Should I Do Red Light Therapy Before or After Workout?

Red light therapy is a non-invasive treatment that involves exposing the body to specific wavelengths of red light. It has emerged as a promising tool for athletes and fitness enthusiasts seeking to optimize their performance and recovery.

It may help to stimulate cellular processes and promote healing, offering a range of benefits for athletic performance and recovery.  

But when should you use red light therapy in your workout regimen? Before a workout? After? 

This article explores the science behind red light therapy, exploring how it interacts with the body’s cells and tissues. We will also discuss the specific benefits that athletes can derive from using red light therapy, including improved muscle function, reduced inflammation, and accelerated healing.

Additionally, we will provide practical tips for incorporating red light therapy into your workout routine, such as choosing the right device, determining appropriate exposure times, and targeting specific areas.

By understanding the potential benefits, athletes can make informed decisions about incorporating this innovative technique into their training regimens and experience the positive impact it can have on their athletic performance.

Science Behind Red Light Therapy and Exercise

Red light therapy or low-level laser therapy uses a therapeutic range of wavelengths between 630 nm to 850 nm of red and near-infrared light to stimulate cellular activity. The cells absorb red light wavelengths and use it to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy source of cells. This results in accelerated healing of injuries, increased muscle mass & strength, reduced pain, improved sleep, and more.

Exercise in general is great for your health. However, people with intensive workout regimes may experience oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

Various studies have been conducted by researchers on the effects and benefits of red light therapy before or after exercise. The results were conclusive that red light therapy recipients whether before or after a workout experienced significantly less fatigue.

What are the Benefits of Red Light Therapy for Fitness?

Irrespective of whether you are administering red light therapy before or after a workout, it has proven benefits on health. They are:

1) Increase Muscle Mass & Strength

Red light therapy (RLT) supports weight gain and weight loss depending upon the goal. RLT helps you gain muscle mass as it will stimulate the growth of protein by boosting mitochondrial functions. Which in turn, helps in repairing, recovering, and strengthening of the muscles. 

2) Increase Endurance

RLT increases blood flow, meaning more oxygen and nutrients are supplied to your muscles when they need it most. RLT helps in fortifying muscles ultimately allowing your muscles to endure more pain and fatigue. Thus, building up your endurance towards workout sessions.

3) Reduce Pain & Inflammation

RLT triggers the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and endorphins. The former helps in alleviating inflammation while the latter are natural pain killers and helps in reducing pain.

4) Enhances Blood Flow & Circulation

RLT promotes the production of ATP which dilates the blood vessels and increases the flow at the same time.

Should You Use Red Light Therapy Before or After Workout?

There is no right or wrong to as when you should use red light therapy before or after a workout. It all comes down to an individual’s specific goals and preferences. Some may find it beneficial to do the RLT treatment before a workout while for others it may be after a workout. Let’s explore.

Red Light Therapy Before a Workout

1) Enhanced Performance

Red light therapy sessions before a workout increase your energy levels which helps you experience better functionality of the muscles. Such sessions may also act as warm-up sessions and protect you from muscle injuries.

2) Prevention of Injuries

Treating your muscles with red light therapy reduces the stiffness in them before a workout. With excess consumption of oxygen, your muscles become active in their performance and there is less chance of injuries.

3) Mood & Motivation Boost

Being one of the phototherapies, RLT is a great mood booster. Like sunlight and other phototherapy which were traditionally used to treat SAD (seasonal affecting disorder), RLT also helps you psychologically to experience better motivation and stamina for workouts.

Red Light Therapy After a Workout

1) Accelerated Recovery

Red light therapy increases the production of collagen and fibroblasts which contributes to tissue repairing. Most athletes and professional sportsmen have been taking RLT sessions post-workout to enhance muscle recovery.

2) Reduced Risk of Post-workout Injuries

After the exercise or fitness regime, your muscles experience strain and tears. RLT after a workout proves to be highly effective for tissue repair and producing new cells to fix broken muscle tears. Red light therapy after a workout is also beneficial in preventing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) which normally happens after or during a rigorous workout session.

3) Improved Sleep Quality

It is observed that people using red light therapy after workouts have a higher release of endorphins contributing to a positive impact on sleep and overall body recovery for the person.

How Often Should I Do Red Light Therapy?

Well, experts and the scientific community are quite clear on the benefits of red light therapy before or after workout sessions. However, it is difficult to suggest individually as the needs and expectations may differ from person to person. If you are confused as to how often should I do red light therapy, you can refer to the guide below to decide for yourself!

Based on general guidelines, we have prepared a guide for you to get maximum fitness benefits with red light therapy.

Wrapping Up

There is no doubt that red light therapy is a proven treatment for enhancing muscular performance. Whether used before or after a workout, red light therapy is effective in promoting quicker healing of injuries, speeding up muscle recovery, improving sleep, reducing pain and inflammation, increasing muscle mass & strength, enhancing endurance, and much more.

As always, begin slowly and see how your body is adapting to red light therapy.

This article was written for WHN by Matthew Davis Matthew Davis is a content marketing specialist for Hue Light USA. He is a wellness technology enthusiast interested in exploring the latest innovations. Matthew profoundly understands how technology can empower individuals to take control of their health. With his writing, he hopes to inspire people to adopt health and wellness technologies to improve their lives. 

As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement.  

Opinion Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of WHN/A4M. Any content provided by guest authors is of their own opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything else. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 

Content may be edited for style and length.

References/Sources/Materials provided by:

https://huelightusa.com/how-frequently-should-red-light-therapy-be-performed

https://huelightusa.com/red-light-therapy-in-chiropractic-care

https://huelightusa.com/red-light-therapy-for-sleep