Compare experts › Andy Galpin vs Gary Brecka

Andy Galpin vs Gary Brecka

Andy Galpin (exercise physiologist) and Gary Brecka (wellness entrepreneur (not a doctor)) 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.

Build a plan from bothSee the protocols
Words explained (12)
Zone 2
Steady cardio at a pace where you can still talk in full sentences, but not sing.
VO2 max
The most oxygen your body can use in hard exercise. A good measure of fitness; higher is better.
Intervals
Short hard efforts with easy recovery in between, such as 30 seconds fast, 90 seconds slow.
4 × 4
Four rounds of 4 minutes hard with 3 minutes easy in between. Also called Norwegian intervals.
Hypertrophy
Muscle growth.
Loaded carry
Walking while holding something heavy, like shopping bags or dumbbells.
Mobility
Moving your joints freely through their full range.
Creatine
A well-studied supplement that supports strength and muscle.
Omega-3 (EPA, DHA)
Healthy fats found mostly in oily fish such as salmon, herring and sardines.
Fibre
The part of plant foods you don't digest. It feeds healthy gut bacteria and keeps you full.
Mitochondria
The parts of your cells that turn food and oxygen into energy.
MTHFR, methylation
A gene and the chemical process it helps with. The common variants are very frequent, and testing them is not recommended for most people.

At a glance

MeasureAndy GalpinGary Brecka
BackgroundExercise physiologistWellness entrepreneur (not a doctor)
Training split50% strength · 30% aerobic · 15% intervals · 5% mobility20% strength · 55% aerobic · 5% intervals · 20% mobility
Signature habit“3–5 rule” liftingSunlight, breathwork, cold
ProteinDaily total matters most~30 g soon after waking
Training styleAll-rounderMorning rituals
Overall evidenceStrongMostly weak
FollowingInstagram 377K · YouTube 201KInstagram 3M · YouTube 63K

Training splits are our estimates from each expert’s published routine. Following checked October 2026.

The key differences

  • Galpin puts more of the week into strength: about 50% against 20%.
  • Brecka puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 55% against 30%.
  • Galpin puts more of the week into intervals: about 15% against 5%.
  • Brecka puts more of the week into mobility and stability: about 20% against 5%.
  • In plans in their style, Galpin's hard sessions are 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4); Brecka's are 1-minute intervals.
  • We rate the evidence behind Galpin's protocol higher: strong, against mostly weak for Brecka.
  • Supplements that go into a plan: Galpin, creatine monohydrate, caffeine before training; Brecka, omega-3 fish oil, creatine monohydrate. Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
  • Only Brecka has 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

Andy Galpin

  • Strength: the 3–5 rule – 3–5 exercises, 3–5 sets of 3–5 reps, 3–5 minutes' rest, 3–5 days a week, every rep done with full intentStrong evidence
  • Muscle growth: at least 10 hard sets per muscle group a week, each within 1–2 reps of failure; 15–20 sets for more experienced liftersStrong evidence
  • Add load gradually for strength, roughly 3–5% a week, and keep the same main exercises for about 6–12 weeks before changing themSome evidence
  • Moderate, conversational-pace cardio of about 150–200 minutes a week for general healthStrong evidence
  • Warm up for about 5–7 minutes, up to 10 if you are stiff or olderPersonal habit
  • Run a simple fitness test battery about once a year (for example grip strength, jumps, push-ups and an estimate of VO2 max) and retest weak areas more oftenSome evidence

Gary Brecka

  • About 30 minutes of low-intensity movement in the morning (part of the '30-30-30' idea he promotes)Strong evidence
  • Stay mobile and active every dayStrong evidence
  • Exercise while breathing extra oxygen (EWOT)Personal habit
  • Gives few specific strength-training targetsNote

Eating

Andy Galpin

  • Total daily protein matters more than exact timing around workoutsSome evidence
  • Daily fluid baseline of about 30 ml per kg of body weightPersonal habit
  • During training: drink about 2 ml per kg of body weight every 15–20 minutes; afterwards replace about 125% of the weight lostSome evidence
  • For long or very hard sessions, start at about 60 g of carbohydrate per hourStrong evidence

Gary Brecka

  • About 30 g of protein within 30 minutes of wakingSome evidence
  • Avoid processed foods; eat whole foodsStrong evidence
  • Lower-carb or ketogenic plans for weight loss in some clients, guided by blood testsDoctor only

Supplements

Andy Galpin

  • Creatine monohydrate 3–5 g a day; larger people may need moreStrong evidence
  • Creatine takes about 3–4 weeks to saturate muscle at normal doses; a loading phase is optionalNote
  • Caffeine about 1–3 mg per kg roughly 30 minutes before exercise; performance tends to drop above about 5 mg per kgStrong evidence

Gary Brecka

  • Vitamin D3, ideally guided by a blood testDoctor only
  • Omega-3 fish oil in the morningSome evidence
  • Methylfolate and methylated B vitamins based on a methylation gene testPersonal habit
  • Hydrogen water tabletsPersonal habit
  • Creatine (sold under his brand)Some evidence
  • Peptides such as BPC-157 and TB-500 (he is a fan)Doctor only

Sleep & recovery

Andy Galpin

  • After training, lie down for 3–10 minutes with eyes covered and breathe slowly through the nose (for example box breathing) to switch into recovery modeSome evidence
  • Cold-water immersion can ease soreness but may blunt muscle growth, so keep it away from strength sessions if muscle is the goalSome evidence
  • Hot baths for next-morning stiffnessPersonal habit
  • Pair one physical recovery tool (compression, light movement, a swim) with one breathing practice rather than chasing every gadgetPersonal habit
  • Watch three markers – performance, physiology (resting heart rate, HRV) and how you feel; five or more days of decline is a sign to back offSome evidence

Gary Brecka

  • Morning daylight to set the body clockStrong evidence
  • Short daily cold water exposureSome evidence
  • Red light therapy bed, about 20 minutesPersonal habit
  • Hyperbaric oxygen and cryotherapy at homePersonal habit

Stress & mind

Andy Galpin

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Gary Brecka

  • Wim Hof-style breathing: 3 rounds of 5–30 breaths, then a breath hold, always seatedSome evidence
  • Same routine at the same time each dayPersonal habit
  • Barefoot grounding outdoorsPersonal habit

Weak spots to know

Andy Galpin

  • Much of his detailed advice (hydration formulas, carbohydrate per hour, caffeine dosing) is built for athletes and hard training; it needs scaling down for most adults over 50.
  • Several recovery tools he discusses, such as compression, cold and heat, have modest or mixed evidence, and he himself notes cold immersion may reduce muscle gains.
  • His fitness-test benchmarks are practical rules of thumb rather than age-adjusted clinical norms.

Gary Brecka

  • He is not a medical doctor or a research scientist; McGill University's Office for Science and Society (Jonathan Jarry, 2025) called his expertise questionable and said the health interventions he points customers to run from unproven to pseudoscientific.
  • His MTHFR claims run against medical genetics guidance: the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics has advised against routine MTHFR variant testing since 2013 (updated 2020).
  • Hydrogen water, grounding and red light are presented with more certainty than the research supports; the McGill review described hydrogen research as small and early, and grounding as pseudoscience.

Build a plan from Galpin, Brecka 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.

Plan in Galpin's stylePlan in Brecka's styleMix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Andy Galpin and Gary Brecka?

Their training split differs most in strength: Galpin about 50%, Brecka about 20% (our estimate from their published routines). Galpin's signature habit is “3–5 rule” lifting; Brecka's is Sunlight, breathwork, cold.

How much protein do Galpin and Brecka recommend?

Galpin: Daily total matters most. Brecka: ~30 g soon after waking.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the evidence behind Galpin's protocol higher: strong, against mostly weak for Brecka.

Do Galpin and Brecka disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: galpin puts more of the week into strength: about 50% against 20%.

Can I combine Galpin and Brecka?

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.

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Full sources are on each profile: Andy Galpin · Gary Brecka. Reviewed October 2026.