In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, you’ll meet tennis phenoms Bob and Mike Bryan, aka The Bryan Bros. Born three minutes apart, the twins have been in sync ever since—both on and off the court. They are American professional doubles tennis players, gold-and bronze-winning Olympians, and are the most successful tennis duo of all time.
The two have won a record number of tour titles (118 at the time this episode airs) and have been finalists on 58 other occasions. They have a career Super Slam and 16 Grand Slam titles overall, which is more than any men’s team in the Open Era.
The twins’ parents began coaching them at the age of two. The brothers turned pro in 1998 after attending Stanford University and winning two NCAA championships. Since then, they have amassed 118 ATP Tour Titles together, including a record 18 Grand Slams. Their Gold Medal win the 2012 Olympic games made them the only team in ATP history to hold all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic Gold medal. The Bryans also have achieved the ATP Tour year-end No. 1 ranking for a record 10 years, and Mike recently celebrated his 500th week at No. 1 on the ATP Tour doubles rankings.
Their success is the result of a combination of hard work, mutual respect, and a passion for the game of tennis. (It also helps that one of the twins has a 140 mph lefty serve!)
But both Mike and Bob have suffered injuries that threatened to end their careers, including Bob’s recent hip surgery. At the age of 40, no one thought they would come back and continue to win, but they have—several times over. They’ve changed up their training regimen and put serious focus on recovery.
“You’ve got to set these goals and really work every day to do it,” Bob says. “It’s being professional in every aspect of your life. I’m trying just to dial on the health as best as I can because when I’m done, I want to be able to play with my kids. I want to be able to walk down the street and not be limping or needing metal on every joint. That’s my goal: to retire healthy but keep playing as long as we can.”
Today’s episode is going to be a good one as we talk about all the ways these professional athletes biohack to their advantage, how music keeps them in sync, and how they are helping at-risk kids.
Enjoy the show!
Follow Along with the Transcript
The Ball is in Your Court: Biohacking with The Bryan Bros. – #609
Links/Resources
Website: bryanbros.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BryanBros/
Twitter: @bryanbros
Instagram: @bryanbros and @mikecbryan
Key Notes
- Are twins connected to each other cognitively? 00:04:05
- Issues at birth made the twins different 00:07:45
- What the brothers have learned about recovery 00:16:30
- How much is in your head and how much is biology? 00:27:45
- Bigger Ideas:
- How the twin brothers are alike but also different 00:05:15
- Injuries and health issues led to one twin getting into biohacking 00:06:20
- Playing with someone other than your twin 00:09:10
- At 25, a career-ending injury was fixed with diet and biohacking 00:11:50
- The average life span for a tennis player 00:14:50
- What they do for recovery 00:17:30
- Dave and the brothers compare sleep metrics 00:22:15
- How they handle jetlag 00:25:00
- The effects of a mouldy AirBnB in Rome 00:30:00
- How playing music together effects tennis 00:32:40
- Why do the brothers help at-risk kids? 00:41:00
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