As much as 66% of an endurance athlete’s glycogen stores can be depleted in as little as 60 minutes of intensive (i.e. above 70% Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)) exercise.
It can take in excess of 48 hours for an endurance athlete to replenish glycogen stores depleted by hard training or racing. It is therefore virtually impossible to train / race effectively for long periods at high intensity (over 70% VO2 Max) on consecutive days without effective supplemental nutrition, as glycogen replenishment and muscle recovery begin to fall behind the training demands being made on the body. If allowed to continue (due to the inherent “iron-man” mentality of most endurance athletes!), this can ultimately become counter productive in terms of athletic improvement and even potentially destructive in terms of health. (Note how many supposedly “super-fit” athletes have fallen prey to diseases such as cancer, Epstein-Barr virus etc!).
The human body is able to replenish its stores of glycogen, proteins and other nutrients most rapidly in the first 60 minute "window" immediately following a training session. Using this effectively can accelerate recovery dramatically.
The optimum carbohydrate : protein ratio for maximum glycogen recovery and muscle repair during the post-training window period is approximately 80 : 20.
By using an optimized meal replacement product such as FiT DuraTrain™ immediately after training can assist and accelerate recovery between exercise sessions, enabling more frequent training, greater improvement and less likelihood of slipping into the vicious downward spiral of “over-training syndrome”. This will also help preserve muscle mass, is especially significant in terms of preventing immune system depression and resultant health dangers.