Most trials in a 2015 review applied light before exercise: 12 of 13 good-quality ones. That's a study protocol, not a rule, so after training works if it suits your routine better. Use the panel 8–50 cm away for 10–30 minutes, at most 30 minutes a day per area. Smart Series panels measure 132–152 mW/cm² at 15 cm.
What has research tested: light before or after exercise?
Research explores both timings, but not evenly. The 2015 review above pooled randomised trials published from 2000 to 2012 and reported its most consistent results with red or infrared light applied before exercise; its main measures were repetitions and time to exhaustion (Leal-Junior et al.). Those trials used lasers and LEDs dosed point by point on the muscle, not a panel at a distance.
A 2016 trial asked the timing question directly. 48 men aged 18–35 followed a 12-week strength programme with light or placebo before and after each session, delivered by handheld probes combining lasers and LEDs. The group that had light before training and placebo after showed larger changes in maximum-strength tests on leg extension and leg press than the other groups (Vanin et al.).
A 2016 review of 46 studies with 1,045 participants covered light both before and after exercise, from single laser probes to flexible LED arrays, and sorted the settings into those with and without effects on performance and recovery measures (Ferraresi et al.). These are findings in the studies' own participants, with their own devices and doses, not a promise of what a home panel will do.
When does a session before training fit?
When you train at home or in the morning, so the panel is on your way to the workout. Set the panel's timer, then go straight into your warm-up: the session sits before it and doesn't replace it.
New to red light? Our guide to what red light therapy does and how to use it covers the basics first.
When does a session after training fit?
When you train away from home, or when you like a fixed cool-down: shower, then the panel. The 46-study review above included protocols with light after exercise. In the 2016 strength trial, though, light after training alone didn't show the strength changes of the before-training group, so for strength there is less research behind this timing.
Light is one part of a recovery routine next to sleep, food and sensible training loads. Our article on red light and muscle recovery looks at what research explores there.
Can you use red light before and after the same workout?
Yes, within the daily limit per area. Two sessions on the same area count together, while your back before training and your legs after are two different areas. More isn't automatically better: in the 2016 trial, the group with light both before and after training didn't show the larger strength changes either.
To plan sessions across your week, read how often to use red light therapy.
Which panel suits large muscle groups?
Training works large areas, so the panel's size decides how much one session covers. Smart Medium is 60 cm tall and reaches your back or thighs, with a floor stand and wall mount in the box. For gyms and studios, Fitness Pro stacks two modules to 180 × 60 cm on a wheeled floor stand and measures 122 mW/cm² at 15 cm. The panel collection shows every size, up to the full-body Smart Max. Our panels are made by a partner manufacturer to RedLightMed's specification and European (CE) requirements, and every unit is checked in Hungary.
Close your eyes or wear the goggles; there's a pair in every box.
It isn't recommended for children under 12, while breastfeeding, with epilepsy, with known tumours or metastases, or if you're sensitive to light. During pregnancy, only after talking to your doctor.
Sources
Leal-Junior EC, Vanin AA, Miranda EF, et al. Effect of phototherapy (low-level laser therapy and light-emitting diode therapy) on exercise performance and markers of exercise recovery: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Lasers Med Sci, 2015. PubMed 24249354
Vanin AA, Miranda EF, Machado CS, et al. What is the best moment to apply phototherapy when associated to a strength training program? Lasers Med Sci, 2016. PubMed 27371449
Ferraresi C, Huang YY, Hamblin MR. Photobiomodulation in human muscle tissue: an advantage in sports performance? J Biophotonics, 2016. PubMed 27874264
