Red Light Before or After Workout? Timing is Everything for Peak Performance

Red light therapy, also known as Photobiomodulation (PBM), has moved beyond the beauty clinic and become a core tool for elite athletes and fitness enthusiasts looking to gain a competitive edge. It’s a powerful, non-invasive method for improving muscle recovery, reducing inflammation, and even boosting immediate performance.

As you consider incorporating a high-quality, at-home LED device into your training schedule, one question inevitably arises: Is it better to use red light before or after workout?

The short answer, supported by increasing scientific evidence, is that both pre- and post-workout applications offer distinct and measurable benefits. Your choice depends entirely on your immediate goal: do you want to prime your muscles for better performance, or do you want to accelerate recovery and minimise soreness?

Let's dive into the science behind the timing and explore how Maysama’s targeted devices can help you achieve your fitness goals.

The Science of Timing: Pre-Workout RLT (Muscle Priming)

When you use red light therapy before a workout, the goal is essentially muscular preconditioning. The specific red and near-infrared light wavelengths (typically 630-900nm) penetrate deep into the muscle tissue, activating the cell’s powerhouse, the mitochondria, before you even lift a weight.

Key Benefits of Pre-Workout RLT:

• Increased ATP Production: The light absorption by cytochrome c oxidase, a key mitochondrial enzyme, helps kickstart the production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the primary energy currency of your cells, and having a surplus available means your muscles are primed for performance.
• Enhanced Endurance and Strength: Research suggests that PBM applied before exercise can significantly improve performance metrics, leading to an increase in strength gains and a delay in the onset of muscle fatigue. Studies show this pre-conditioning can lead to better time-to-exhaustion and increased max repetitions.
• Injury and Damage Prevention: Pre-workout RLT has been shown to reduce biochemical markers of muscle damage, such as creatine kinase levels. By strengthening cellular repair mechanisms before the stress occurs, you may help prevent damage and accelerate recovery time later.

The Protocol: Aim for a 10 to 20-minute session, focusing the light on the major muscle groups you plan to train, roughly 10 minutes to two hours before your exercise begins.

The Science of Timing: Post-Workout RLT (Muscle Recovery)

If your primary goal is to address the soreness and inflammation that follow a heavy session, using red light after a workout is the most effective protocol. The light energy helps the body manage the micro-damage that occurs during intense exercise, ensuring a faster return to training intensity.

Key Benefits of Post-Workout RLT:

• Accelerated Muscle Recovery: By boosting mitochondrial function post-exercise, PBM directly supports the body's natural ability to repair muscle fibres. This leads to faster recovery of strength and range of motion.
• Reduced DOMS and Inflammation: RLT is highly effective at managing post-exercise soreness, also known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). The light helps reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which are the primary causes of the ache you feel 24 to 72 hours after a strenuous workout.
• Improved Blood Flow: Post-exercise PBM encourages the release of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels. This enhanced circulation delivers more oxygen and essential nutrients to the damaged tissue, while efficiently flushing out metabolic waste products, such as lactic acid.

The Protocol: Apply the light to the fatigued muscle groups immediately or within two to four hours of completing your session for 10 to 20 minutes to optimise the initial anti-inflammatory response.

Why Both? The Best of Both Worlds

While you can choose to focus on one or the other, an increasing number of athletes, including Olympic teams, blend both approaches for maximum benefit. Combining pre- and post-workout sessions, often with shorter durations for each, ensures you get both the performance-priming boost and the superior muscle recovery support.

In fact, some clinical trials have demonstrated that applying red light both before and after training can lead to superior results in terms of muscle growth, time to exhaustion, and overall reduction in body fat when compared to using the therapy only once.

Achieving Targeted PBM with Maysama Devices

For those integrating PBM into a rigorous fitness schedule, having a versatile, high-irradiance device at home is essential. Maysama’s LED technology is designed to deliver the clinically relevant wavelengths needed to achieve deep Photobiomodulation in muscle and joint tissue.

Targeted Devices for Muscle and Body

To ensure the light penetrates deep enough to benefit muscle tissue, look for devices that are large and flexible enough to cover major muscle groups:

• Targeted Comfort and Flexibility: The LED Light Therapy Silicone Belt is a fantastic, hands-free option for athletes seeking enhanced comfort and flexibility. Its flexible design allows you to wrap it around areas like your quads, hamstrings, lower back, or shoulders for a deep, focused session either before or after your workout. This ensures maximum light absorption right where you need it most for muscle recovery and performance.
• Holistic Skin and Face Health: While your primary focus is fitness, consistent RLT also provides incredible anti-ageing and skin rejuvenation benefits. Our LED Light Therapy Mask and Chin2Chest LED Light Therapy Device are perfect for maintaining collagen and elastin production, ensuring your skin health keeps pace with your physical fitness.

Remember, the benefits of PBM for performance and recovery are cumulative, meaning that consistency is key. Using your device regularly, as part of your training and recovery cycle, will yield the best long-term results.

Final Verdict: Optimise Your Routine

To determine whether you need red light before or after a workout, ask yourself this:

• Goal is Performance and Endurance? Go before your workout to pre-condition and energise your cells.
• Goal is Recovery and Soreness Reduction? Go after your workout to accelerate cellular repair and reduce inflammation.
• Goal is Maximum Benefit? Use a shorter session both before and after.

Regardless of your chosen timing, incorporating Photobiomodulation into your fitness routine is a science-backed method for supporting your athletic potential. As systematic reviews published in the NIH library confirm, the application of PBM can indeed improve muscular performance and accelerate recovery when applied strategically.

Ready to gain the ultimate edge in your training? Explore Maysama’s range of high-performance LED devices to revolutionise your recovery today.