Peter Attia vs Layne Norton

Peter Attia

• Zone 2 cardio (a steady pace where you can still talk) about 3 hours a week, for example 4 × 45 min. Start with about 2 hours if new to itStrong evidence
• VO2 max intervals: 4 min hard, 4 min easy, repeated 4–6 times, once or twice a weekSome evidence
• Heavy strength training 3–5 times a week, focusing on grip, slow lowering, pulling and hip-hinge movementsStrong evidence
• Stability and balance work woven into most daysSome evidence
• Benchmarks such as carrying half your body weight in each hand for 1 minute (men; about 75% of that for women) and long dead hangsPersonal habit
• Choose the physical tasks you want to manage at 100 and train toward them nowNote

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

Peter Attia

• Protein at least 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day. About 2.2 g/kg is the better target for active people with healthy kidneysSome evidence
• Spread protein across about four meals of roughly 40–50 gPersonal habit
• Follows no named diet. Focuses on energy balance and avoiding junk foodNote
• Doubts time-restricted eating as a general tool and saves longer fasts for specific patientsNote
• Says alcohol has no biochemical benefit. Personally keeps it to 0–8 drinks a week, at most 2 a dayPersonal habit

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

Peter Attia

• Fish oil reported at about 2 g EPA + 1.5 g DHA a day, aiming for a blood omega-3 level of about 8–12%Some evidence
• Vitamin D, reported at about 5,000 IU a dayPersonal habit
• Magnesium from several forms, about 1 g elemental a day in total (reported)Personal habit
• Methylfolate and vitamin B12 to keep homocysteine below about 9 µmol/L, based on blood testsDoctor only
• Prescription drugs such as statins or PCSK9 inhibitors to lower apoB when neededDoctor only
• Treats rapamycin and metformin as unproven, experimental options, not general adviceNote

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

Peter Attia

• Allow 8–9 hours in bed with a fixed wake-up timeStrong evidence
• Cool, dark bedroom, about 18 °CSome evidence
• No food in the last three hours and no alcohol close to bedtimeSome evidence
• Screens off well before bed. He keeps a second phone with no social appsPersonal habit
• Sleep aids he has reported using: glycine, ashwagandha and magnesium L-threonate. Melatonin only for jet lagPersonal habit

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

Peter Attia

• Treats emotional health as a pillar as important as physical healthNote
• Journaling as a regular practicePersonal habit
• Keeps social media off his evening phone to protect wind-down timePersonal habit

Layne Norton

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.

Peter Attia

• Regular dry sauna (Outlive cites about 4 × 20 min a week at 80 °C or more, linked in Finnish studies to lower dementia risk)Some evidence
• Sees ketogenic eating as a possible alternative brain fuel in early cognitive decline, based on small trialsSome evidence
• Says the benefit of vitamin D for dementia risk is unclearNote

Layne Norton

No specific guidance in what we reviewed.