Red Light Therapy is a game changer for athletes

Research is revealing some amazing benefits of RLT, particularly when it comes to enhancing athletic performance. Let’s dive into how RLT can help improve sprint times, increase muscle thickness, and boost strength.

1. Sprint Performance:
Two key studies have examined RLT’s effect on sprinting:

Leal-Junior and colleagues (2015) worked with 22 professional footballers over three weeks. They observed a 5.5% improvement in sprint times, which sounds impressive, but it’s worth noting the small sample size. As any sports scientist would tell you, we need to be cautious about drawing broad conclusions from such a limited participant pool. Leal-Junior et al. (2015) Study

A more robust study by Paolillo et al. (2019) looked at 48 recreational athletes and found a more modest 2.3% improvement. This larger sample size likely gives us a more realistic picture of what most people might expect. Paolillo et al. (2019) Study

What to make of it: The evidence suggests RLT might help with sprint performance, but the improvements are probably closer to 2-3% than 5-6% for most people.

2. Muscle Thickness and Strength:
The research on muscle development is actually quite interesting. Baroni’s team (2015) conducted a 12-week study with 30 untrained blokes, finding an 8.7% increase in muscle thickness. The longer duration and careful measurements make this study particularly noteworthy. Baroni et al. (2015) Study

Ferraresi et al. (2011) worked with 36 trained athletes over 8 weeks, observing a 9.4% increase in muscle mass. What’s particularly interesting here is that even trained athletes showed improvements, which typically becomes harder as you advance in your training.

What to make of it: The muscle development research is more compelling than the sprint data, with consistent results across different studies and populations. Ferraresi et al. (2011) Study

3. Muscle Performance:

Vanin’s research (2016) with 40 resistance-trained participants showed a 5.2% increase in maximum voluntary contraction over 8 weeks. Vanin et al. (2016) Study

De Marchi’s team (2019) found similar results – a 6.3% increase in 1RM strength with 28 participants over 6 weeks. De Marchi et al. (2019) Study

What to make of it: The strength improvements are consistent across studies, though not revolutionary. Think of it as a potential training enhancement rather than a game-changer.

Limitations and Applications

Most of these studies have some common shortcomings:

• Predominantly male participants
• Relatively short durations
• Modest sample sizes
• Varying protocols and equipment

If you’re considering RLT, here’s what to keep in mind:

1. Timing: Most positive results came from studies lasting 8-12 weeks
2. Expectations: Look for modest improvements rather than dramatic changes
3. Integration: Consider it as a supplement to, not a replacement for, proper training

References:

• Leal-Junior et al. (2015). Lasers in Medical Science, 30(5), 1281-1288.
• Paolillo et al. (2019). Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, 37(2), 69-76.
• Baroni et al. (2015). Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 14(1), 140-147.
• Ferraresi et al. (2011). Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, 29(3), 213-220.
• Vanin et al. (2016). Lasers in Medical Science, 31(6), 1555-1564.
• De Marchi et al. (2019). European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(5), 1075-1088.

What’s your experience with RLT? Have you found it helpful in your training?