The Best Time to Use Red Light Therapy: Before or After Your Workout?

Once athletes start using red light therapy, a practical question quickly follows: when is the best time to use it, before a workout or after?

Both have their place, and the right answer depends on what you are trying to support. Here is a simple way to think about timing.

Using Red Light Therapy Before Training

Some athletes use red light therapy as part of their warm-up. The idea is to prepare the muscles before the demands of a session, particularly the muscle groups you are about to load.

Red light therapy is commonly explored for muscle fatigue and physical performance support, which is why some athletes experiment with it ahead of a hard training block. Research into photobiomodulation suggests it may support processes related to cellular energy.

Using It After Training

The more familiar use is post-training. After a demanding session, athletes apply red light therapy to the muscles they worked, as part of a cool-down routine focused on recovery.

This fits naturally into a wind-down, alongside stretching, hydration and refuelling. For many people, after training is simply the easiest time to stay consistent.

So Which Is Better?

Rather than choosing a side, it helps to match the timing to your goal:

• Before training: supporting the muscles ahead of a demanding session

• After training: supporting recovery once the work is done

• On rest days: general recovery whenever it fits your schedule

• Consistency: the best time is ultimately the one you will keep to

Finding What Works for You

There is no universal rule, and you do not have to overthink it. Many athletes settle on post-training use because it slots so easily into a cool-down, then adjust based on how they feel.

The Skinletics Body Recovery Bundle makes it simple to treat the major muscle groups whenever you choose, while the Recovery Patch is handy for quick, targeted sessions around your training.

Before or after, the most important thing is that you use it consistently. Pick the timing that fits your routine, and let the habit do the rest.