How to Improve HRV with Recovery Technology | NanoVi®

Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is one of the most reliable tools available for measuring recovery and autonomic nervous system balance. For elite athletes, tracking HRV is essential for managing training loads and avoiding overreaching. NanoVi® is increasingly used as a recovery technology to support the cellular processes that underpin HRV improvement — specifically by increasing parasympathetic activation and reducing sympathetic overdrive.

Below, Antonio Robustelli, a strength and conditioning coach with nearly 20 years of experience working with professional and Olympic-level athletes, shares his findings from testing NanoVi with his athletes using HRV analysis and surface electromyography.

My results with the NanoVi® device are extremely positive. As a strength coach I have been working with heart rate variability analysis for about 10 years, trying to improve recovery and performance of my athletes in various sports (track, football, basketball, volleyball, weightlifting, boxing, martial arts, cycling, rugby and other sports). Using NanoVi® as a recovery technology between training sessions and immediately after can improve parasympathetic activation, thus enhancing recovery.

I’ve tested the NanoVi® Exo device with the following technologies:

• Heart Rate Variability Analysis
• Surface Electromyography

Heart Rate Variability Testing

The most important thing to strengthen performance is the ability to recover at different levels from every workout. Heart rate variability analysis, if well used and well performed, is one of the best tools to learn about the status of the functional reserves of an athlete.

Functional reserves represent the ability of activation of the two main regulatory mechanisms: the neuro-endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system.

Knowing the activity and balance between the sympathetic and para-sympathetic nervous system allows us to manage fatigue, rest and training loads in order to avoid overreaching, overtraining and excessive physical stress.

HRV Results: Parasympathetic Activation and Recovery

I’ve tested HRV before and after a 20 minute session of the NanoVi® Exo and I’ve noticed an increase in parasympathetic tone (through the increase in RMMSD value in heart rate variability analysis), therefore an increase in recovery process: parasympathetic nervous system and vagal activity are responsible for the “rest & digest” process through decreasing heart rate and improving nutrient digestion and blood flow.

RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences) – the index of vagal activity

• reference value range: 100-150 (ms)
• 15 athletes tested: average increase of 20 (ms)
• Improvement in the athlete’s recovery process was typically between 14% and 20%.

Surface Electromyography

Surface Electromyography is a different approach to measuring recovery. It allows us to look directly into muscles in order to detect muscle fatigue both at the central and peripheral levels.

I’ve also tested muscle activity with surface electromyography before and after a 20-minute session of the NanoVi Exo device.

The main reference parameters I’ve used are mean and median spectral frequency as the presence of the fatigue is related to reduction in the mean spectral frequency of the EMG signal.

I noticed improvements in the mean spectral frequency of biceps femoris in various football players after a 20-minute session carried out immediately after a training session.

Soon I will write a much more detailed report. In the meantime, I am available to discuss my testing and results with other health and sports science specialists.

Frequently Asked Questions About HRV and Recovery Technology

How does NanoVi function as a recovery technology?

NanoVi supports cellular repair processes and autonomic balance, making it an advanced recovery technology used by elite athletes and coaches to manage fatigue, training loads, and readiness. This is supported by a peer-reviewed pilot study on NanoVi and autonomic balance showing a 45.7% reduction in sympathetic activity following a single 15-minute session.

How to improve HRV for athletic performance?

Improving HRV involves balancing the autonomic nervous system — specifically, increasing parasympathetic activation (the “rest and digest” state) relative to sympathetic activity. Technologies like NanoVi are designed to support the cellular processes that underpin this balance, which is reflected in higher RMSSD values during HRV testing.

What does RMSSD measure in HRV analysis?

RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences) is the primary index of vagal activity and parasympathetic tone. In Antonio Robustelli’s testing, 15 athletes showed an average RMSSD increase of 20 ms following a 20-minute NanoVi session, representing a 14–20% improvement in recovery process.

About Antonio Robustelli

Antonio Robustelli is a strength and conditioning coach and sport performance consultant from Italy. He has almost 20 years of experience in the sports world and has worked for teams all over the world (Italy, UK, USA, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal etc.). He works with athletes in the semi-professional, professional and Olympic level (football, basketball, rugby, weightlifting, athletics, cycling powerlifting, volleyball and swimming). He was a consultant to Lydia Valentin Perez, a decorated Olympian Weightlifter, and Yadisleidy Pedroso who is the 15th ranked hurdler in the world. He has developed an exclusive working protocol for monitoring of an athletes recovery and readiness through the combination of Heart Rate Variability Analysis and Surface Electromyography (sEMG).

He is a sports consultant for Maximum Performance, EliteFTS, Pure Pharma and he is the European consultant for Moxy Inc. He works with them on the implementation and development of new technology that measures muscle oxygenation in real-time. He is a columnist for the UK magazine Athletics Weekly, the world’s no.1 magazine for track & field, where he is responsible for the strength training section.

Antonio graduated at the University of Naples Parthenope with a degree in Sports Science with a specialization in Recovery Techniques and Regeneration. He has earned certificates at the prestigious Tudor Bompa Institute as a Recovery & Regeneration Technique Specialist, Strength Coaching Expert and as a Periodization Planning Specialist from 2009-2012.