Compare experts › Bryan Johnson vs Mark Hyman

Bryan Johnson vs Mark Hyman

Bryan Johnson (entrepreneur, founder of blueprint) and Mark Hyman (physician, functional medicine) 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.
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.
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.
Polyphenols
Natural plant compounds in foods such as berries, tea, coffee, cocoa and olive oil.
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.
Glucose
Blood sugar.
Rapamycin, metformin
Prescription drugs that some experts take hoping to slow ageing. Not proven for that, and never part of your plan.

At a glance

MeasureBryan JohnsonMark Hyman
BackgroundEntrepreneur, founder of BlueprintPhysician, functional medicine
Training split30% strength · 40% aerobic · 20% intervals · 10% mobility30% strength · 25% aerobic · 30% intervals · 15% mobility
Signature habitSleep-first, measure everythingPegan diet
Protein~130 g a day30–50 g shake after training
Training styleMeasure everythingFood as medicine
Overall evidenceMixedMixed
FollowingInstagram 2.8M · YouTube 2.2MInstagram 3.8M · YouTube 1.5M

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

The key differences

  • Johnson puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 40% against 25%.
  • Hyman puts more of the week into intervals: about 30% against 20%.
  • In plans in their style, Johnson's hard sessions are 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4); Hyman's are 1-minute intervals.
  • We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as mixed.
  • Supplements that go into a plan: Johnson, creatine monohydrate, omega-3; Hyman, protein shake with creatine after training, omega-3 fish oil. Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
  • Both include their own mobility or movement routine.

Protocols side by side

Each line is rated for the evidence behind it. “Doctor only” items never go into a plan.

Training

Bryan Johnson

  • About 150 minutes a week of moderate cardio (Zone 2, a pace where you can still talk)Strong evidence
  • About 75 minutes a week of vigorous work such as high-intensity intervalsStrong evidence
  • Strength training 3 times a weekStrong evidence
  • Balance, flexibility and mobility work included in the daily sessionSome evidence
  • 2–3 minutes of light movement every 30 minutes of sitting, plus two 10-minute walks a daySome evidence
  • He says even 20 minutes of exercise a day is worthwhile for people starting outNote

Mark Hyman

  • Strength training 3–4 times a week, about 30 minutes, mainly resistance bands and moderate weightsStrong evidence
  • Aerobic or interval training 4–6 days a week, about 30 minutes (cycling, tennis, hiking, swimming)Strong evidence
  • Yoga a couple of times a week plus a little stretching most daysSome evidence
  • Avoids very heavy lifting as he ages to limit injury riskPersonal habit
  • Hypoxia (low-oxygen) training with a machine or maskPersonal habit

Eating

Bryan Johnson

  • About 2,250 kcal a day, which he describes as roughly 10% below his energy needsSome evidence
  • About 130 g protein a day, much of it from plant foods, protein powders and collagenPersonal habit
  • Lots of vegetables, legumes (black lentils, chickpeas), berries, nuts and extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 tbsp per meal)Strong evidence
  • All food eaten between about 5:30 am and noonPersonal habit
  • Stops drinking fluids at about 4 pm to avoid waking at nightPersonal habit
  • Follows no named diet; he says he avoids labels such as vegan or ketoNote

Mark Hyman

  • Pegan diet: about 75% of the plate from plants, mostly non-starchy vegetablesStrong evidence
  • Cut sugar, refined flour and ultra-processed foodsStrong evidence
  • 1–2 cups of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage etc.) a daySome evidence
  • Healthy fats from olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and small oily fishStrong evidence
  • Avoid gluten and most dairy, even without intolerancePersonal habit
  • Daily overnight fast of 12–16 hoursSome evidence

Supplements

Bryan Johnson

  • Creatine, 7.5 g a day in totalSome evidence
  • Omega-3 (EPA/DHA), 800 mg a daySome evidence
  • Fibre-type prebiotics (inulin, galacto-oligosaccharides, arabinogalactan) in his morning drinkPersonal habit
  • Ashwagandha and rhodiolaPersonal habit
  • Blueprint's own multi-ingredient capsules and antioxidant softgelsPersonal habit
  • Collagen powder; he suggests 20–30 g a day for skin and hairPersonal habit

Mark Hyman

  • Protein shake after training: 30–50 g whey (goat) plus 5 g creatineStrong evidence
  • Vitamin D, fish oil, a multivitamin and magnesium at nightSome evidence
  • NMN (about 900 mg a day), urolithin A, quercetin, curcumin and similar 'longevity' compoundsPersonal habit
  • His own branded gut supplement (prebiotics, probiotics, polyphenols)Personal habit

Sleep & recovery

Bryan Johnson

  • Fixed early schedule: in bed about 8:30 pm, up about 4:30 amStrong evidence
  • Screens off and a 60-minute wind-down before bedSome evidence
  • No caffeine for 8–10 hours before sleepSome evidence
  • Bright light soon after waking and dim red or amber light in the eveningSome evidence
  • Dry sauna at about 79 °C for 20 minutes dailySome evidence
  • Tracks sleep with a wearable and aims for a very low resting heart rate before sleepPersonal habit

Mark Hyman

  • 7–8 hours of sleep with a regular bedtime around 10 pmStrong evidence
  • Dark, quiet bedroom with eye mask and earplugsSome evidence
  • Blue-light-blocking glasses in the eveningPersonal habit
  • Steam or sauna and cold plunge most daysPersonal habit
  • Red light therapy at homePersonal habit

Stress & mind

Bryan Johnson

  • Uses a fixed routine so daily health choices do not depend on willpowerPersonal habit
  • Breathwork or reading as part of the evening wind-downSome evidence

Mark Hyman

  • Meditation once or twice a day plus breathworkSome evidence
  • As much time in nature as possibleSome evidence
  • Regular time with friends and familySome evidence
  • Regular massagePersonal habit

Weak spots to know

Bryan Johnson

  • His results come from one person doing many things at once, so it is hard to tell which part works. Scientists including Nir Barzilai (Nature, republished by Scientific American, 2026), who said science can't rest on a single person, and Morgan Levine (quoted in Vice, reported by Lifespan.io, 2023) have made this point.
  • His 'speed of ageing' and biological-age figures come from epigenetic clocks and biomarker comparisons. Researchers such as Steve Horvath have noted that some of these clocks predict health outcomes less well than others, and none is yet proven as a measure of whether a treatment extends life.
  • Several therapies he has tried, such as young-donor plasma and rapamycin, he later dropped himself. The US FDA has warned that young-plasma infusions have no proven benefit and may cause harm.

Mark Hyman

  • Functional medicine as a field lacks randomised trial evidence; surgeon and blogger David Gorski (Science-Based Medicine, 2014; Respectful Insolence, 2019) argues its useful parts (diet, exercise, sleep) are not unique and its unique parts (broad testing, supplements, 'detox') are not proven.
  • A 2021 Red Pen Reviews analysis of Eat Fat, Get Thin scored its scientific accuracy 1.2 out of 4, finding the claim that saturated fat does not cause heart disease conflicts with most controlled studies.
  • Commercial ties are large: he co-founded and is chief medical officer of Function Health (direct-to-consumer lab testing) and sells supplements through his own online shop; nutrition scientist Adrian Chavez (Katie Couric Media, 2026) noted one of his supplement stacks supplies 7,000 IU of vitamin D a day, above the usual 4,000 IU upper limit.

Build a plan from Johnson, Hyman 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 Johnson's stylePlan in Hyman's styleMix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Bryan Johnson and Mark Hyman?

Their training split differs most in aerobic base (zone 2): Johnson about 40%, Hyman about 25% (our estimate from their published routines). Johnson's signature habit is Sleep-first, measure everything; Hyman's is Pegan diet.

How much protein do Johnson and Hyman recommend?

Johnson: ~130 g a day. Hyman: 30–50 g shake after training.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as mixed.

Do Johnson and Hyman disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: johnson puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 40% against 25%.

Can I combine Johnson and Hyman?

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: Bryan Johnson · Mark Hyman. Reviewed October 2026.