Tanita's "athlete" is someone who gets approximately 10 hours a week of intense physical activity (this can be exercise, work or leisure related.) "Athletes" also have a resting heart rate of approximately 60 beats per minute or less. This mode includes people who have been very fit for years but currently exercise less than 10 hours per week. It does not include "enthusiastic beginners" who recently started making a real commitment to exercising at least 10 hours per week but whose bodies have not yet changed to qualify for the Athlete mode.