Foxboro, MA – Anyone can now train their brain like Tom Brady, according to a joint announcement from his training organization, TB12, and the maker of BrainHQ brain exercises and assessments, Posit Science. The two organizations have come together to make the brain exercise regimen Tom Brady uses available to everyone.
Brady, who has led his team to three conference championship games and two league championships in the past three years, began using the BrainHQ exercises almost four years ago. He soon noticed improvements in his on-field performance, and approached Posit Science to explore opportunities for collaboration.
Shortly thereafter, the exercises were incorporated into the TB12 Method – a comprehensive, customizable training method based on Tom Brady’s routine, which emphasizes pliability and resilience for helping active individuals achieve and sustain peak performance. BrainHQ became a core part of the cognitive conditioning routine for clients of the TB12 Sports Therapy Center in Foxboro in 2014.
“We spent a lot of time learning from Tom and TB12 about what they noticed on the field after using the exercises,” said Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “However, we treated this project with extreme confidentiality, because we know everyone involved felt it created a competitive edge.”
Mahncke said he was caught completely by surprise when Brady extolled BrainHQ as a core part of his mental preparation in a press interview in late January, which prompted discussion of how to get Tom Brady’s regimen out to everyone.
The public can now access Tom Brady’s TB12 BrainHQ regimen at TB12.BrainHQ.com. It includes all the exercises in BrainHQ, plus special content created exclusively for TB12 users. People can sample exercises daily for free, or subscribe for full access to all exercises and content at $14 for a month-to-month subscription or $96 (equal to $8 per month) for an annual subscription.
BrainHQ is unique in the brain-training field for its dedication to the advancement of brain science. More than 100 peer-reviewed studies have been published on the technology found in TB12 BrainHQ, showing benefits across varied populations in standard measures of cognition (e.g., speed, attention, memory, and executive function), and generalization to real-world activities (e.g., balance, gait, driving and everyday cognition). Studies also have shown that exercises in TB12 BrainHQ drive changes in brain chemistry and structure – a demonstration of their use of the brain’s natural plasticity.
The research behind BrainHQ involves hundreds of university-based scientists led by Dr. Mike Merzenich, who is credited with discovering lifelong brain plasticity, first applying it in the invention of the cochlear implant, and pioneering plasticity-based computerized brain training. Dr. Merzenich has been honored by each of the United States National Academies (Sciences, Engineering and Medicine) and has been internationally lauded as a Kavli Laureate in Neuroscience.
“Our approach uses smart algorithms to personalize the exercises in minutes, and to progressively challenge users with micro-adjustments in multiple dimensions of sensory processing, to create a bottom-up approach — first improving speed and accuracy and then higher brain functions,” explained Dr. Mahncke. “Split-second processing gains can make a huge difference in sports and in nearly every waking moment of the day.”
“I’m not a brain scientist,” said Brady, “but I can tell you about my experience after using the exercises — I could feel myself seeing more, seeing things more quickly and accurately, and making better decisions, faster. That’s why I made BrainHQ a part of my daily routine and why we decided to make it a core part of the TB12 Method.”
The TB12 Method incorporates cutting-edge concepts in athletic preparation, recovery, hydration, nutrition, and cognitive fitness. While people can make appointments at the TB12 Sports Therapy Center in Foxboro for one-on-one training, active individuals of all ages can now access key elements of the TB12 Method remotely, through the online TB12 Store, and, next month, in a new book, The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance.