Compare experts › Gabrielle Lyon vs Stacy Sims

Gabrielle Lyon vs Stacy Sims

Q: How much protein do Lyon and Sims recommend?

Lyon: ~1 g per lb ideal weight. Sims: ~1 g per lb (≈2.2 g/kg).

Gabrielle Lyon (physician (do)) 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 both See the protocols

Words explained (9)

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.
Mobility: Moving your joints freely through their full range.
Leucine: A building block of protein that helps switch on muscle building. Meat, fish, eggs, dairy and soy are rich in it.
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.
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

Measure	Gabrielle Lyon	Stacy Sims
Background	Physician (DO)	Exercise physiologist
Training split	60% strength · 20% aerobic · 15% intervals · 5% mobility	60% strength · 10% aerobic · 25% intervals · 5% mobility
Signature habit	30–50 g protein a meal	Heavy lifts + sprints
Protein	~2.2 g per kg ideal weight	~2.2 g/kg
Training style	Muscle-first	Women 40+
Overall evidence	Strong	Strong
Following	Instagram 1.2M · YouTube 288K	Instagram 1.4M · YouTube 372K

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

The key differences

Lyon puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 20% against 10%.
Sims puts more of the week into intervals: about 25% against 15%.
In plans in their style, Lyon's hard sessions are 1-minute intervals; Sims' are short sprints.
We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.
Supplements that go into a plan: Lyon, creatine monohydrate; Sims, creatine monohydrate. Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
Only Lyon 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

Gabrielle Lyon

Resistance training 3–4 days a week, done with focusStrong evidence
1–2 days a week of short, higher-intensity intervalsSome evidence
Steady aerobic work, such as a 30-minute session or a brisk walkStrong evidence
Move after meals: a walk, some air squats or a short bodyweight circuitSome evidence
For older adults who do nothing yet, any regular resistance training is the priorityStrong 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

Gabrielle Lyon

About 2.2 g per kg of ideal body weight a day (she also gives 1.2–1.6 g per kg, sometimes up to 1.8 g per kg)Some evidence
30–50 g of high-quality protein at the first meal, and a similar large dose at the last mealSome evidence
About 2.5 g of leucine (roughly 30 g of quality protein) per meal, and about 9 g of leucine across the daySome evidence
People eating mainly plants may need more total protein, around 1.6 g per kg, because plant protein is lower quality per gramSome evidence
For inactive people, about 130 g of carbohydrate a day, roughly 40–50 g per meal, with more after exercisePersonal habit
Older adults should avoid long fasts, which can speed muscle lossSome 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

Gabrielle Lyon

Creatine supports muscle; she mentions possible brain benefits at higher dosesSome evidence
Prefer complete protein foods over leucine alone; amino acid supplements make most sense when a meal is low in proteinNote
She regards the official leucine allowance (about 2.7 g a day) as too low because it was based on young menNote

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

Gabrielle Lyon

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

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

Gabrielle Lyon

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

Gabrielle Lyon

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

Gabrielle Lyon

Her daily target of about 2.2 g per kg of ideal body weight is well above the official allowance of 0.8 g per kg and the 1.0–1.2 g per kg that an expert group recommends for over-65s; whether intakes that high add further benefit for most older adults is still debated.
The 'leucine threshold' idea behind her per-meal targets and her food rankings is contested; critics such as Simon Hill argue that total protein matters more and that well-chosen plant proteins can meet needs.
Some of the foundational research she draws on, such as Layman's 2005 study, was partly funded by beef and food industry groups.

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 Lyon, 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.

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Questions

What is the main difference between Gabrielle Lyon and Stacy Sims?

Their training split differs most in aerobic base (zone 2): Lyon about 20%, Sims about 10% (our estimate from their published routines). Lyon's signature habit is 30–50 g protein a meal; Sims' is Heavy lifts + sprints.

How much protein do Lyon and Sims recommend?

Lyon: ~2.2 g per kg ideal weight. Sims: ~2.2 g/kg.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.

Do Lyon and Sims disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: lyon puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 20% against 10%.

Can I combine Lyon 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: Gabrielle Lyon · Stacy Sims. Reviewed October 2026.