The First Session Protocol
You unboxed it. You set it up. You stood there and thought, now what? Here's exactly how I run it: the order, the distance, the pressure, the timer and the settings, for the boots, the light and Renew. You engineered your training. Time to engineer this.
How To Use A Red Light Therapy Panel For The First Time
Four things to know before the first session.
A Restore panel isn't a gadget you wave at yourself and hope. It runs eight wavelengths, 630, 650, 660, 670, 810, 830, 850 and 1060nm, on dual-chip LEDs, manufacturer-reported at 165 to 219 mW/cm² at 6 inches depending on the size you own. That output is exactly why setup matters. Get distance and time right and the session is done in minutes. Get them wrong and you own a very expensive nightlight.
Everything below takes one read. Then it's muscle memory.
Light can't get through a hoodie. Dark, thick fabric blocks most of it before it lands. Bare the area you're working on, keep the skin clean and dry, and skip lotion, oil and sunscreen until after the session. Shorts on, top off? Good. You don't need to be fully undressed. You need the light on the skin you care about.
Light intensity drops fast with distance. Restore panels are manufacturer-reported at 165 to 219 mW/cm² at 6 inches. A few feet back you get a fraction of that, and the panel still looks just as bright, which is the trap. Standing too far away is the easiest way to waste a session without knowing it. Start at 6 inches. Closer than feels natural. That's the point.
RECON's guidance for the panels is 10 to 20 minutes per area. More is not a flex. Your first session sits at the low end: 10 minutes total, about 3 to 5 minutes per side, then you build from there. Want the specs for your size? They're on the Restore page.
Gentle warmth. That's it. Red light isn't ice or percussion, so there's no sensation spike to chase. Don't judge it on what minute four feels like. Judge it on whether you showed up four or five days a week for a month.
The 10-Minute First Session, Minute By Minute
Tap each phase. This is the whole session.
No mystery, no ritual. Four phases, ten minutes. Run it once and you'll never need this diagram again.
Times assume a Restore panel at 6 inches, manufacturer-reported at 165 to 219 mW/cm² depending on size. That's why it takes minutes, not half-hour marathons.
What To Expect In The First Weeks
The timeline nobody gives you, so here it is.
The first session starts a habit, and habits are boring at the start. Here's the honest arc, so you don't quit right when the pattern is forming.
The Difference Between Owning A Panel And Running A Protocol
Same panel. Two outcomes. One variable.
Every piece of recovery gear ever sold ends up in one of two states. The hardware is identical. The protocol is the difference.
The panel goes on the wall. It gets used four times in the first two weeks, at random distances, for random lengths of time, whenever someone remembers. By month two it's the most expensive thing in the room that nobody looks at.
The first session follows the protocol. The second one is scheduled before the first one ends. Ten minutes, 6 inches, four or five days a week. The panel becomes what it was built to be: a fixed part of the week, on the same schedule you train.
First Session Setup By Restore Device
Panel, wearable or handheld, the protocol adapts.
The 10-minute structure holds across the Restore line. What changes is distance, because output and form factor change how the light lands.
Panel First Session
The full protocol as written: 6 inches, ALL mode (or RED mode if you prefer red only), 3 to 5 minutes per side on the area you're working. Every panel in the line runs the same eight wavelengths, 630, 650, 660, 670, 810, 830, 850 and 1060nm, on dual-chip LEDs, with touchscreen controls, the app and a wireless remote. Bigger panels cover more of you per session. At 6 inches the manufacturer-reported figures are 201 mW/cm² for the One, 186 for the Core, 168 for the Edge, 219 for the Apex and 165 for the Titan. Start with the biggest muscle group you trained today.
Wearable First Session
Contact devices change the math. The light sits right against you, so there's no distance to manage. Lay on the Mat or fold the Wrap over you, bare skin on the target area, and set the timer (it runs 1 to 30 minutes). It's 660nm red and 850nm near-infrared on triple-chip LEDs, rated at contact at 130 mW/cm² on the Mat and 160 mW/cm² on the Wrap. Start with 10 minutes and build.
Handheld First Session
The spot tool: 12 dual-chip LEDs at 660nm red and 850nm near-infrared, manufacturer-rated at 160 mW/cm² near-infrared at 3 inches (141 mW/cm² combined). Hold it 3 inches off bare skin over a knee, a shoulder, an elbow or an ankle, pick one of the 4 dimmer levels, and run the 10-minute default or 5 to 10 minutes per zone, three to five times a week. It's the protocol in miniature: smaller area, zero setup. Keep it in the gym bag for the days you're nowhere near the wall panel. Don't look into the LEDs.
The First Session Protocol, Step By Step
Print it. Run it. Retire it after one use, it'll be memorized.
This is the reference card. Times assume a Restore panel at 6 inches. This is how I run my gear. It isn't medical advice.
| Step | Clock | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 0:00 | Power on · ALL mode (RED mode if you prefer red only) · set the timer |
| 02 | 0:30 | Bare the target area: clean, dry skin, no lotion or SPF |
| 03 | 1:00 | Set distance: 6 inches from the panel face |
| 04 | 2:00 | Side one: 3 to 5 minutes, hold position |
| 05 | 5:30 | Turn · side two: 3 to 5 minutes |
| 06 | 9:30 | Done: log date, area, distance, time. Schedule session two. |
| Mode | What's On | Use It When |
|---|---|---|
| ALL | Every wavelength, red and near-infrared | Your default, any time of day |
| RED | Red only, near-infrared off | You prefer red only |
| NIR | Near-infrared only | You want near-infrared on its own |
After session one, run four or five sessions a week at the same distance and time. Consistency beats one big session on Sunday.
The Hard-Day Protocol: Boots, Light, Renew
Three steps, settings included. Same order every time.
The long run, the race weekend, the Hyrox sim that left your legs somewhere near the rower. Here's the version I use when the day took more than usual. If you own one piece of this, start there. If you own all three, run them in this order.
- Pro boots: start at 30 mmHg and step up one level at a time. There are seven levels: 30, 50, 80, 120, 160, 200 and 240 mmHg. Four air chambers inflate in sequence from the ankle up to the thigh. Five compression modes. Timer: 15, 30 or 45 minutes with auto shutoff. No hoses, rechargeable, and the controls are on the boots.
- Elite system: starts at 30 mmHg; raise it until firm but comfortable, up to 260 mmHg. Eight air chambers per leg, six compression modes, a color touchscreen, and sessions of 15 to 30 minutes.
- First session: the starting pressure, 15 minutes. Hard day: the same start, build only while it feels good, and let the timer finish.
Elite Compression System →
- Renew Mat (PEMF + far-infrared heat): presets at 3, 8, 10 and 23 Hz, with a manual range of 1 to 30 Hz. Heat runs 86 to 158 °F (30 to 70 °C). Sessions of 20 to 40 minutes.
- Renew+ Mat: the same presets and heat range, plus 660nm red light from 144 LEDs. Sessions of 20 to 60 minutes.
- Renew+ Pillow: the same presets, sized for the neck, shoulders or lower back. Sessions of 10 to 30 minutes.
- Hard day: pick a preset at the low end of the list, keep the heat at the low end of its range, lie down, and run 20 minutes.
Restore Red Light Panel
Eight wavelengths (630, 650, 660, 670, 810, 830, 850, 1060nm) on dual-chip LEDs, in five sizes, manufacturer-reported at 165 to 219 mW/cm² at 6 inches. The settings above assume this output.
from $399
See the lineup →Ten Minutes. Today.
The protocol is on this page. The gear is in your house. The only step left is the one nobody can run for you.