AT 47 YEARS old, Tom Brady just bench pressed the most weight he has in years, and possibly the most in his entire, celebrated athletic life. He’s not exactly transitioning into powerlifting anytime soon with the result—if you’ve lifted for a few years, there’s a chance that you’re stronger than football’s GOAT.
The retired football legend took to his social media today to prove to the world that he’s still got it—and then some. In clips posted to his YouTube and Instagram pages, Brady nails a 245-pound barbell bench rep.
Before you start coming for his number, it’s important to remember that Brady’s training was never tailored to push big weight. Bench pressing hundreds of pounds would not better his performance on the field in the way it would, say, a lineman. Instead, Brady’s training was all about increasing muscle “pliability”, emphasizing muscle length and ease of movement, he told Men’s Health in his cover interview back in 2019.
In fact, the last time he recalls a max bench effort was with way back in 2006 or 2007, with fellow New England Patriot Matt Cassel (so football fans will understand just how long ago we’re talking). “We were just grinding it out to see who could lift more and be the bigger meatstick,” he says in the video. “I think the most I ever did was 225 [pounds] for eight or nine [reps]. I always thought if you could do your body weight 10 times, that’s a great goal.”
In the video, after easily repping out 225 pounds, he bumps the weight up to 245 pounds. Brady struggles through a rep, and his spotter, Ben Rawitz, touched the bar just before Brady racks the weight. On the second try—with a different spotter—Brady shows the world that strength gains after 40 are possible.
The 47-year-old might not be making an NFL comeback, but between his bench max and a recent video of him dunking a basketball, he’s made it clear to the public that he’s not taking his retirement lying down. “I will say—not to brag about myself, but I’m a great athlete,” Brady joked.
