"Beyond the Game": The RealSportsDoc Podcast

Resilience and Redemption: "The Kid Finally Got It Right" Brendan Hardy

• Dr. Brandon L. Hardin • Season 1 • Episode 6

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Ever wondered what it takes to bounce back from a sports injury and return stronger than ever? Professional baseball player Brendan Hardy joins us to reveal the secrets behind his remarkable journey from dealing with rotator cuff issues to maintaining peak performance on the field. Brendan's story is a testament to the power of sports medicine, trust, and a reliable support system. Together, we explore how the right team can make all the difference in an athlete's career, and why every setback is an opportunity for a comeback.

Brendan doesn't just share his physical recovery strategies; he also opens up about the mental resilience required to thrive in professional sports. The road to success is as much about overcoming mental hurdles as it is about physical ones. We discuss the role of sports psychologists, the necessity of a supportive environment, and the art of crafting personalized treatment plans. Brendan sheds light on the delicate balance between maintaining a competitive edge and preserving the love for the game, reminding us that passion is the ultimate driving force.

In this episode, listeners get an exclusive peek into Brendan's daily routine and offseason strategies that keep him in top form. From structured morning rituals to strategic training regimens, Brendan offers insights into the disciplined lifestyle of a professional athlete. We also touch on the timeless wisdom of legends like Kobe Bryant, illustrating how a relentless pursuit of improvement can inspire both seasoned pros and aspiring players. As Brendan looks ahead to future successes, we celebrate his achievements and emphasize that the journey of growth and learning is never truly over.

Hardin Sports Medicine & Performance
Integrated Sports Medicine Clinic on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

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Thank you for tuning in to "Beyond the Game"! We hope you found valuable insights into the world of sports medicine and the importance of health and wellness in athletics. Remember, whether you're an athlete, a parent, or a sports enthusiast, this podcast is designed for you.

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For more resources and to connect with Dr. Brandon Hardin, visit TheRealSportsDoc.com or HardinSportsMed.com to learn more.

Keep pushing your limits, and see you next time!

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Game podcast. It's your host, dr Brandon Harden, and I have a very special guest with me today, brendan Hardy, who is a professional baseball player and great friend of mine. Brendan's been with me for a long time, right, man? Yeah, yeah, going on five years, five years, yeah, you go back, right, yes, yeah, man. So I asked Brendan to come on the show because he has a very special journey when it comes to baseball and a journey he'd like to share with everybody, especially as part of, like therapy and how sports medicine has kind of changed the game for him as a young ballplayer to college and then now professional. So we'll talk a little bit about your personal journey, man. So can you share a little bit about becoming that professional baseball player and, like, what were some of the key moments that shaped your career as it stands today?

Brenden Hardy:

I mean, first and foremost, you come in as a young guy and you're competing day in and day out against grown men. It's like some guys might have a wife and kids at home and then you're just over here playing for fun. So it's like you put things into perspective and it forces you to mature.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah, and uh, I would say everything was really good and I would say rolling smooth up until my 2021 season, where I realized that I wasn't. I wasn't securing every aspect of my job as far as coming in, uh, making sure my body is right, eating healthy, doing the correct lifts, not just in the gym, working hard but working toward a purpose, and then also letting that translate into just the pt aspect, just making sure that my body is feeling right.

Brenden Hardy:

I ran into my first injury in 2021 yeah dealing with elbow, and then at the end was a little bit of shoulder going on, but we didn't really worry about it too much, just took a couple weeks off. And then I came in in 2022, had a breakout spring training in the first half of the season, and that's when everything really looked up for me. Then I ran into some rotator cuff stuff. That was the first time, I would say. It dawned on me like hey, you're not a kid anymore.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

You got to get right, man, exactly yeah.

Brenden Hardy:

So, and then just dealing with some issues here and there, the past couple years, I mean it just really made me want to reconnect with you, especially being back on the coast for this offseason, yeah, and just having somebody I could trust, yeah, yeah, that was key.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

I think that's huge. You know that's a big statement. Having somebody you can trust, I think in athletics I don't want to come off in the wrong way, but think about people who are just trying to make money off you. You know what I'm saying, and that's the hard part about when you get to the professional level is who can I trust to get me right so that I can succeed and go where I need to go? Exactly, you know what I'm saying Exactly. So, yeah, man, I think a few of those key moments will help shape anybody's career and sometimes, hey, injuries can take you out of the game too. So getting right is just as important as your lifts, as your nutrition. Just, you know, I mean everyday things that we all look at as lay people like. Yeah, I think you know. I wonder what I'm going to have for lunch today.

Brenden Hardy:

You guys are like this is what I'm having for lunch today.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

This is my routine. This is what I'm going to do Right. Got to make time for doc. Got to make time for food. Got to make time for the gym.

Brenden Hardy:

You know what I'm saying? Yeah, no, I mean sometimes it's okay to have some McDonald's every now and then yeah, you got to treat the soul. You got to plug.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

McDonald's in right.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, man, that's funny. That's right, you got to treat the soul sometimes. So, talking about those key moments and injuries, let's talk a little bit about injury management, bit about injury management. So injuries are obviously a big part of sports and I always tell my kids, because the psychology of sport is so important. I have kids come in and say, doc, this is career ending. I'm like, no, it's not career ending. It's maybe a little bit of a setback because you're not on the field right now. But think about this. Think about the kid who rides the bench 24 seven. Are they getting hurt? No, no, cause they're riding the bench.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

So be, grateful you got hurt. You know it's a circumstance, but hey, you know what I'm saying. So talk about a specific injury you face, like your rotator cuff, and how your sports team or your sports doctor played a role in your recovery to get you back um, I would say so, back to 2022 right I missed the last month and a half of the season due to infra. I don't want to say the whole word infra spinatus.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah, infra spinatus but yeah, just dealing with some infra stuff and then going on to bicep tendonitis and then they said it was slight strain of your rotator cuff. So basically, good thing I stopped throwing or else it was going to tear. So, gotcha, once I got back to florida I was there until october uh, early october and just my rehab process in program was just like we were overworking it yeah, overworking it to get it back. Where were you at at that point?

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

So I was in high A, you were in high A, yeah, so where was your sports med team based?

Brenden Hardy:

So we had one in Florida.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

One in Florida.

Brenden Hardy:

And then one in New.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

York and one in New York.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

So Brennan was with the Mets. So you know this guy's been all over and you can imagine, like you're saying, trusting people when you're all over. You got to find that trust really quick, right? Yes. Yeah, man, you do, and it's more so like the character traits that everybody puts off where it's like okay this seems to be like my dog right here, so it's like, all right, I'm gonna come in and you're like oh, dr harden's wearing jays.

Brenden Hardy:

We're cool, you know it's like okay, we call him dr drip yeah, dude, you know it's it's about having fun too, especially when you're going through stuff like that man.

Brenden Hardy:

Yes, because it is a setback, yeah, and like you see us athletes at a vulnerable position, 100 man and you never know if you're going to come back as good as you were yeah, or if you or you might even come back even better, just depending on the right person in the right process, that you take right and I will say, like, coming out of 2022, during that off season, I was still dealing with some shoulder stuff, but I didn't really speak on it because I was like it'll wear off whenever it warms up. I'll be a little bit looser, so I'll be able to go.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, that's what everybody says. Right, I'll let it go away. I'm young, exactly. And then dad bought over there. You know, with four kids at home, making them big league money is just killing it, yes, so then you get frustrated and you're like what the heck?

Brenden Hardy:

And you're like man, I swear I'm working harder, and working harder than this guy. I'm putting in more work here, and it's like that might not be what you exactly need at that moment. And that was the biggest thing that I've learned. Coming off of these injuries was all because you're working doesn't mean that you're doing as much as you need to. You might be doing more, yeah so, and then you might not be working the right spots, you know. So that's why.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

That's been a big contention in sports medicine. Man, you can go online and view all these papers about therapies, like, are we doing too much, are we doing too little? Where is that middle line, like the playing field? Where can we meet in the middle? That is so hard to do. You know what I'm saying and you're not going to be the same as another pitcher who comes in same age, same height, same build. Dude, they could have something the same but totally different outcome. A thousand percent. You know what I'm saying. So that's, that's the hard part. So, knowing that and knowing, hey, my nutrition's got to be right. I need to see my guys every day. You're in the off season. Right now you're at hardened sports medicine. How does the treatment um become part of your daily routine and how have you found that to be most beneficial to baseball?

Brenden Hardy:

Dude. I mean, it's just as simple as getting your body right and just with my injury history, one thing I don't want well, going into free agency and just trying to pitch myself to the next team is, oh okay, well, you've been injured. Obviously, whenever you're good, like whenever you're healthy, you're good, so we see that but injury history.

Brenden Hardy:

I've already talked to my agent about it too. He said like that could be the only downfall as far as, like, payroll-wise. But I just want the next team to know that hey, like I've taken the time, we're putting in work. Yeah, we're putting in work and we're going to come back fully healthy next season and we're not going to have any issues. Yeah exactly so just building that trust.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, and do you ever really know? You just made a profound statement, right? So like, when you're good, you're healthy, you're good, you're on the roster, but are you? You know what I'm saying. How do you know that when we go out there and pitch, you're feeling great, that you're not going to throw your elbow, that you're the next for Tommy John, you don't right? No, so you know, that's just it. That's the part of being a professional. You know, athlete, you never know. Living in that gray area, living in that gray area, man, just push the envelope as far as you can.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Amen, yeah, we just had this conversation, Brendan and I in the office, because I'm doing one million things, he's doing one million things and hey, guess what? We still get to meet up and do what's good, right For sure man, yeah man.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Even though we just got started for this off season. Yeah, like night and day difference, yeah, crazy right. We were taking uh photos yesterday, uh brendan's shoulder and his back, and I was showing him the differences, uh off of one treatment and that one treatment. I mean huge differences, and bernie can attest. Man, you know, it didn't take us an hour and a half to do that, right, no, it maybe took us 15, 20 minutes yesterday, 15 minutes today.

Brenden Hardy:

You got you right, man, I'm telling you, and it's like, even as athletes, we come in and we're like, okay, man, we gotta go get some work done my shoulder or back, like whatever it is. And you're sitting there and you're like, oh, I'm being here for about an hour, hour and a half, and then I come in. You're like, oh, oh, here we go, this is all we need to do. Boom, boom, boom, yeah, man, and we're in and out of there.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, yeah, that's exactly right, and it's like no time wasted, just completely productive.

Brenden Hardy:

And now, like I feel myself starting to, even after just one day yesterday started, I'm like, dude, I already I was in the gym yesterday and I'm feeling my arm get up and back again and I'm like, oh my God, this is crazy.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

He unlocked me again. Yeah, man, Just finding people's potential. It goes back to what we just talked about in the beginning is finding your potential. How do you do that? And you do that by creating a routine right being regimented on what you do. So you're in your off season, You're here, I'm helping you get right. You're helping you get right, which is hey more important. I know a lot of athletes get in their head. You're just living it up, man. I love that about you, man. You always have a positive attitude.

Brenden Hardy:

That's so good, because I am an absolute head case when it comes to this, you hide it.

Brenden Hardy:

well, yeah, I'm glad you don't have a good poker face, but no man, I am an absolute head case. But the reason being these past couple years was like. So I will say, going back to last spring training in 23, I ended up in another setback because I just knew something wasn't right with my shoulder. I told that trainer that I trusted and he went ahead. He brought it up to the head trainer and they were like all right, we're going to give him an MRI. They took an evaluation of my rehab program from the previous year and they were like, dude, they realized and they took accountability that they had me doing way too much to my shoulder so it was just going to be even more fatigue. Like, yeah, it's generally getting stronger, but if it hurts we're no good to compete. It's just that simple. And then we re-evaluated it, changed up some stuff and they had me doing a lot less, but more. I guess you could say more particular work, more specific to what your injury was Exactly.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

You know, I see that all the time, man, it's hard for me, especially as a sports doc, to hear somebody say yeah, you know, my other doctor said I just need to stop working out in some circumstances. I agree with it only because you don't want to overwork your player, right? If I have you in physical therapy and then I have you with me and we're doing a lot of rehab stuff, and then you're going to the gym and then you're throwing BP, dude, that shoulder's never going to get better. Exactly, you know, exactly. So I totally get that, man. I totally get that, especially with overhead sports. That shoulder is not like your hip. No, that shoulder is this big, that hip is that big, you know, thank you.

Brenden Hardy:

The potential there is endless, but we got to treat it right a thousand percent and that was the game changer going into last season yeah like we treated it right, we attacked it correctly, to where last season you could go look at the numbers. It was by far my best. Yeah, man, you know. And it was just like, well, you see what happens whenever you feel good, yeah, it translates. And then I wasn't a head case. And then this year I started feeling some stuff creep back up and I'm like okay, that's whenever the wheels kept on turning and everything like that, yeah, man.

Brenden Hardy:

But no, I mean, we still tried to hide it well. Yeah, yeah, we still tried to hide it well.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Dude speaking of head case. What about mental health connection in professional sports? So let head case. What about mental health connection in in professional sports? So let's talk about, like beyond physical therapy um, how do you think your mental health plays a role in recovery?

Brenden Hardy:

oh, I mean it's. I would say it's the most prominent, especially once you get to the pro level, because the the talent gap isn't as big, that margin margin is not as big. So, everybody is good enough, especially once you start getting the double A and triple A, because at that point they already tell you like dude, you have the talent to make it. It's just how consistent are you going to be, which is the physical? And then how well do you overcome adversity?

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Wow.

Brenden Hardy:

That's a big one, right? Yes, and it's like, how do you take on failure and how quickly can you bounce back? And that's what they're constantly testing you on. And I would just say, like, if your mental is so clouded which I can admit to having this past year like it's hard, it's hard to go out there and just constantly trust yourself to be good and be dominant every time. But whenever you see a little bit of success, then that's when you start hunting more, hunting more, and whenever you can keep yourself from going down that rabbit hole of what you did wrong so much and just start focusing on, start seeing it as, oh, okay, it's a challenge to make that better, and then you just constantly just add on to your strengths and next thing you know you don't have any holes in your game.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, man, yeah, you're filling the gaps, right exactly.

Brenden Hardy:

But mental health for sure is like up there.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, that's why we're seeing sports psychologists like we have here. Dr Ferris man, you know there's so many avenues people take after they sustain an injury, and sometimes not very healthy, you know. So you need somebody like that to talk to, who understands how you're feeling. You know what I'm saying.

Brenden Hardy:

Cause I mean, dude, you know what I'm saying. Because I mean, dude, you know, playing a sport like you have to hang your cleats up at some point. Yeah, and there's no, there's no real stability until you're that 100 million dollar player, right, stuff like that right and you make it to where you want to be exactly so up until then, I mean on your bad days you can get over analytical on yourself or hypercritical, but it's just like you just have to dial it back and remind yourself hey, I played this game originally just because I loved it, and you're still doing it.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah, the stakes are higher, but it's still a game. It's still a game.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Still a game For the love of the game? Exactly yeah, man. Still a game For the love of the game? Exactly yeah, man. Now I hear you. Let's talk about that, building trust again. We'll hit that one more time because I think that's really important, really really important. So developing a relationship with your sports med doctor, I would say, is 100% crucial to your success as an athlete, right, oh yeah. So what qualities do you think are important in that relationship, or what do you look for and how do you build that?

Brenden Hardy:

trust. What do I look for? Yeah?

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Minus the jetties on my feet, you know what I'm saying.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah, I got you, I got you. I mean, that is up there. You need to shoot contact sometimes before you make eye contact.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Right, let's see what he's got.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah, okay, yeah he's cool, yeah he's cool, but uh, I mean just honestly, just to understand it, and somebody who's willing to admit that, hey, I might not have the answer right now yep but or I haven't dealt with a case like yours, right, but I'm willing to figure out what we need to do in order to get you back to that next level.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah, man, just like. That just plays a huge part in it, because, like I'm not gonna be, I'm not gonna be a known person walking into everybody's sports sportsman like I'm not. So that's exactly right. So, like for people who come in or I might go to them and then they're like oh yeah, that's just this, this, this. Yeah, I saw a case like that last year and it's like. The person you showed me that you worked on is the dad, and he's four inches shorter than me.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

I'm like um yeah, no, we're not the same we're, and that's exactly right and that's my thing, and I'm just gonna say this boldly. You know, um, I have physical therapy friends, good, good friends. A lot of them like to look at paper and go all right, you met that goal, you met that goal, check, check, check, check, check. Then I have uh, friends who are outside of the box, things outside of the box thinkers. There we go and uh, one of them is up in wiggins man and, and ryan harrell is his name. And I tell you what, man, when you get together with somebody who is 72 years old, again talking about the same rotator cuff injury, and then you have a professional baseball player and they're doing the same programming, that's a problem. That's a problem, right? So you want to find that trust in your sports doc. Enough to know like, okay, my doc knows that he's treating me a lot differently, that this may go a lot different than according to plan, right, I hate plans, I hate plans. And my wife even knows that she's like he's so spontaneous. Yeah, I don't stick to the plan, I like to do things that you know are spontaneous. Hey, you come in and you're like doc dude, you won't believe it After first session, that supra that infra it feels so good.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Can we work on the pack? I'm not going to go'm in. This is the plan. We gotta work off the plan. I'm gonna go. Let's do it like let's hit that pack. Let's go, you know, let's let's search in the rotator cuff, make sure that's good, but then we're moving on.

Brenden Hardy:

You know what I'm saying yeah, I mean it's like you have the basis, but everything is not always gonna go according to plan.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, that's right, because if it did, then you wouldn't be injured. Exactly, exactly.

Brenden Hardy:

You know what I'm saying and I feel like that's where, like that's where me and you like are where we get along at the most, because I'm kind of I'm kind of spontaneous yeah, like I have my set routine where it's like I know this is gonna make me feel good to grow, yeah, but as far as like treatment and everything, like dude, we play 160 games.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

I mean, that is a lot.

Brenden Hardy:

Like your body is not going to feel the same every day. No, and you're going to wake up. You might sleep wrong. At one hotel you got a different problem than what you've ever dealt with before and it's like oh well, this is outside your program, so I don't know if we should do it. No, you've got to attack it. You've got to fix the problem Exactly before it becomes a bigger issue. Right?

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, that's exactly what I've been telling them, and they'll be in the NFL all along. Just you need me, you know. You wake up off the plane and you're like, oh, crick in my neck, oh, where's Harden? And I'm right there, you know, let's get it. Thank you, right. No, I'm only kidding man. There's plenty of people who know what they're doing out there. I just hope that they have the opportunity to have a relationship, like you and I have, man. I honor that relationship. I know that, at the end of the day that you've done your best, I've done my a thousand percent.

Brenden Hardy:

you know what I'm saying I mean dude, I can't wait to see what what things look like come february me either, because we're gonna do some heavy work this off season.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Oh yeah, we already have in two days.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

I know, can you imagine shoot, let's go you know, brennan said today oh my god, I had a heavy leg day yesterday, first day off season. I'm surprised it's not working on my legs. Guess what, brennan? It's happening. We're gonna work to work on everything, bro. Sounds good, sounds good, I'm all for it.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Man, that's called the assessment. Right, when you assess the patient, it's not just their chief complaint. You know, I was talking to a patient earlier about some elbow issues and she's a cheerleader. I had another cheerleader come in and talk about hamstring issues. You know where that translates. Well, how are your lifts going? Hamstring issues you know where that translates. Well, how are your lifts going. Well, what do you mean? Lifts? I mean you're lifting up these people in the air and you're not doing pushups, you're not doing calisthenics, you're not doing any type of pressing movements. No, sir, I'm just. That's the problem. We got to fix the foundation before we can fix the problem. A thousand percent, you know what I'm saying. A thousand percent. So, yeah, no, that's good stuff. So what about your daily routine, man? Can you walk us through a typical day in the life of a professional baseball player, highlighting how you know how it starts and how it ends?

Brenden Hardy:

Okay, During the season? Oh, okay, I have a question for you. Yeah, in season or off season? So in season, in season, yeah, typically so, typically so with baseball, you know we play later games, yeah, and I mean it's same with every sport, so you try to. You're big on your sleep, so I wake up around like 10, 10, 30 every day and I'll make sure to get me. I'll try to eat a heavy lunch because I've already slept through that breakfast, so wake up around 1030. I'll read my devotional first. Cool man, I'll try to get up within the first 30 minutes. I love that. Yeah, I have to stay grounded. Same the moment I don't read it.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Like you feel scattered, yeah, yeah, man, this is going to sound funny, but the only peaceful time I feel like I have is in the shower in the morning. Literally when I walk into the shower, I say good morning, god, it's Brandon, I'm here to talk to you, man, you know what I'm saying.

Brenden Hardy:

I promise you I'm that same way. Yeah, I'm that same way, yeah, because the moment you get out of the shower it just bam Right, everything is going. That's right. So, yeah, I try to get that in by 11. And then 11.30 to about 12.30, lunchtime, eat a heavy lunch. My favorite is sriracha. I love me some sriracha. I'll eat that.

Brenden Hardy:

And then normally you have to roll into the field around 1 or 1.30. So get there, stretch out, do whatever personal work. I need to as far as like, if something's tight, go to the trainer, probably, get that rubbed out. And it just depends on, like, if I have a light day or a heavy day. But if I need to be prepared to pitch, I'm not doing too much as far as like that pre-practice, because we have we have our throwing program that starts around 3 o'clock and you have a miniature practice that you go through.

Brenden Hardy:

Hitters take VP and ground balls, all that. Pitchers, we get our throwing in. You throw your bullpen if you need to. Then you go back in about 2 hours before game time, and those 2 hours before game time, those are my most crucial. So it's like all right if something was kind of bothering me out there at practice and I wasn't going that hard. Okay, we got time to fix it. And then I go into my pre-pitching routine, which is my more specific stretches, just movement pattern, just getting ready to throw, yeah, and do that all pregame and then you roll out for the game come 7 o'clock.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, man, I'm sitting here writing down more questions for Brendan because as he talks, I'm like dude. Yes, this is great. How often are you throwing BP?

Brenden Hardy:

Normally I throw one bullpen per week and then you're probably pitching twice or even three times. I had a couple weeks this past year where I pitched four times, but also at the same time. How I told you, I'm a head case like whenever I'm pitching four times in a week. I have no time to think.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

So those are my best weeks.

Brenden Hardy:

Yeah, yes, so just saving that group. But uh, yeah, no, it's what is your?

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

what is your your throwing program? Look like. How's your arm care?

Brenden Hardy:

in season. So arm care I'm hitting arm care about at least five times a week, Like there are very few days where I'm not doing something.

Brenden Hardy:

And more so. For me it's stabilization Because like, yeah, I know, if I don't stay up on my arm care routine, everything just starts getting slowly weaker and then range of motion starts increasing in places. We don't stay up on my arm care routine, everything just starts getting slowly weaker, yeah, and then range of motion starts increasing in places. We don't need it to, so just constantly making sure the shoulder is like stable.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, and just locked in Nice, nice, okay, no, that's cool man. So what happens after the game? Let's just talk about a little bit of off season. How does that look like?

Brenden Hardy:

Off season. So what happens after the game? Let's talk about a little bit of offseason. How does that look like? Offseason? First three weeks, don't do anything. Yeah, I was showing you breathe. Yes, I can finally breathe. I can finally breathe, I can wake up every day and I don't have to be like, all right, we got three hours till I go to the field, right, but offseason just honestly, I should have came in to you earlier but I was like I'm not doing anything baseball related. No, yeah, I totally get that. Yeah, I totally get the break, but just take some time off. Definitely, take some time off of throwing. I'll start that beginning of November, but just basically giving your body a break, because you did just go at it every day for eight months, yeah, yeah, since February. Really, man, yeah, so I mean it's like it's a long season.

Brenden Hardy:

You have to give your body some time to rest and then now it also gives me more room for growth rather than like last off season.

Brenden Hardy:

I came in. Well, I went to the fall league and I didn't get back until the week before thanksgiving. So I only had a week and a half off, and then december 1st right back to it. So I didn't have much rest at all. So it was good, it was good to take that time off and then just coming in, getting right with you before I go to the gym and then, like, also, I could bounce things off of you. As far as, like today, I told you it was supposed it was supposed to be an upper body day yeah but like we're really digging into my shoulder.

Brenden Hardy:

So right, just giving it a day to breathe.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, I could hit that tomorrow yeah, yeah, being specific about it, right, yeah, yeah, man, absolutely. So. What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned? Um moving along as a young athlete to a well-developed professional athlete and um, what do you think could benefit a young athlete trying to get to where you are today?

Brenden Hardy:

basically I would have to say working smarter, like obviously work hard, like you have to work hard, mm-hmm, no about it, but I feel like I was working hard in the wrong ways. Oh wow, yeah, I was just over here just trying to get as strong as possible and that should equal VLO and it's like no. Like if you do more movement patterning training, then that will play better whenever you're on the field, because you've already trained those patterns Like you know how it goes. So just being more, I guess you could say player-specific to your craft and also listen to your body.

Brenden Hardy:

If you're a dog, tired and drained. That probably means you need to take a break that doesn't mean that you aren't conditioned to do what you're doing. Like your body, it takes wear and tear every day. Listen to your body, take some rest days like yeah, whenever they say oh, if you're not working, somebody's getting better than you, they might be getting better than you just by resting and they come back fresh the next day. That is exactly right. And you're overworked and you're not at the top of your game. So, work smarter, not harder.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

There you go, man. No, I like that message, I really do. You know, it's funny because, excuse me, I have patients who are retired professional athletes who come in and they're like, doc, I beat up my body. What have you been doing, man? Just going nonstop in the gym just trying to keep up? I'm like, bro, your cells, okay, aren't the same as they were, you know, in your 20s, as they are in your 60s?

Brenden Hardy:

You know it's like come on, give yourself, give yourself a break.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah and then talk about. I'm trying to keep up. Yeah, you're already way ahead, right, exactly. At least you're in the gym and doing things right. You know what I'm saying, man. Yeah, I bet that's funny that you say that, yeah, so, uh, what about young athletes dealing with injuries? Could you give them any advice and how they can start now by incorporating therapy into their routines? You know, I think what I'm finding is a lot of parents are coming to them like, oh my gosh, dr Harden, I didn't realize we could do this. What would you say if you could go back in time and find an office like this one, one again building trust there, but two helping you along the way as a young professional? Um, what, what advice would you give a young person today if they can find that?

Brenden Hardy:

use it like honestly use it. Yeah, use any resource that you really can, one that you trust and you find really beneficial for you. Yeah, but I mean, as far as don't just see it as, oh, I don't need that right now, like I'm not hurt, but it's like you can you can use these resources in order to stay away from injury or to just try to further prevent it as much as possible that's it, prevention, right.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

I think a lot, of a lot of people, even our uh, athletic trainers and therapists and even some physicians, will go. If it's not hurt, we're not going to fix it. Well, it doesn't take a traumatic incident for somebody to have something wrong, exactly right. If you get smashed in the face by a baseball and knock your teeth out, that's trauma. You gotta fix that right. But let's talk about your throwing mechanics. You're feeling good, but you're like you know what, doc, my velo's going down, but I feel fine. Obviously something's not working right because you were here and now you're here, exactly Right. So it doesn't take pain, it doesn't take one, not hurt for you to go to that professional to seek advice. Take advantage of your sports team. Thank you, right, that's what we're here for. Thank you, and trust me, I love it. I absolutely love it. When I see my guys coming in, I'm like yo, let's do this Like this is going to be fun. You know it's exciting for me.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

And then you get to see us on TV in a matter of time and you're going to be like, hey, that's my guy, that's why he's doing good yeah, man, you know it makes everybody proud and that's one of the biggest things for young people is we have to realize while we're here now somebody's got to take over. So what advice can we give those people so that they can start developing now right, work smarter, not harder. The quicker you learn it, the better you'll be later on down people, so that they can start developing now.

Brenden Hardy:

Right, true Work smarter, not harder. The quicker you learn it, the better you'll be later on down the road.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, man, absolutely, absolutely. So, uh, you collaborate with, with your team, as far as a holistic approach to your health. You're not in there. You know getting surgeries and and getting poked by needles and not by any means. Is that a bad way? If you're in a bad way but you know seeking help, like you say, prior to an injury, um, how do you take that approach? Do you look at it like this is what I need to do to maintain, this is what I need to do to get ahead? How do you look at the approach we take as as your sports team?

Brenden Hardy:

I would have to say um, I feel like this is how we get ahead yeah because, I mean, does an athlete ever really want to maintain?

Brenden Hardy:

no, I hope not. Lebron constantly tries to find a way to get better, so why can't we? That's right. So I mean, it's just basically like whatever you can use to your advantage. Kobe Bryant said it. He said he literally used the world as his playground or his classroom in order to get better at his sport. Man, what a missed athlete dude. I know, man, I'm missed athlete dude, I know. I know I'm telling you RIP Mamba Dude. Yeah, but just listening to the way that he talked about his sport and his craft and just his work ethic, like it really gives you. He breaks it down. He breaks down greatness and all you have to do is just be willing to do it. Yeah, I mean, that's the hardest thing. Yeah, because obviously it comes with timeless just timeless hours in the gym, and it's just like if, if you're willing to put in that work, you'll see some of the same results that he had.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's exactly right, man, you can't sit on the couch and watch somebody else do it and live through it. You got to know it. You got to get up and do it. Exactly Right.

Brenden Hardy:

Thank you, cause if anybody else, don't, do it for you?

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yep, exactly. So what about future goals? Man, like in closing, I want to know looking ahead, how do you see yourself Um, um, and and can we talk about your agency? Yeah, okay, so brendan's on free agency right now. So whoever's listening, guys, you need him, trust me, you need him. Um, how does that look like? What? What's ahead of you? What are you looking forward?

Brenden Hardy:

to. What I'm looking forward to is just getting an opportunity, yeah, to prove to every MLB organization that the kid finally got it right, dude, I love that.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

I'm going to write that down. The kid finally got it right.

Brenden Hardy:

So I'm just ready to really come off of a great offseason, put in the time, put in the work and just really hone in and solidify all aspects of my game.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, how old are you, brendan? 24. 24. So when he says the kid finally got it right, how long have you been in the professional world? Seven years, do you guys hear that? I mean that speaks a volume. The kid finally got it right, dude. I love that In a volume. The kid finally got it right, dude. I love that in closing, I do. That's a profound statement. I like that. We need to make a t-shirt all right with your face on it. The kid finally got it right. Yeah, where do you see yourself ending up? Uh, after baseball, what after?

Brenden Hardy:

baseball. The dream is to open up my own mega facility. Let's do it. I already told you and I don't want to put it out there too much but me and you will talk after this.

Brenden Hardy:

But, yeah, I just want to own a mega facility to where, hopefully, we can have the big three sports. Where you have a turf area marked out for football, where you have a turf area marked out for football players, yeah, you have a court well, multiple courts for basketball players coming in and just having those correct trainers and then hopefully we have you in there.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Yeah, multi-sport, fully integrated, exactly, just fully integrated. Watch these kids grow, exactly. Isn't that the most? That that's to me? So I'm a dad of four brendan. It doesn't have any kids yet.

Brenden Hardy:

No, okay, yeah we just want to let y'all know that right.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Being a dad has is so fun and it's such an experiment, man, to watch them grow mentally right, but to to listen to them, uh, when they're in the gym with me even. You know I work out a lot and and, hey, you are what you eat, you are what you preach. My kids love to work out. I love watching them grow, uh, in the athletic realm, in a sense that they know dad's always got their back right, so that's always awesome. But they have people like you to look up to and I love hearing whenever they listen to this. My 11 year old will go Dad, you had Brennan Hardy on your show today. I'm like, yeah, he'll say why didn't?

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

you invite me up there. You know, it's just so fun to watch them on and off the field because they literally they look up to you guys so much. So I just want to say, man, thank you for coming on the show today. I really appreciate your friendship and I'm ready to see you do big things because, you're right, the kid finally got it right.

Brenden Hardy:

I love that yeah dude, absolutely so.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Those questions today were there to create a deep and engaging conversation with Brendan about shedding some light on his personal experiences and the insights of him as a player, as a professional athlete, while highlighting my role as his sports med doctor and I want to thank you for coming on today. I want to say that you've already done big things. You're going to do even greater things. Say that you've already done big things. You're going to do even greater things. Keep up your faith, man. Keep your faith intact. I really hope to see you succeed in everything you do. Yes, sir.

Brenden Hardy:

I appreciate it. I just appreciate you being here. I'm so ready to get to work, Absolutely.

Dr. Brandon Hardin:

Hopefully we can have you over here just flying private that'd be fun, man, that would be a lot of fun. So, as you guys know, on every podcast we end. The journey truly never ends right. So keep up the good work and we'll see you next time. Thanks for tuning in.