Compare experts › Andrew Huberman vs Kelly & Juliet Starrett
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Andrew Huberman vs Kelly & Juliet Starrett
Andrew Huberman (neuroscientist) and Kelly & Juliet Starrett (physical therapist; attorney & ceo) side by side: how they train, eat, supplement and sleep, how strong the evidence is, and how to build a plan from either or both.
Training splits are our estimates from each expert’s published routine. Following checked October 2026.
The key differences
Huberman puts more of the week into strength: about 45% against 10%.
Huberman puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 40% against 30%.
Huberman puts more of the week into intervals: about 15% against 0%.
The Starretts put more of the week into mobility and stability: about 60% against 0%.
In plans in their style, Huberman's hard sessions are short sprints; the Starretts' are 1-minute intervals.
We rate the evidence behind the Starretts' protocol higher: solid, against mixed for Huberman.
Supplements that go into a plan: Huberman, omega-3; the Starretts, none (food first). Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
Only the Starretts have a mobility or movement routine of their own.
Protocols side by side
Each line is rated for the evidence behind it. “Doctor only” items never go into a plan.
Training
Andrew Huberman
Three resistance days a week (legs; chest, shoulders and back; arms and neck), about 50–60 minutes eachStrong evidence
Build toward 180–200 minutes of Zone 2 cardio a week, including one long 60–75 min sessionStrong evidence
One moderate cardio session of about 35 minutes at 75–80% effortSome evidence
One interval session: 20–30 s hard, 10 s rest, 8–12 rounds, at about 95% effortSome evidence
Alternate months of heavier (4–8 reps) and moderate (8–12 reps) liftingPersonal habit
Avoid cold-water immersion within about 4 hours after training if building muscle is the goalSome evidence
Kelly & Juliet Starrett
Walk 8,000–10,000 steps a day, up to 12,000 if you canStrong evidence
Sit on the floor for at least 30 minutes a day, changing positions (cross-legged, 90/90, long sitting)Personal habit
Practise getting down to and up from the floor; test with the sit-and-rise testSome evidence
Daily deep-squat time: hold your deepest squat for five breaths as a test, plus sit-stands from a chairSome evidence
Daily balance practice; test standing on one leg with eyes closed (SOLEC) and putting on shoes while standingSome evidence
Optional rucking: start with about 2 kg for a mile, three times a week, and build up over about a monthPersonal habit
Eating
Andrew Huberman
Has described eating his first meal around 11 am–noon (2021)Personal habit
Protein and fats at lunch. Carbohydrates mainly on training days and at dinnerPersonal habit
Gives no protein target of his own. His guests suggest about 1.6 g per kg a dayNote
Kelly & Juliet Starrett
About 800 g of fruit and vegetables a day (roughly six cups)Strong evidence
Protein about 1.5–2.2 g per kg of body weight; some later talks cite 1.8 g per kgSome evidence
Choose affordable protein sources that fit your budget; perfection is not requiredNote
Supplements
Andrew Huberman
Omega-3: 1–3 g of EPA a daySome evidence
Sleep stack 30–60 min before bed: magnesium threonate 145 mg or bisglycinate 200 mg, apigenin 50 mg, theanine 100–400 mg. Add one at a timePersonal habit
Has taken the greens powder AG1 since 2012. AG1 is a long-time podcast sponsorPersonal habit
Alpha-GPC 300 mg before mental work or training (personal use)Personal habit
Herbal hormone products such as tongkat ali (200–600 mg) or Fadogia agrestis (about 600 mg) only with blood tests before and after, and taken in cyclesDoctor only
Not a fan of melatonin except occasionally for jet lagNote
Kelly & Juliet Starrett
No specific guidance in what we reviewed.
Sleep & recovery
Andrew Huberman
Outdoors within 30–60 min of waking: about 10 min of light if sunny, 20 if cloudy, 30–60 if very overcastSome evidence
No caffeine in the last 8–10 hours before bedStrong evidence
Delay the first caffeine 90–120 minutes after waking (his own practice)Personal habit
Keep regular sleep and wake times, and a cool, dark bedroomStrong evidence
Avoid bright overhead light from about 10 pm to 4 amSome evidence
Keep naps under 90 minutes, or use a 10–20 minute rest practice (NSDR or yoga nidra) insteadPersonal habit
Kelly & Juliet Starrett
Aim for at least 7, ideally about 8, hours of actual sleep; track hours asleep for three nightsStrong evidence
Keep the same bed and wake times, including weekendsSome evidence
Be careful with caffeine and alcohol; keep phones and screens out of the bedroomSome evidence
Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet, and allow more time in bed than you think you needSome evidence
Stress & mind
Andrew Huberman
Cyclic sighing, a breathing practice with long exhales, for about 5 minutes a daySome evidence
Deliberate cold: about 11 minutes a week in total, split into 2–4 sessions of 1–5 minutes, early in the daySome evidence
Weekly heat and cold session: 3–5 rounds of about 20 min sauna and about 5 min cold bath (7–10 °C)Personal habit
Morning walk outdoors, which he says helps calm the stress responsePersonal habit
Kelly & Juliet Starrett
Breath-hold test as a rough benchmark for tolerance of carbon dioxidePersonal habit
Breathe through the nose during the day and in workoutsPersonal habit
Optional mouth-taping at night, building up gradually from about 10 minutesPersonal habit
Spend about 180 minutes a week outdoorsSome evidence
Brain health
Andrew Huberman
Focused work in 90-minute blocks with distractions removedPersonal habit
Takes omega-3 EPA for brain health, mood and focusSome evidence
Caffeine at 1–3 mg per kg about 30 minutes before a mental task, not after about 2 pmSome evidence
Kelly & Juliet Starrett
No specific guidance in what we reviewed.
Weak spots to know
Andrew Huberman
Supplements: Jonathan Jarry of McGill University's Office for Science and Society (2023) argued that he promotes supplements most people do not need. He said herbal products such as tongkat ali, Fadogia agrestis and shilajit are poorly studied, and that the evidence for some claims, such as myo-inositol for sleep and anxiety, is weaker than presented.
Sponsorships: the podcast is funded by sponsors that include supplement, testing and wellness companies. He became AG1's paid scientific advisor in 2022, and past sponsors named by critics include InsideTracker, Thorne and Momentous. Critics say this creates a financial incentive. Neuroscientist David Berson has praised the podcast but said some researchers disapprove of certain sponsorships and supplement promotion.
Certainty and extrapolation: scientists including cancer biologist Joseph Zundell and immunologist Andrea Love (Slate, 2024) say he sometimes applies animal or small human studies to everyday advice and speaks outside his field. New York Magazine (2024) said he presents certainty where the science is unclear. For example, the widely quoted dopamine rise from cold comes from a small 2000 study of an hour in 14 °C water, far longer than the short dips he suggests.
Kelly & Juliet Starrett
Several central tests rest on observational data: the sit-and-rise and one-leg balance studies show that people who do poorly die sooner, not that practising the test makes you live longer. Both studies were also in Brazilian cohorts and could not rule out other explanations.
Some tests have no validated scoring for the general public; the Starretts themselves describe the breath-hold test as a rough benchmark rather than a lab-grade measure, and practices such as mouth-taping have little evidence behind them.
Built to Move deliberately leaves out cardio and strength training; for adults over 50 those remain important for heart health and muscle, so the plan works best as a base layer rather than a complete programme. Kelly's earlier Supple Leopard was criticised by one reviewer for a trial-and-error approach rather than a systematic method.
Build a plan from Huberman, the Starretts or both
Your free plan shows a week of gym sessions, cardio, a day of eating, supplements and mobility, fitted to your age, time and health.
What is the main difference between Andrew Huberman and Kelly & Juliet Starrett?
Their training split differs most in mobility and stability: Huberman about 0%, the Starretts about 60% (our estimate from their published routines). Huberman's signature habit is Morning light; the Starretts' is 10 tests, 10 practices.
How much protein do Huberman and the Starretts recommend?
Huberman: No fixed target. The Starretts: 1.5–2.2 g per kg.
Whose advice has stronger evidence?
We rate the evidence behind the Starretts' protocol higher: solid, against mixed for Huberman.
Do Huberman and the Starretts disagree?
Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: huberman puts more of the week into strength: about 45% against 10%.
Can I combine Huberman and the Starretts?
Yes. In Build my mix you choose one expert per area, for example one for strength and another for eating. Your free plan shows the result straight away.