The Impact of Red and Near Infrared Light on Muscle Recovery and Athletic Performance
Introducing the JOOVV light
Red light therapy (AKA photobiomodulation) is a therapeutic technology and is fast becoming known for its array of health benefits such as treating conditions of the skin, neurological and hormonal disorders.
Additionally, there is increasing evidence to suggest that it also has a significant effect on athletic performance through improved muscle building and recovery, cellular repair, and raising testosterone and collagen levels. This list of benefits is by no means conclusive.
The JOOVV light therapy unit is the main consumer product on the market that optimizes all the variables needed to hit the therapeutic window and Its clinically proven benefits make it an undeniably powerful healing tool!
As a professional athlete for over 16 years, I wanted to try this out for myself. I had heard a lot about red light therapy, as I am always trying to educate myself on all things health and wellness. I did my research and concluded that the JOOVV light was the best in-home red light therapy unit available.
I took the plunge and bought the JOOVV ‘Max Combo’ which consists of clinically proven wavelengths – red light at 660 nanometers and near-infrared light at 850 nanometers. The irradiance is over 100mw/cm2 (which is very bright) it has 480 LEDs, 16 Cooling fans, and over 50,000 hours of use, this comes with a 2-year warranty.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Our bodies metabolise light in the same way we metabolise food and each colour of light has a unique effect on our bodies as do the nutrients we get from different foods. There are thousands of peer-reviewed articles that show red light at 660 nanometers and near-infrared light at 850 nanometers have a powerful and therapeutic impact on cellular health.
At the core of every cell is the Mitochondria and its job is to produce energy for our bodies – albeit at varied functional efficiencies from person to person. Without this energy, our bodies could not survive.
When these wavelengths of light reach our cells, the mitochondria convert the light into cellular energy – better know as Adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
As the production of ATP increases so does the ability of the cells to perform their function at peak efficiency. As a result of this ATP boost, we can experience more rapid healing and muscle recovery at a cellular level.
THE BENEFITS OF RED AND NEAR INFRARED LIGHT
- Improved skin clarity, tone, and texture.
- Increased testosterone production in men.
- Reduced joint pain and inflammation.
- Fading of scars and stretch marks and even some skin conditions.
- Enhanced weight loss.
- Hair Regrowth.
- Enhanced muscle recovery.
- Improved athletic performance.
My experience
I have been using the JOOVV light for over 2 months now, I use it for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes before bed every day. I wanted to try the JOOVV light consistently whilst in peak playing season to test the impact of its therapy – and boy have I noticed the advantages.
The biggest difference I have felt is with recovery times both after training sessions and post premiership games every weekend. They say your recovery time gets longer the older you get but I am finding the opposite. I am 36 and I am recovering faster now than I did when I was 26. My diet has been a lot cleaner the past few years than it was when I was in my mid 20’s but now, coupled with the JOOVV light therapy, I am really noticing the benefits both mentally and physically.
I have found that I have more energy throughout my training day and can back up the next day and train just as hard, if not harder without any muscle soreness.
From an athletes perspective – we train as hard as we can to get fitter, stronger, faster so we can perform better than our opposition. The drive to put our bodies through this daily is so that we are the ones standing at the end of the season holding the one prize every team is after – The Premiership Trophy!
In the sport of Rugby League you’re expected to play a game every weekend, not just any game, one of the toughest, physical, contact sports in the modern era. You get home exhausted and bruised after a game and all you want to do is sleep but as you lie there your body is aching and adrenaline is still pumping so, you stare at the ceiling for the next 2 or 3 hours until eventually, you doze off in the early hours of the morning – if you’re lucky! (only to be woken up at 7 am by the kids asking if you won and if you can get up to play!) You hobble around for the rest of the weekend trying to gather your body back together and try enjoy a somewhat pain-free weekend.
Monday morning training expects you to train hard and prepare for the next game, all the while still hurting from the weekends game, so, you hold back and reserve your energy for a more physically demanding training session the next day. With the knowledge of a day off midweek, you do your best to train with the intensity needed to get the best out of the session.
Compound this over an entire season and you have a drop off in every area, power, strength, speed, and fitness. This is why recovery is so important in professional sport.
The same scenario plus using the JOOVV to aid recovery paints a different picture. After your weekend game, you jump in front of the JOOVV light which boosts the cellular healing process. The red light also enhances the melatonin production in your body (melatonin is the sleep hormone our body releases to help you fall asleep.) You go to bed and fall asleep much faster and more soundly than usual. You continue to use the JOOVV light morning and night over the weekend.
Monday morning you’re back at training, only this time your recovery has improved and you’re ready to train with intensity – you can back up the next day and do the same.
Compound this over the entire season and you have a totally different outcome, all of a sudden you are fitter, stronger, faster, have built more lean muscle mass and dropped skin folds all the whilst playing every weekend for over 30 weeks.
This gives you a massive advantage over the opposition and will without a doubt sustain performance and potentially prolong your career.
There are a lot of other factors at play here such as diet and lifestyle choices quality of sleep, etc… but in my experience given those factors haven’t changed much for me personally from last year to this year, I believe the JOOVV light has significantly increased my recovery and energy on a daily basis.
The Big Take Aways For Me (and my family)
- Reduced joint pain and inflammation – The difference in my joint pain and overall inflammation throughout my body from last year has significantly decreased
- Regulates circadian rhythm and improves melatonin production – my sleep quality has improved and I fall asleep much faster after looking into the red light before bed.
- Increased lean muscle mass – we regularly take skin folds throughout the season to determine how our body fat and muscle mass is changing. This year compared with last I have increased lean muscle mass and have dropped body fat.
- Testosterone boost – After age 30 men’s testosterone declines at a rate of about 1% per year. At age 36 that means I have about 6% less testosterone than younger players which is massive in a contact sport. I have definitely felt a spike in testosterone and this has helped in every area from recovery to muscle growth and overall energy levels.
- Better skin tone – This is mainly due to the increased collagen production within the body. Collagen is the most plentiful protein in the skin, making up 75-80 percent of your skin. Collagen and elastin are responsible for warding off wrinkles and fine lines.
- Regulation of hormone levels & energy boost – my wife swears that 20 minutes a day in the JOOVV balances her hormones and boosts her energy and mood for the rest of the day.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the JOOVV light does improve recovery and performance not only for athletes but for anyone looking to perform better and improve wellness. I believe everyone can benefit from having more energy, better quality sleep, and reduced inflammation within the body. I like the JOOVV light because it is easy to implement into your daily routine, relatively inexpensive and the quality is second to none. Its backed by science and I have personally experienced all the benefits outlined above.
If you would like to learn more or purchase one for yourself click HERE and use the discount code MINI25 at checkout to save.
