Compare experts › Layne Norton vs Brad Stanfield

Layne Norton vs Brad Stanfield

Layne Norton (nutrition scientist, powerlifter) and Brad Stanfield (general practitioner (gp)) 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 (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.
Hypertrophy: Muscle growth.
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.
Fibre: The part of plant foods you don't digest. It feeds healthy gut bacteria and keeps you full.
ApoB: A blood test that counts the particles carrying cholesterol. Linked to heart disease risk.
Rapamycin, metformin: Prescription drugs that some experts take hoping to slow ageing. Not proven for that, and never part of your plan.
NAD: A molecule cells use for energy. Supplements are sold to raise it, but evidence in people is limited.

At a glance

Measure	Layne Norton	Brad Stanfield
Background	Nutrition scientist, powerlifter	General practitioner (GP)
Training split	65% strength · 25% aerobic · 10% intervals · 0% mobility	40% strength · 30% aerobic · 25% intervals · 5% mobility
Signature habit	Tiered supplements	4 × 4 intervals twice a week
Protein	1.6–2.2 g/kg	~1.2 g/kg ideal weight
Training style	Numbers-first	Guideline-first
Overall evidence	Strong	Strong
Following	Instagram 1.2M · YouTube 439K	YouTube 364K

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

The key differences

Norton puts more of the week into strength: about 65% against 40%.
Stanfield puts more of the week into intervals: about 25% against 10%.
In plans in their style, Norton's hard sessions are 1-minute intervals; Stanfield's are 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4).
We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.
Supplements that go into a plan: Norton, creatine monohydrate, whey protein, caffeine before training; Stanfield, creatine monohydrate, omega-3, psyllium husk. 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

Layne Norton

Lift weights consistently, year after year, and take sets close to failureSome evidence
Exercise improves health markers even when it does not change your weightStrong evidence
Track daily steps while dieting: everyday movement tends to drop as calories fallSome evidence
His PHAT programme: 5 days a week, two heavy 'power' days plus three higher-rep hypertrophy daysPersonal habit

Brad Stanfield

Cardio: 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week. His template: two interval sessions and three brisk 30-minute walks.Strong evidence
Intervals: 4 rounds of 4 minutes hard and 3 minutes easy, after a 10-minute warm-up, twice a week and never on consecutive days.Strong evidence
Strength at least twice a week (4–5 if you can): 2–3 sets of 10–15 reps per exercise, stopping 1–2 reps short of failure, about 2 minutes' rest, with pushing, pulling and compound lifts.Strong evidence
Add power training as you age: heavier weights moved quickly.Some evidence
Zone 2 only if you have time beyond your vigorous minutes; he argues the evidence favours harder cardio for fitness.Note

Eating

Layne Norton

Track calories and protein; food labels can be ~20% off, but consistent tracking still shows your true intake over timeSome evidence
Weigh yourself each morning and compare weekly averages, not single daysSome evidence
Protein about 1.6 g/kg a day; up to ~2.2 g/kg when dieting or very leanStrong evidence
Choose a diet style you can sustain; low-carb and low-fat work equally well with calories and protein matchedStrong evidence
Fibre about 15 g per 1,000 kcalSome evidence
Seed oils are fine: replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat lowers LDL and heart riskSome evidence

Brad Stanfield

Protein about 1.2 g per kg of ideal body weight a day (check with your doctor if you have kidney disease).Some evidence
Favour plant protein over red meat and dairy.Some evidence
Salt (sodium) under 1,500 mg a day, water as the main drink, few sugary drinks including juice.Strong evidence
Two to three cups of coffee at most, early in the day.Personal habit

Supplements

Layne Norton

Tier 1 – creatine monohydrate 3–5 g a day; loading is optional; timing does not matterStrong evidence
Tier 1 – whey protein 20–40 g per serving (about 2–3 g leucine) to help reach daily proteinStrong evidence
Tier 1 – caffeine 3–6 mg/kg about 45–60 min before training; lower doses still help alertnessStrong evidence

Brad Stanfield

Creatine monohydrate 5 g a day.Strong evidence
Omega-3 (EPA and DHA) up to about 1 g a day; higher doses are linked to a higher risk of atrial fibrillation.Some evidence
Psyllium husk fibre, building up to about 5 g a day.Some evidence
A low-dose multivitamin and mineral.Some evidence
Trimethylglycine (TMG), hyaluronic acid, GlyNAC from 45, and a low-dose melatonin formula: on his personal list, with early evidence.Personal habit

Sleep & recovery

Layne Norton

Avoid caffeine late in the day; it can harm sleep even if you fall asleep normallyStrong evidence
Carb timing matters little on average; if carb-heavy meals make you sleepy, move themNote
Poor sleep and unmanaged stress are bigger problems than small nutrition detailsNote

Brad Stanfield

7–9 hours, a regular schedule and about 30 minutes of morning daylight.Some evidence
Bedroom at about 18–20 °C and dark; no hard exercise in the 2 hours before bed; alcohol stops 4–6 hours before bed, ideally altogether.Personal habit

Weak spots to know

Layne Norton

Commercial ties: he co-founded Outwork Nutrition, which sells whey protein and products containing creatine — overlapping with his Tier 1 list — and co-founded the paid Carbon Diet Coach app and the BioLayne coaching business. He has also disclosed past research funding from the National Dairy Council, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the Egg Board.
Reverse dieting, which he helped develop and popularise, had no published controlled trials supporting it as of 2021; its use rests mainly on coaching experience.
His relaxed view of seed oils is contested by others in the health space. On The Drive (2026), Peter Attia presented the strongest case against seed oils for a debate after the booked guest declined, while saying his own view is close to Norton's; debate continues over older trials and LDL oxidation.

Brad Stanfield

He sells supplements through his own company, MicroVitamin, alongside his supplement reviews. His site says he discloses this.
Several items on his personal list (TMG, hyaluronic acid, GlyNAC, a melatonin formula) rest on small or early studies.
His cholesterol targets are stricter than general guidelines for people without heart disease, and his own page gives slightly different ApoB figures in different places.

Build a plan from Norton, Stanfield 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 Layne Norton and Brad Stanfield?

Their training split differs most in strength: Norton about 65%, Stanfield about 40% (our estimate from their published routines). Norton's signature habit is Tiered supplements; Stanfield's is 4 × 4 intervals twice a week.

How much protein do Norton and Stanfield recommend?

Norton: 1.6–2.2 g/kg. Stanfield: ~1.2 g/kg ideal weight.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.

Do Norton and Stanfield disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: norton puts more of the week into strength: about 65% against 40%.

Can I combine Norton and Stanfield?

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: Layne Norton · Brad Stanfield. Reviewed October 2026.