TB12 method paying off for Gronk

Mark Daniels The Providence Journal

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Rob Gronkowski knew he needed to make a change for the sake of his career. That became obvious a year ago.

Before his 28th birthday, he went under the knife. For the third time Gronkowski had back surgery to correct a herniated disk. All operations were done in Los Angeles by Dr. Robert Watkins. The first surgery was in 2009, forcing Gronk to miss his final college season at Arizona. The second came four years later, during the 2013 offseason.

Three years after that, here he was again — out of surgery and not playing. His surgery on Dec. 2, 2016, cost him a chance to help the Patriots en route to another Super Bowl championship. Along with the three back surgeries, Gronk has had six other operations, including on his ankle, knee and forearm in seven seasons.

Last offseason, Gronkowski decided to change everything.

Gronkowski always admired Tom Brady. From the way the quarterback worked to the way he stayed in shape, Brady has been a model of consistency over 18 seasons and is the MVP front-runner at age 40. Last winter, Gronkowski decided he wanted to be more like his quarterback.

Following his back surgery, Gronkowski made sweeping changes in the way he ate, trained and lived. He started working out at the TB12 Center with Brady’s trainer Alex Guerrero in March. Gronkowski's new diet was full of water, electrolytes, plant-based protein and essential fats. For the first time in his life, he embraced healthy eating — or has at least tried his best.

“It’s a different style. It’s a different lifestyle and it’s not easy to adjust. It’s not at all,” Gronkowski said. “You’re so used to doing stuff from so many years — eating so many different things. So, it’s not an easy thing to adjust where you just switch on a switch and ‘boom’ you’re doing the whole program. It takes you a little bit to get used to that type of food.”

This week, The Providence Journal was given a look into Gronkowski’s new lifestyle. He embraced the TB12 method 10 months ago and the Patriots are now reaping the benefits. Gronk is happy and healthy as he tries to help his team during this season’s Super Bowl run.

The tight end is leaner this year than he has been in the past. He’s still the same 265 pounds that he was last season, but the weight is distributed differently.

Gronkowski has changed his dietary routine based around the TB Method, which Brady detailed in his book, released in September. That doesn’t mean that the 6-foot-6 Gronkowski eats exactly the same as the 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback. The principles that Gronkowski lives by are similar, but the way he goes about his diet is different and he isn’t 100 percent in, like Brady.

The TB12 diet was developed by Guerrero. Brady swears by it and this season, Gronk has worked hard to follow along. The idea is to do things in a natural and holistic way. Brady and Gronkowski center their workout routine, recovery and diet on those principles.

Like Brady, the foods he incorporates are mostly plant based with many essential fatty acids, focusing on omega-3 and omega-6 fats. They’re found in flaxseed, flaxseed oil and several types of nuts and seeds like walnuts. Essential fats are important because they act as natural anti-inflammatory agents, which promote recovery.

This nutritional regimen is centered on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Gronkowski still eats meat, but not as much as he used to. He has learned to stay away from processed foods. Every day he calculates what he puts in his body and has a list of what he can consume.

In order for Gronkowski to keep his weight up, he eats more than what someone like Brady would. The goal every day is to make sure his calories stay up and that he gets the right amount of protein to maintain his 265 pounds.

When Gronk's alarm goes off in the morning, he hydrates immediately. Water intake is a big part of the diet. The rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. That means Gronkowski is drinking around 132.5 ounces of water a day, which is 16.5 cups. Some days, he doesn’t hit the mark, but the goal is to try to maintain consistency in this approach.

Like Brady, Gronk also mixes in his own electrolytes — a natural mineral concentrate that the TB12 site describes as 72 trace minerals extracted from seawater. These don't contain added preservatives, flavors or sweeteners.

After he drinks water, Gronkowski has a smoothie every morning. These are big on calories and essential fats. Unlike Brady, who’s a creature of habit, Gronkowski doesn’t like the same smoothie daily. He follows the guidelines set forth in his diet and can get creative with the ingredients, trying to hit at least 20 grams of protein. His favorite includes a mixture called greens. The smoothie has vegetables, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, nuts, berries and bananas.

Lunchtime at Gillette Stadium can get tricky and here’s where Gronkowski sometimes strays from the TB12 method. He’ll try to find foods that fit into the approach, but where Brady’s preference is to eat fish and vegetables, Gronk’s favorite lunch is still pasta with meat sauce.

“Sometimes you go back to what you’ve been doing just because that’s what you fiend for,” Gronkowski said. “It’s not a process that you just hit a switch. It’s something you keep working on, working on over time. You’re not just going to eat healthy every single day because you want to. It’s a process. You’re going to fault yourself. You’re going to go back. It’s getting your body right. Getting your system ready for it. It takes time. I’m glad I built up.”

Gronk’s dinner routine differs slightly from Brady’s. It’s around this time that he’ll have a TB12 performance meal. Gronk has dinner either right after practice or when he gets home. Due to his size, the portions are doubled. His favorite is green risotto with lemon cream. The dish includes brown rice, spinach, basil leaves, onion and garlic.

Along with his diet, Gronkowski has been working with Guerrero since March. The tight end goes to the TB12 Center every day. Here, like Brady, he works a lot with resistance bands. The exercises help stabilize his core, with the goal being injury prevention and faster recovery. 

Overall, he said he feels great. The changes he’s made have resulted in another outstanding season.

Gronkowski was on the injury report this season in Week 3 (groin) and Week 5 (thigh). The only game he missed, due to injury, was the Week 5 matchup with Tampa Bay. However, had that game been on Sunday rather than Thursday, it was likely that Gronk would’ve played. The last time Gronkowski was on the injury report — for an actual injury, not an illness — was Oct. 12.

When the Patriots take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, it will have been 101 days since Gronkowski was injured.

This year, Gronkowski’s hard work also paid off in the form of $2 million. Last May, the tight end restructured his contact, betting on himself. The deal broke down into three tiers where different incentives would earn him either $6.75, $8.75 or $10.75 million. When he was named first-team All-Pro, he locked in the top incentive.

When the news came out, Gronk thanked the voters in a tweet and added, “Hard work and working smarter is paying off!!!”

It hasn’t been a year and Rob Gronkowski sounds more like Tom Brady already.