I've been working on putting together the following information, both for this thread and for myself. I want to re-emphasize that this is about the hormonal protein breakdown, not the mechanical muscle breakdown/damage from training. I kind of like a sore muscle feeling (from mechanical breakdown) after a good workout. It's like the feeling after a good weight session, letting you know you did some valuable work. And I don't think there are many mitochondria and such that get sacrificed in the mechanical breakdown process. So with proper recovery, it's all good.
But as stated earlier, the hormonal-induced protein breakdown is a necessary bodily process to maintain and replace energy as we use it. It is a different process from the mechanical breakdown and it is my belief that it should be minimized if possible. So here goes...I hope this comes out looking ok.
Minutes.........Current Level......Total Breakdown
000.............01.................001
010.............01.................002
020.............01.................003
030.............02.................005
040.............05.................010
050.............08.................018
060.............10.................028
070.............12.................040
080.............14.................054
090.............15.................069
100.............16.................085
110.............17.................102
120.............17.................119
130.............18.................137
140.............18.................155
150.............19.................174
160.............19.................193
170.............20.................213
180.............20.................233
'Current Level' is the percentage of current energy use that is coming from body protein breakdown. 'Total Breakdown' is just the total accumulated hormonal breakdown if you were to stop the workout at that time, and shut off the breakdown immediately with carbohydrates and possibly protein. Note that these figures are from memory, as I can't seem to find my copy of "Optimal Muscle Recovery". I used the figure of 20 percent as the highest level, but it might have been 25, 30, or even higher. If anyone can tell us a more accurate figure from that text, it would be highly appreciated.
If these figures are a surprise, you should realize that I've purposely tried to err on the side of less total breakdown. The real effects might be quite a bit more significant.