Compare experts › Rhonda Patrick vs Stacy Sims

Rhonda Patrick vs Stacy Sims

Rhonda Patrick (biomedical scientist) 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 bothSee the protocols
Words explained (11)
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.
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.
Time-restricted eating
Eating all your meals within a set window of the day, for example 8am to 6pm.
Mitochondria
The parts of your cells that turn food and oxygen into energy.
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

MeasureRhonda PatrickStacy Sims
BackgroundBiomedical scientistExercise physiologist
Training split30% strength · 40% aerobic · 30% intervals · 0% mobility60% strength · 10% aerobic · 25% intervals · 5% mobility
Signature habitSauna 4–7 × a weekHeavy lifts + sprints
Protein~1.6 g/kg~2.2 g/kg
Training styleInterval-heavyWomen 40+
Overall evidenceStrongStrong
FollowingInstagram 1.2M · YouTube 731KInstagram 1.4M · YouTube 372K

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

The key differences

  • Sims puts more of the week into strength: about 60% against 30%.
  • Patrick puts more of the week into aerobic base (zone 2): about 40% against 10%.
  • In plans in their style, Patrick's hard sessions are 4-minute intervals (Norwegian 4 × 4); Sims' are short sprints.
  • We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.
  • Supplements that go into a plan: Patrick, omega-3, vitamin d with k2; Sims, creatine monohydrate. Prescription items and personal stacks stay out of every plan.
  • Only Patrick 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

Rhonda Patrick

  • At least 10 minutes of vigorous exercise a day; she suggests this should replace the 10,000-step goalSome evidence
  • Norwegian 4 × 4: four 4-minute intervals, hard but not all-out (the original protocol uses about 85–95% of max heart rate), with 3-minute recoveries, 1–2 times a week; build up graduallySome evidence
  • Keep daily walking too: step benefits level off around 6,000–8,000 steps a day for older adultsStrong evidence
  • Strength training at the start of most sessions, supported by enough proteinStrong evidence
  • Short 'exercise snacks' (e.g. 1 minute of squats or burpees) spread through the daySome evidence

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

Rhonda Patrick

  • Protein about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day to support resistance trainingStrong evidence
  • Whole-food meals built on vegetables, berries and a protein source (eggs, fish, poultry, red meat)Personal habit

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

Rhonda Patrick

  • Omega-3 (EPA + DHA) about 2 g a day as a starting point; aim for an Omega-3 Index of 8% or more and retest after about 4 monthsSome evidence
  • Take omega-3 with a meal that contains fat; higher doses need care (bleeding risk, atrial fibrillation, medicines)Doctor only
  • Vitamin D with vitamin K2 in the eveningSome evidence
  • Creatine 10 g a day (her own dose, above the usual 3–5 g)Personal habit
  • Multivitamin, magnesium, nicotinamide riboside and PQQ as part of her personal stackPersonal habit

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

Rhonda Patrick

  • Sauna 4–7 times a week, around 20 minutes at roughly 79 °C, based on Finnish cohort dataSome evidence
  • Schedule heat sessions a couple of hours before bedPersonal habit
  • After short sleep, vigorous exercise such as intervals or weights can help blood-sugar controlSome evidence
  • Cold exposure mainly in summer; she does not keep it up in winterPersonal habit

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

Rhonda Patrick

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

Rhonda Patrick

  • Push hard enough to raise lactate: hard exercise raises BDNF, a growth factor linked to learning and mood (human evidence still early)Some evidence
  • Frequent sauna use is linked with lower dementia risk in Finnish men (observational)Some evidence
  • Keep omega-3 status up; she links it to brain health and ageing markersSome evidence

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

Rhonda Patrick

  • The sauna benefits she highlights come mainly from one observational cohort of middle-aged men in eastern Finland. It shows an association, not proof that sauna causes the benefit; women were not included, and commentators noted the reason for the link is unclear (heat, relaxation, lifestyle or social contact).
  • An epidemiology newsletter (The Edge of Epidemiology, 2025) argued that some of her headline numbers, such as vitamin D cutting dementia risk by about 40%, rest on observational studies and overstate what is known; genetic and trial evidence is mixed.
  • She often builds a case from biological mechanisms (e.g. lactate and BDNF, nutrients and serotonin). Several of these ideas are supported mostly by animal or small short-term human studies, as her own episodes acknowledge.

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 Patrick, 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.

Plan in Patrick's stylePlan in Sims' styleMix both

Questions

What is the main difference between Rhonda Patrick and Stacy Sims?

Their training split differs most in strength: Patrick about 30%, Sims about 60% (our estimate from their published routines). Patrick's signature habit is Sauna 4–7 × a week; Sims' is Heavy lifts + sprints.

How much protein do Patrick and Sims recommend?

Patrick: ~1.6 g/kg. Sims: ~2.2 g/kg.

Whose advice has stronger evidence?

We rate the overall evidence behind both protocols as strong.

Do Patrick and Sims disagree?

Not directly in what we reviewed. Their differences are in emphasis: sims puts more of the week into strength: about 60% against 30%.

Can I combine Patrick 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.

More comparisons

Peter Attia vs Rhonda PatrickAndrew Huberman vs Rhonda PatrickAndy Galpin vs Rhonda PatrickGabrielle Lyon vs Rhonda PatrickRhonda Patrick vs Layne NortonRhonda Patrick vs Mary Claire HaverPeter Attia vs Stacy SimsAndrew Huberman vs Stacy SimsAndy Galpin vs Stacy SimsGabrielle Lyon vs Stacy SimsLayne Norton vs Stacy SimsStacy Sims vs Mary Claire HaverAll comparisons →

Full sources are on each profile: Rhonda Patrick · Stacy Sims. Reviewed October 2026.