660 nm
Red — dermis
The most studied red wavelength in the field. Present on the Antared knee sleeve alongside 850 nm.
The pre-training session goes on the muscle groups your workout is about to load, right before you start. It does not replace your warm-up and it does not shorten it: it slots into the moment you are already getting ready, without costing your schedule anything extra.
For anyone training three times a week or more, looking for a repeatable gesture before the session.
The session
Four numbers, nothing left to guess
These values come from our How it works page. They are not specific to this protocol: they hold for all of them, and it is the moment that changes.
When
10 to 30 minutes before training
Duration
10 minutes per area
Distance
15 to 50 cm for a panel, in contact for a worn device
Frequency
On training days, so 3 to 5 times a week
How to run it
The session, in order
Pick the area
The one the session will load: quads before squats, shoulders before pulls. One area per pass.
Expose the skin
Light does not cross fabric without losing most of the dose. Bare skin, no cream.
Run ten minutes
The device timer is enough. Stay still; distance matters more than duration.
Then warm up
The session ends, the warm-up begins. It never replaces it.
The spectrum involved
What these wavelengths do, and where
810 nm
Near-infrared — deep
Invisible to the eye: an 810 nm LED can be on without looking like it. This is the spectrum most used in deep-tissue research.
850 nm
Near-infrared
The most widespread near-infrared across the range. It is the one producing the mild warmth at close range.
The mistakes that cost the most
- Stretching the session out, assuming more is better. Beyond twenty minutes per area the literature shows no gain, and sometimes the opposite.
- Running it through leggings or a technical tee. Fabric absorbs and scatters: the dose you receive no longer resembles the one advertised.
- Skipping the warm-up because you did the session. They are unrelated.
- Switching areas every day. Consistency on one area is what the studies actually measure.
Framing
What this session does not do
Antared devices are wellness products, without medical-device CE marking. What follows is not stylistic caution: it is the exact boundary of what a usage protocol may state.
It is not a warm-up
It does not raise muscle temperature or heart rate. The warm-up is still entirely ahead of you.
It treats no injury
Pain that lasts, wakes you at night, or limits a movement is a doctor's business, not a lamp's.
It replaces neither sleep nor food
Those are the two variables that decide recovery. No light session compensates for them.
It does nothing in one go
What gets measured is weeks of regular sessions, not one isolated session.
Put it into practice
A protocol is only worth the device that makes it sustainable.
Pick the one that fits the moment you already have, not the one with the highest LED count.
Full body · Large format
Antared PANO ULTRA
Large-format panel for full-body routines, studios, and athletic recovery.
€1.500,00 DiscoverPersonal · Desktop
Antared DESK
Compact 7-spectrum panel, red through near-infrared, for a daily session that sits on your desk.
€299,00 DiscoverKnee · Cordless
Antared Knee
Soft knee wrap, 60 LEDs at 660 nm and 850 nm, 6000 mAh magnetic battery.
€250,00 DiscoverA short session before training, built to feel like part of your warm-up rather than an extra step.
Suggested setup
- Device: Antared DESK (amber and red channels) or ANTARED cap
- Duration: 5–10 minutes
- When: immediately before your warm-up
Keep it brief. The goal here is a quick, repeatable habit you can do every session — not a long protocol that becomes easy to skip.