Compare experts › Kelly & Juliet Starrett vs Gary Brecka

Kelly & Juliet Starrett vs Gary Brecka

Kelly & Juliet Starrett (physical therapist; attorney & ceo) 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 (8)
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.
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

MeasureKelly & Juliet StarrettGary Brecka
BackgroundPhysical therapist; attorney & CEOWellness entrepreneur (not a doctor)
Training split10% strength · 30% aerobic · 0% intervals · 60% mobility20% strength · 55% aerobic · 5% intervals · 20% mobility
Signature habit10 tests, 10 practicesSunlight, breathwork, cold
Protein1.5–2.2 g per kg~30 g soon after waking
Training styleMobilityMorning rituals
Overall evidenceSolidMostly weak
FollowingYouTube 390KInstagram 3M · YouTube 63K

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

The key differences

  • Brecka puts more of the week into strength: about 20% against 10%.
  • Brecka puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 55% against 30%.
  • The Starretts put more of the week into mobility and stability: about 60% against 20%.
  • In plans in their style, both use 1-minute intervals for hard sessions.
  • We rate the evidence behind the Starretts' protocol higher: solid, against mostly weak for Brecka.
  • Supplements that go into a plan: the Starretts, none (food first); Brecka, omega-3 fish oil, creatine monohydrate. 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

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

  • Walk 8,000–10,000 steps a day, up to 12,000 if you canStrong evidence
  • Sit on the floor for at least 30 minutes a day, changing positions (cross-legged, 90/90, long sitting)Personal habit
  • Practise getting down to and up from the floor; test with the sit-and-rise testSome evidence
  • Daily deep-squat time: hold your deepest squat for five breaths as a test, plus sit-stands from a chairSome evidence
  • Daily balance practice; test standing on one leg with eyes closed (SOLEC) and putting on shoes while standingSome evidence
  • Optional rucking: start with about 2 kg for a mile, three times a week, and build up over about a monthPersonal habit

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

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

  • About 800 g of fruit and vegetables a day (roughly six cups)Strong evidence
  • Protein about 1.5–2.2 g per kg of body weight; some later talks cite 1.8 g per kgSome evidence
  • Choose affordable protein sources that fit your budget; perfection is not requiredNote

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

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

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

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

  • Aim for at least 7, ideally about 8, hours of actual sleep; track hours asleep for three nightsStrong evidence
  • Keep the same bed and wake times, including weekendsSome evidence
  • Be careful with caffeine and alcohol; keep phones and screens out of the bedroomSome evidence
  • Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet, and allow more time in bed than you think you needSome 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

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

  • Breath-hold test as a rough benchmark for tolerance of carbon dioxidePersonal habit
  • Breathe through the nose during the day and in workoutsPersonal habit
  • Optional mouth-taping at night, building up gradually from about 10 minutesPersonal habit
  • Spend about 180 minutes a week outdoorsSome evidence

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

Kelly & Juliet Starrett

  • Several central tests rest on observational data: the sit-and-rise and one-leg balance studies show that people who do poorly die sooner, not that practising the test makes you live longer. Both studies were also in Brazilian cohorts and could not rule out other explanations.
  • Some tests have no validated scoring for the general public; the Starretts themselves describe the breath-hold test as a rough benchmark rather than a lab-grade measure, and practices such as mouth-taping have little evidence behind them.
  • Built to Move deliberately leaves out cardio and strength training; for adults over 50 those remain important for heart health and muscle, so the plan works best as a base layer rather than a complete programme. Kelly's earlier Supple Leopard was criticised by one reviewer for a trial-and-error approach rather than a systematic method.

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 the Starretts, 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 the Starretts' stylePlan in Brecka's styleMix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Kelly & Juliet Starrett and Gary Brecka?

Their training split differs most in mobility and stability: the Starretts about 60%, Brecka about 20% (our estimate from their published routines). The Starretts' signature habit is 10 tests, 10 practices; Brecka's is Sunlight, breathwork, cold.

How much protein do the Starretts and Brecka recommend?

The Starretts: 1.5–2.2 g per kg. Brecka: ~30 g soon after waking.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the evidence behind the Starretts' protocol higher: solid, against mostly weak for Brecka.

Do the Starretts and Brecka disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: brecka puts more of the week into strength: about 20% against 10%.

Can I combine the Starretts 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: Kelly & Juliet Starrett · Gary Brecka. Reviewed October 2026.