Compare experts › Andy Galpin vs Stacy Sims

Andy Galpin vs Stacy Sims

Andy Galpin (exercise physiologist) and Stacy Sims (exercise physiologist) 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.
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.
Time-restricted eating
Eating all your meals within a set window of the day, for example 8am to 6pm.
Perimenopause
The years of changing hormones before periods stop for good.
Hormone therapy (HRT, MHT)
Medicine that replaces hormones that fall at menopause. Only a doctor can prescribe it.

At a glance

MeasureAndy GalpinStacy Sims
BackgroundExercise physiologistExercise physiologist
Training split50% strength · 30% aerobic · 15% intervals · 5% mobility60% strength · 10% aerobic · 25% intervals · 5% mobility
Signature habit“3–5 rule” liftingHeavy lifts + sprints
ProteinDaily total matters most~2.2 g/kg
Training styleAll-rounderWomen 40+
Overall evidenceStrongStrong
FollowingInstagram 377K · YouTube 201KInstagram 1.4M · YouTube 372K

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

The key differences

  • Sims puts more of the week into strength: about 60% against 50%.
  • Galpin puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 30% against 10%.
  • Sims puts more of the week into intervals: about 25% against 15%.
  • In plans in their style, Galpin's hard sessions are 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4); Sims' are short sprints.
  • We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.
  • Supplements that go into a plan: Galpin, creatine monohydrate, caffeine before training; Sims, creatine monohydrate. 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

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

Stacy Sims

  • Strength training 3–4 times a week, 45–60 minutes, built on compound liftsStrong evidence
  • From perimenopause, lift heavy: about 3–5 sets of 6 reps or fewer, leaving 2–3 reps in reserve, with 2+ minutes restSome evidence
  • Sprint intervals of 30 seconds or less, all-out, with full recovery; 1–2 sessions a weekSome evidence
  • Jump and impact work (e.g. squat jumps, box jumps) for bone; one studied protocol is 10–20 jumps twice a daySome evidence
  • Keep easy cardio (walking, easy rides) as recovery; she plays down long moderate-intensity sessions and zone 2 for midlife body-composition goalsPersonal habit
  • 'Ten-minute rule': if you still feel flat after a 10-minute warm-up, scale the session downPersonal habit

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

Stacy Sims

  • Do not train fasted: about 15 g protein before lifting, plus about 30 g carbohydrate before cardio of up to an hourSome evidence
  • After training: 40–60 g protein (perimenopause on) within about 45 minutes, and carbohydrate within 2 hoursSome evidence
  • Daily protein around 2.2 g/kg body weight, the top of the 1.4–2.2 g/kg range in her ISSN position standSome evidence
  • Protein at meals 30–40 g, snacks 15–20 gSome evidence
  • Avoid long fasts, keto and big calorie cuts if active; a small deficit (about 150–200 kcal) in the evening, away from training, if aiming to lose fatPersonal habit

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

Stacy Sims

  • Creatine monohydrate 3–5 g a day (start with 1–2 g if unsure), paired with strength trainingStrong evidence
  • Choose third-party tested products (NSF or Informed Sport)Note
  • Vitamin D3, omega-3, collagen and turmeric mentioned as options; no doses givenPersonal habit
  • Iron only if a blood test shows low ferritinDoctor 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

Stacy Sims

  • Traditional (Finnish-style) sauna at about 60–80 °C after training; she prefers heat to cold for womenSome evidence
  • If using cold water, choose cool (about 16 °C) rather than ice-coldPersonal habit
  • Treat easy days as true recovery between hard sessionsPersonal habit
  • Sees hormone therapy as a valid option for hot flushes and bone risk, but not required for every womanDoctor only

Stress & mind

Andy Galpin

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Stacy Sims

  • Keep hard intervals short; she says longer efforts and very long sessions raise cortisol, already a concern in menopauseSome evidence
  • In perimenopause, have caffeine with food before training if it makes you shaky or light-headedPersonal habit
  • Listen to your own body and track responses rather than following a fixed planPersonal habit

Brain health

Andy Galpin

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Stacy Sims

  • Creatine for brain fog and mood; she cites a trial where 5 g a day added to an antidepressant helped women with depressionSome evidence
  • Favours truly hard intervals over moderate or zone 2 cardio for midlife cognitive and metabolic benefitsSome evidence

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.

Stacy Sims

  • Some researchers say her sex-specific advice goes beyond the evidence. A 2023 umbrella review co-authored by Stuart Phillips found no clear effect of menstrual-cycle phase on strength or training gains, and Sims publicly debated Lauren Colenso-Semple in 2025 on fasted training and protein timing, framed as mechanisms versus outcomes.
  • Her case against fasted training leans heavily on short-term hormone and appetite responses; critics note that longer studies measuring actual fat loss and muscle gain show little difference when daily calories are adequate.
  • Many of her menopause-specific prescriptions (exact sprint lengths, playing down zone 2, tight post-exercise protein windows) come from extrapolation and her own coaching experience rather than trials in midlife women.

Build a plan from Galpin, Sims 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 Sims' styleMix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Andy Galpin and Stacy Sims?

Their training split differs most in aerobic base (zone 2): Galpin about 30%, Sims about 10% (our estimate from their published routines). Galpin's signature habit is “3–5 rule” lifting; Sims' is Heavy lifts + sprints.

How much protein do Galpin and Sims recommend?

Galpin: Daily total matters most. Sims: ~2.2 g/kg.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.

Do Galpin and Sims disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: sims puts more of the week into strength: about 60% against 50%.

Can I combine Galpin and Sims?

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 · Stacy Sims. Reviewed October 2026.