Drew Brees Workout: Overcoming His Shoulder Injury

Oct 25, 2012

The Drew Brees Workout was created by strength trainer Todd Durkin in San Diego, CA. Durkin is famous for the Impact Workout. He is also famous for grueling workouts, including the one that made Aaron Rodgers puke. After Drew Brees hurt his shoulder, he turned to Durkin for help.

Drew Brees Determined

At first, Drew Brees was determined to do all the olympic style lifts that his teammates were doing. But now, as he says:

I’ve wised up to the things that I need to do in a position-specific and functional fitness kind of way to benefit me as a quarterback.

Together, they developed a workout that would not only rehab Drew’s shoulder, but improve his athleticism and throwing ability. Todd Durkin is quickly becoming known as the quarterback guru, that many NFL quarterbacks, including Drew Brees, are flocking to him as seen in video below:

Interested? Get more details on Drew Brees workout by getting his trainer’s Impact Body Plan: Build New Muscle, Flatten Your Belly & Get Your Mind Right! (on Amazon).

Famous for the slogan posted throughout his gym, “DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY”, Todd Durkin pushed Drew Brees to the max. They worked well together, especially when Durkin introduced Drew Brees to TRX exercises. These exercises can take the load off a weak muscle, while incorporating the core more into the routine.

Drew Brees Workout Routine

Dynamic Warmup

Each day, you want to start with a dynamic warmup. Todd Durkin says that:

A warmup should not be easy. Don’t think that 5 minutes on a treadmill is enough.

Instead, Todd Durkin uses these warmups:

Body Weight Squats (15 reps)
Side Lunges (10 reps for each leg)
Reverse lunge with overhead reach (10 reps for each leg)
Joint Stretches, i.e. balance exercises, body weight lifts, foam rollers and ropes.
High Knees, Side Shuffles, Jumping Jacks. (15 reps each)

For the exercises below, perform one set of each exercise, to complete a circuit. Take 30 seconds rest between sets, and 1-2 minutes rest between circuits. Do another circuit of these exercises, as you progress each week. After a few weeks, you should be at 5 sets. That’s how many Drew Brees works his way up to.

Monday Workout = Upper Body

Kettlebell Bench Press
Kettlebell Flys
Kettlebell Pushups
Kettlebell Burpee with Shrug
Kettlebell Half-Getups
Superband Band Splitters
Superband Overhead Triceps Extension
Superband Hammer Curl

Tuesday = Lower Body Leg Workout

Barbell Squat
Kettlebell Straight-Leg Deadlifts
Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL
Superband Split Squat
Hamstring Curls
Leg Extensions
Superband Lateral Walks
TRX Sled Drags
Bosu Ball Bulgarian Lunge Hop
Bosu Foot Taps

Wednesday = Abs & TRX Workout

TRX Quarterback Workout:

I’s, Y’s, and T’s (3-5 circuits) works the backside shoulder
TRX Reverse Flys (reverse, so use one arm high, one arm low)
TRX Atomic Pushups
TRX Knee Tucks
Low Row Shortened Position
Hip Rotations with Scorpion Kick
Sprinter’s Start with a Hop
Power Pulls
Suspended Incline Press

Ab exercises:

Hover Plank
Side Plank
Split Squat Superband Rotations
Superband Chops
Bicycle Crunches
Oblique Crunches

Thursday Workout = Upper Body

Kettlebell Bench Press
Kettlebell Flys
Kettlebell Pushups
Kettlebell Burpee with Shrug
Kettlebell Half-Getups
Superband Band Splitters
Superband Overhead Triceps Extension
Superband Hammer Curl

Friday Workout = Lower Body Leg Workout

Barbell Squat
Kettlebell Straight-Leg Deadlifts
Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL
Superband Split Squat
Hamstring Curls
Leg Extensions
Superband Lateral Walks
TRX Sled Drags
Bosu Ball Bulgarian Lunge Hop
Bosu Foot Taps

Saturday Workout = Abs & TRX Workout

TRX Quarterback Workout:

I’s, Y’s, and T’s (3-5 circuits) works the backside shoulder
TRX Reverse Flys (reverse, so use one arm high, one arm low)
TRX Atomic Pushups
Low Row Shortened Position
Hip Rotations with Scorpion Kick
Sprinter’s Start with a Hop
Power Pulls
Suspended Incline Press

Ab exercises:

Hover Plank
Side Plank
Split Squat Superband Rotations
Superband Chops
Bicycle Crunches
Oblique Crunches

Barefoot Balance Drills

Todd Durkin uses Barefoot Balance drills with all his quarterbacks. If you have shoes on, your feet don’t have to work as hard. So, Durkin has his clients take their shoes off.

This improves the balance, strength and joint integrity of the smaller muscles in Drew Brees’ legs. With a towel, Brees does 1-2 sets of 10-15 per side. Here’s the video of Drew Brees doing Barefoot Balance drills:

Todd Durkin on Throwing

Todd Durkin helps strengthen a quarterback’s body to help them with their throwing motion. Durkin puts a unique focus on the back side of his muscles, especially the shoulder muscles for quarterbacks. Core work is also very important.

Durkin likes to talk about how sixty percent of a quarterbacks throwing motion is based on how strong their core muscles are. Durkin loved working out with Drew Brees, saying:

Drew Brees, first and foremost, is a special person. I will probably not have the opportunity to work with a guy like that in the next 20 years. His concentration and focus are amazing, and he works extremely hard.

Interested in Durkin’s workouts with Drew Brees?

Check out more about Drew Brees’ workouts by getting Todd Durkin’s:Impact Body Plan: Build New Muscle, Flatten Your Belly & Get Your Mind Right! (on Amazon). Durkin wrote the book to illustrate the exercises he uses to get NFL and other pro athletes into shape.

Here is a video of what Drew Brees’ TRX workout looks like:

Most importantly, Drew Brees’ is all about intensity and tempo. Strength trainer Todd Durkin’s advice:

Tempo can make the difference between adding more muscle and losing fat, and seeing no changes at all. Focus on limiting your rest to only 30 to 60 seconds, even when you’re using heavier weights. The result: You’ll develop your body like never before.

Drew Brees Diet

The Drew Brees diet focuses on proper nutrition from a good mix of fat, protein and healthy carbohydrates. The challenge is that Drew Brees is partially or wholly allergic to:

dairy
wheat
gluten
eggs
nuts

Still, most of these allergies are things his trainer, Todd Durkin doesn’t want him to eat anyways. Durkin believes in the Paleo Diet. Durkin found the Paleo Diet and never looked back. His associate, Craig Valency CSCS talks about the Paleo Diet and how to feed yourself here.

Breakfast:

2 gluten-free Pancakes
4 strips bacon
Hash Browns
Berries
Cantaloupe

Post-workout snack:

Muscle Milk recovery shake

Lunch

Grilled chicken breast, fish fillet, or shrimp
Brown Rice
Green beans

Snack:

Muscle Milk recovery shake

Dinner:

A sensible, out-on-the-town New Orleans dinner, chock full of lean meats and vegetables:
Grilled chicken breast, fish fillet, or shrimp
Fried green tomatoes
Green beans
Spinach
Broccoli
Mangoes, or other fruit for dessert

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