Andrew Huberman (neuroscientist) and Mike Israetel (sport physiologist (phd)) 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
Israetel puts more of the week into strength: about 65% against 45%.
Huberman puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 40% against 25%.
Huberman puts more of the week into intervals: about 15% against 5%.
In plans in their style, Huberman's hard sessions are short sprints; Israetel's are 1-minute intervals.
We rate the evidence behind Israetel's protocol higher: solid, against mixed for Huberman.
Supplements that go into a plan: Huberman, omega-3; Israetel, none (food first). Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
Neither has a separate mobility routine; plans add 10 minutes a day of basics.
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
Mike Israetel
For the average person, about 30 minutes of training twice a week gives the best return on time.Some evidence
After 40: most sets in the 10–20 rep range, some at 20–30, and 5–10 reps only rarely, because heavy low-rep sets raise the risk of injury.Some evidence
Train each muscle twice a week, starting with 1–2 hard sets per muscle per session, and add a set the next week if you recovered well.Some evidence
Lower the weight slowly and pause for 1–2 seconds at the bottom.Some evidence
Warm up more: three warm-up sets (light, medium, heavier) before the first working set, and 1–2 before each later exercise.Personal habit
Add weight in small steps: rarely more than about 2.5 kg or one rep per set at a time.Personal habit
Choose joint-friendly exercises with a high stimulus, for example a hack squat instead of a heavy back squat.Some evidence
Take a planned easy week every 4–6 weeks, and a lower-volume month about every 5 months.Personal 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
Mike Israetel
If you want to gain muscle, only gain weight when you are lean: about 0.25 kg a week for 4–8 weeks, then a fat-loss phase.Personal habit
Stay under about 20% body fat while gaining, come back to about 15% afterwards, and get blood tests after gaining phases.Personal habit
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
Mike Israetel
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
Mike Israetel
No specific guidance in what we reviewed.
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
Mike Israetel
No specific guidance in what we reviewed.
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
Mike Israetel
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.
Mike Israetel
Most of his content is aimed at bodybuilders and younger lifters; advice for people over 40 is a smaller part of it.
Many specific numbers, such as when to take easy weeks or how fast to add sets, are coaching rules of thumb rather than findings from trials.
He sells training programmes and diet products through RP, the company he co-founded.
Build a plan from Huberman, Israetel 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 Mike Israetel?
Their training split differs most in strength: Huberman about 45%, Israetel about 65% (our estimate from their published routines). Huberman's signature habit is Morning light; Israetel's is 2 × 30 min, close to failure.
How much protein do Huberman and Israetel recommend?
Huberman: No fixed target. Israetel: No fixed target.
Whose advice has stronger evidence?
We rate the evidence behind Israetel's protocol higher: solid, against mixed for Huberman.
Do Huberman and Israetel disagree?
Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: israetel puts more of the week into strength: about 65% against 45%.
Can I combine Huberman and Israetel?
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.