I've never liked this theory, and think the whole post-workout window sits in the "it seems to work" in trained athletes. This is why I don't like this theory. As mentioned above (and there's so much good already stated on this thread that I may just be reiterating things), if you're eating your normal macros, assuming you're at a slight caloric surplus for bulking, you won't need to refuel in that short "window." Most of us are not training for the Olympics or even doing 2-a-days, so that window becomes less important if you're eating normally. If you couple the post workout window with either a keto diet or fasted workouts, it's even less critical as you'll likely have plenty of circulating leucine to protect muscle growth et al.
Now I wouldn't be surprised if the carb side of this equation makes a difference, doing a post workout carb load. Even in the keto community, targeted keto suggests having a small carb bolus post workout, but we're talking 10-15g of quick carbs, which is still much less than
@Steve Freides' Christmas cookies!!
The other bonus I remember coming across was the Sprint 8/Peak 8 author, Phil Campbell. He advocated his 30/90s HIIT program with a dietary program that suggested limiting the carbs for 2.5 hours after 8 sets of the 30/90. The reason being is it's a HUGE push for growth hormone. Now if you're 16-30 years old, probably not a big deal, GH is full on all the time. But for those of us over 35, we need every extra bit we can get!! I had some of my best resting HR's when I was doing swings according to this program (probably should revisit this!!). He advocated eating but minimizing carbs to as low as possible, b/c the carbs would halt GH response in its tracks. My results at this time weren't stellar as far as body composition, but my strength felt pretty good back then, prompting me to get a 32kg bell upgrade from my 24. I
In short, find what works for you. Don't cry b/c you missed a "window" that may not apply to you (especially the way SF advocates training). And to close, quick bit from Mark's Daily Apple on the subject (I think everything I said above he says with references
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Fasted Workouts: When They're More Effective (and How I Incorporate Them) | Mark's Daily Apple