This calculator applies Morton et al.’s (2018) 49-study meta-analysis (1.6 to 2.2 g/kg/day for hypertrophy and strength, 2.0 to 2.4 g/kg in a caloric deficit, plus a 12% plant-based digestibility buffer), spreads it across your meals, and offers a sleep starting point that Walsh et al. (2021) would want you to adjust to how much sleep you personally need.
Core Equation & Guard-Rail
Daily Protein = 1.6–2.2 g/kg (×1.12 if Plant-Based) · Meal Anchor ≈ 25–30g · Sleep starting point = 7.75h + 12 min per hard session a week (max 9h)
Spreading protein across your meals (roughly 0.3 to 0.4 g/kg per meal) is a common way to keep muscle protein synthesis topped up through the day. The plant-based adjustment and the sleep starting point are Pelaris rules of thumb, not figures from the papers, and none of this is medical or dietary advice for a health condition.
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About these numbers: Formula, guard-rails & 2 peer-reviewed citations ▾
Daily Protein = 1.6–2.2 g/kg (×1.12 if Plant-Based) · Meal Anchor ≈ 25–30g · Sleep starting point = 7.75h + 12 min per hard session a week (max 9h)
Spreading protein across your meals (roughly 0.3 to 0.4 g/kg per meal) is a common way to keep muscle protein synthesis topped up through the day. The plant-based adjustment and the sleep starting point are Pelaris rules of thumb, not figures from the papers, and none of this is medical or dietary advice for a health condition.
• Our protein guidance lands near 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day, the point this 49-study meta-analysis found extra protein stops adding muscle.
[Source]
• Sleep is treated as training, and this expert consensus is why we nudge you towards your own sleep need rather than a one-size-fits-all number.
[Source]
Our protein guidance lands near 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day, the point this 49-study meta-analysis found extra protein stops adding muscle.
Morton, R.W., Murphy, K.T., McKellar, S.R., Schoenfeld, B.J., Henselmans, M., Helms, E., Aragon, A.A., Devries, M.C., Banfield, L., Krieger, J.W. & Phillips, S.M. "A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults." British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018;52(6):376-384. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
Inside Pelaris, you never need to punch numbers into a spreadsheet. Every logged set, run and check-in updates your estimates automatically and adapts next week’s sessions.
Frequently asked questions: Protein & Sleep Target Calculator
Where does the 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg/day protein target come from?
Morton et al. (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018) pooled 49 randomised trials (1,863 participants) and identified 1.62 g/kg/day as the breakpoint where additional protein stops adding fat-free mass, with 2.2 g/kg/day as the upper 95% confidence bound.
Why does the calculator add 12% for plant-based athletes?
Single-source plant proteins generally have lower essential amino acid density, lower leucine content and slightly lower digestibility (DIAAS) than dairy, egg or meat proteins. A somewhat higher gram target, around 10 to 15%, helps each meal reach a similar leucine dose. The 12% figure is a Pelaris rule of thumb.
How much sleep do hard-training athletes actually need?
There is no single number. The Walsh et al. (2021) expert consensus notes that athletes are prone to habitual short sleep (under 7 hours a night) and cautions that a one-size-fits-all target such as 7 to 9 hours is unlikely to be ideal, recommending an individual approach based on how much sleep you feel you need. As a starting point this calculator suggests about 8 to 9 hours of sleep opportunity in heavy training, rising slightly with each hard session a week. Adjust it to how you feel.
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