Compare experts › Peter Attia vs Mary Claire Haver

Peter Attia vs Mary Claire Haver

Peter Attia (physician) and Mary Claire Haver (physician, ob-gyn) 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 (17)
Zone 2
Steady cardio at a pace where you can still talk in full sentences, but not sing.
VO2 max
The most oxygen your body can use in hard exercise. A good measure of fitness; higher is better.
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.
Hinge
A movement that bends at the hips with a straight back, like a deadlift or picking a box up from the floor.
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.
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.
ApoB
A blood test that counts the particles carrying cholesterol. Linked to heart disease risk.
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.
Rapamycin, metformin
Prescription drugs that some experts take hoping to slow ageing. Not proven for that, and never part of your plan.
Medicine 3.0
Peter Attia's name for preventing disease early instead of treating it late.
Centenarian
Someone aged 100 or older.

At a glance

MeasurePeter AttiaMary Claire Haver
BackgroundPhysicianPhysician, OB-GYN
Training split40% strength · 40% aerobic · 10% intervals · 10% mobility55% strength · 40% aerobic · 0% intervals · 5% mobility
Signature habitZone 2 + VO2 maxFibre 25 g+ a day
Protein1.6–2.2 g/kg80–120 g a day
Training styleBalancedWomen 40+
Overall evidenceStrongStrong
FollowingInstagram 1.6M · YouTube 1MInstagram 3.6M · YouTube 688K

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

The key differences

  • Haver puts more of the week into strength: about 55% against 40%.
  • Attia puts more of the week into intervals: about 10% against 0%.
  • In plans in their style, Attia's hard sessions are 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4); Haver's are 1-minute intervals.
  • We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.
  • Supplements that go into a plan: Attia, omega-3; Haver, none (food first). Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
  • Only Attia has a mobility or movement routine of their own.

Protocols side by side

Each line is rated for the evidence behind it. “Doctor only” items never go into a plan.

Training

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

Mary Claire Haver

  • Full-body weight training at least 2 days a week (she does 3–4), progressing gradually, ideally with a trainerStrong evidence
  • Walk at least 3 days a week; beginners start with 5–10 minutes a dayStrong evidence
  • To progress: add a weighted vest to walks, more steps, or a third lifting dayPersonal habit
  • No exercise types need to be avoided in menopause; strength, cardio, stretching and mind-body work all matterNote

Eating

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

Mary Claire Haver

  • Protein about 1.5 g per kg of healthy body weight a day, with about 1.8 g/kg as a stretch goalSome evidence
  • Fibre at least 25 g a day, building slowly towards 30–45 gStrong evidence
  • Eat about 30 different plant foods a week (vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, grains, herbal teas)Some evidence
  • Anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean-style eating: limit added sugar and processed carbohydrate, add leafy greens, olive oil, berries, nuts and fermented foodsStrong evidence
  • Spread protein across meals and snacks, each paired with a healthy fat and a healthy carbohydratePersonal habit
  • She originally promoted 16:8 intermittent fasting but has pulled back, saying it can make enough protein hard to reachNote

Supplements

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

Mary Claire Haver

  • Omega-3, vitamin D and vitamin K among the supplements she takes; she does not give general dosesPersonal habit
  • Fibre supplement if diet alone falls short of the daily targetPersonal habit
  • Check with your doctor before starting any new supplementNote
  • She sells her own supplement line ('Pause), so weigh her product recommendations with that in mindNote

Sleep & recovery

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

Mary Claire Haver

  • Menopausal hormone therapy, chosen with a doctor; she calls it the most effective treatment for hot flushes and night sweatsDoctor only
  • Prefers non-oral (patch, gel, spray) oestrogen, which carries a lower clot risk than tablets; progesterone for women with a uterusDoctor only
  • Magnesium (L-threonate) and a sleep supplement in her own routinePersonal habit

Stress & mind

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

Mary Claire Haver

  • Journal for a few minutes every dayPersonal habit
  • Add meditation, using an app or free guided sessionsSome evidence
  • Prepare questions before midlife health check-ups and push for proper care of symptomsPersonal habit

Brain health

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

Mary Claire Haver

  • Points to observational data linking longer lifetime oestrogen exposure, including hormone therapy, with better cognition; not a licensed reason to start hormonesDoctor only
  • Creatine for possible memory and mood benefits; most of this evidence is from small or non-menopausal studiesSome evidence
  • Strength training, protein and fibre as part of reducing long-term risks such as dementia, heart disease and diabetesSome evidence

Weak spots to know

Peter Attia

  • Many of his exercise targets lean on observational studies that link fitness or strength to longer life. These show association, not proof that hitting a given number will add years.
  • A 2026 review in the Australian Journal of General Practice called the book's research base superficial. It said his intensive, personalised approach suits only a few affluent people, and that routine full-body MRI scans use a lot of resources and bring risks from incidental findings that the book does not discuss.
  • Some critics argue that the medications and screening tests he recommends for healthy people lack strong trial evidence, and that the risks could outweigh the benefits.

Mary Claire Haver

  • Several menopause specialists, quoted in a 2024 New York Times report, said she promotes hormone use beyond official guidelines; one said patients now ask for hormones to prevent heart disease or dementia, or testosterone for general wellbeing.
  • Commercial ties, stated neutrally: she owns The 'Pause Life (a multimillion-dollar business selling supplements, programmes and online courses) and a cash-pay menopause clinic. The Menopause Society discourages doctors from selling their own products, and the advertising watchdog Truth in Advertising flagged some product claims; according to the New York Times, she then hired a consultant to review the claims on her website.
  • An independent review by ConsumerLab found some of her supplements costly for what they contain, with creatine claims that overstate the evidence and a vitamin D dose at the upper safe limit.

Build a plan from Attia, Haver 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 Attia's stylePlan in Haver's styleMix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Peter Attia and Mary Claire Haver?

Their training split differs most in strength: Attia about 40%, Haver about 55% (our estimate from their published routines). Attia's signature habit is Zone 2 + VO2 max; Haver's is Fibre 25 g+ a day.

How much protein do Attia and Haver recommend?

Attia: 1.6–2.2 g/kg. Haver: 80–120 g a day.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.

Do Attia and Haver disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: haver puts more of the week into strength: about 55% against 40%.

Can I combine Attia and Haver?

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: Peter Attia · Mary Claire Haver. Reviewed October 2026.