Compare experts › Gary Brecka vs Mark Hyman

Gary Brecka vs Mark Hyman

Gary Brecka (wellness entrepreneur (not a doctor)) 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 (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.
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.
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

MeasureGary BreckaMark Hyman
BackgroundWellness entrepreneur (not a doctor)Physician, functional medicine
Training split20% strength · 55% aerobic · 5% intervals · 20% mobility30% strength · 25% aerobic · 30% intervals · 15% mobility
Signature habitSunlight, breathwork, coldPegan diet
Protein~30 g soon after waking30–50 g shake after training
Training styleMorning ritualsFood as medicine
Overall evidenceMostly weakMixed
FollowingInstagram 3M · YouTube 63KInstagram 3.8M · YouTube 1.5M

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

The key differences

  • Hyman puts more of the week into strength: about 30% against 20%.
  • Brecka puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 55% against 25%.
  • Hyman puts more of the week into intervals: about 30% against 5%.
  • In plans in their style, both use 1-minute intervals for hard sessions.
  • We rate the evidence behind Hyman's protocol higher: mixed, against mostly weak for Brecka.
  • Supplements that go into a plan: Brecka, omega-3 fish oil, creatine monohydrate; 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 Brecka, 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 Brecka's stylePlan in Hyman's styleMix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Gary Brecka and Mark Hyman?

Their training split differs most in aerobic base (zone 2): Brecka about 55%, Hyman about 25% (our estimate from their published routines). Brecka's signature habit is Sunlight, breathwork, cold; Hyman's is Pegan diet.

How much protein do Brecka and Hyman recommend?

Brecka: ~30 g soon after waking. Hyman: 30–50 g shake after training.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

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

Do Brecka and Hyman disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: hyman puts more of the week into strength: about 30% against 20%.

Can I combine Brecka 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: Gary Brecka · Mark Hyman. Reviewed October 2026.