# Recovery starts during the effort: what protein does in an endurance drink

> Beyond two hours of exercise, protein balance turns negative. What studies show about protein during exercise and next-day repeatability - and how WOO® Ultra Endurance Orange is built.

Recovery is usually understood as what happens after the shower. Physiologically it starts much earlier - at the moment the body begins consuming its own substance. In efforts lasting more than two hours that is not a footnote but a measurable item on the balance sheet.

## Why long efforts cost muscle protein

Amino acids are not the main fuel in endurance sport, but they are involved. As glycogen availability falls, oxidation of branched-chain amino acids from muscle rises, while muscle protein synthesis is suppressed during exercise. Net result: the body sits in a negative protein balance - and across a six-hour session that adds up.

## What protein during exercise changes

Koopman and colleagues (2004) examined protein balance during a six-hour effort: combined intake of carbohydrate and protein clearly improved whole-body protein balance compared with carbohydrate alone. Saunders and colleagues (2004) found lower post-exercise creatine kinase values with a carbohydrate-protein beverage - an indirect marker of reduced muscle damage.

The evidence for a pure performance gain from protein during exercise is mixed and depends heavily on whether carbohydrate intake is already optimal. The more robust effect sits on the recovery side: less breakdown during the session means less catching up afterwards.

## The next day is the real test

For athletes with several sessions a week, what counts is not performance in a single long ride but repeatability. In their review of short-term recovery, Betts and Williams describe how the quality of intake during and immediately after exercise influences performance in a repeated bout within 24 hours. Optimising nutrition only for the current session means optimising the wrong target.

## How WOO® Ultra Endurance Orange is built

**[WOO® Ultra Endurance Orange](/en/shop/woo-ultra-endurance-orange-can)** is a protein-containing sports drink for efforts beyond two hours. One 50 g serving in 750 ml of water provides 32 g of carbohydrate, 7.3 g of protein and 4.1 g of fat at 195 kcal. The carbohydrate base consists of the monosaccharides fructose, galactose and D-ribose; the fat comes from coconut fat powder (MCT), which is digested more easily than conventional fats. Added to this are a BCAA complex, the remaining essential amino acids and L-carnitine. Protein contributes to the maintenance and growth of muscle mass and to the maintenance of normal bones.

The 20-serving tub has a practical advantage over fixed sachets: you set the concentration yourself. 50 g in 750 ml is the starting point; in heat and with a high sweat rate the same amount of powder can be spread across more water, and the other way round on cold long sessions. Suitable before, during and after efforts of more than two hours.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does protein during exercise upset the stomach?**
In the order of magnitude used here - a few grams per serving - usually not. As with any race drink the rule holds: test it in training, not on race day.

**Do I need this for sessions under two hours?**
No. Below two hours a pure carbohydrate drink is enough. The benefit of amino acids only appears once the effort is long enough to shift protein balance noticeably.

**Does it replace the post-training shake?**
Not necessarily, but it narrows the gap. Taking protein during the session means starting the recovery phase from a better position.

## Sources

Koopman R et al. (2004), American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism - Combined ingestion of protein and carbohydrate improves protein balance during ultra-endurance exercise.
Saunders MJ, Kane MD & Todd MK (2004), Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise - Effects of a carbohydrate-protein beverage on cycling endurance and muscle damage.
Beelen M et al. (2010), International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism - Nutritional strategies to promote postexercise recovery.
Betts JA & Williams C (2010), Sports Medicine - Short-term recovery from prolonged exercise: exploring the potential for protein ingestion.

*WOO® Ultra Endurance Orange in our NEMAPO shop.*