Compare experts › Layne Norton vs Stacy Sims

Layne Norton vs Stacy Sims

Q: How much protein do Norton and Sims recommend?

Norton: 1.6–2.2 g/kg. Sims: ~1 g per lb (≈2.2 g/kg).

Layne Norton (nutrition scientist, powerlifter) 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 (11)

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.
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.
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	Layne Norton	Stacy Sims
Background	Nutrition scientist, powerlifter	Exercise physiologist
Training split	65% strength · 25% aerobic · 10% intervals · 0% mobility	60% strength · 10% aerobic · 25% intervals · 5% mobility
Signature habit	Tiered supplements	Heavy lifts + sprints
Protein	1.6–2.2 g/kg	~2.2 g/kg
Training style	Numbers-first	Women 40+
Overall evidence	Strong	Strong
Following	Instagram 1.2M · YouTube 439K	Instagram 1.4M · YouTube 372K

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 aerobic base (zone 2): about 25% against 10%.
Sims puts more of the week into intervals: about 25% against 10%.
In plans in their style, Norton'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: Norton, creatine monohydrate, whey protein, caffeine before training; Sims, creatine monohydrate. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Layne Norton

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

Layne Norton

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

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.

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 Norton, 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 Layne Norton and Stacy Sims?

Their training split differs most in aerobic base (zone 2): Norton about 25%, Sims about 10% (our estimate from their published routines). Norton's signature habit is Tiered supplements; Sims' is Heavy lifts + sprints.

How much protein do Norton and Sims recommend?

Norton: 1.6–2.2 g/kg. Sims: ~2.2 g/kg.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.

Do Norton and Sims disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: norton puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 25% against 10%.

Can I combine Norton 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: Layne Norton · Stacy Sims. Reviewed October 2026.