied.

Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids, primarily EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), are known for their anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits. For athletes, these fatty acids help mitigate muscle soreness, improve joint health, and speed up recovery after intense workouts. Research indicates that regular intake can reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and oxidative stress, leading to faster athletic performance improvements.

FAQs

How much omega-3 should athletes consume?

While the general population needs 250-500 mg of EPA and DHA daily, athletes often benefit from higher doses of up to 1,000 mg or more, depending on their activity levels and intensity.

What was Tom Brady’s diet?

In a 2021 interview with Men’s Health, Tom Brady explained that his diet combines ideas from both Eastern and Western traditions. Brady’s diet includes a lot of liquids. He said that when he gets up at 6 a.m., the first thing he does is drink a 20-ounce glass of water with added electrolytes. Diet-wise, before working out, he would have a smoothie with berries and bananas. Breakfast was avocado and eggs. For lunch, he ate a salad with nuts and fish. His snack choices included hummus, guacamole, or mixed nuts. Dinner was usually roasted vegetables and chicken. During his playing days, Sundays were a little different. On game days, Brady stuck with his regular pre-workout smoothie but added an almond butter and jelly sandwich to his routine. 

Does Tom Brady take dietary supplements?

According to an article by fitnessclone.com, Brady’s nutrition supplement routine includes taking electrolytes and trace mineral drops, a multivitamin, essential fish oils, protein powder, and a probiotic.