Athlete Mode

When you set up a user profile on most Tanita Body Composition Monitors and Tanita Body Fat & Hydration Monitors, you may notice that it asks you if you are an athlete. There is a very important reason for this, and it is important to select the correct setting based of your lifestyle. 

Why is there a separate Athlete mode feature on Tanita Body Composition Monitors?

When developing its body composition equations, Tanita found that a different equation was needed to maintain accuracy in the elite athletic population, therefore the Athlete mode was developed to provide a more accurate reading for athletic body types.

Athletic body types are physiologically different than standard adult body types, due to muscle mass and hydration level differences. Athletes tend to have greater muscle mass and tend to be more dehydrated. These differences would skew the body fat reading high, when taken with the standard Adult mode.

When Athlete Mode is recommended?

As a general guideline, we recommend Athlete mode for anyone who carries out 10-12 hours (or more) of intensive cardio-vascular and strength training exercise a week and who has a resting heartbeat of under 60bpm.  They should also have been exercising at this level for at least 6 months.
There is no exact moment when a person becomes an “athlete” and individuals vary. Some people will fall into a “grey” area between athlete and non-athlete; getting a slight underestimation on athlete mode and a slight overestimation on standard adult mode.
Athlete mode is particularly suitable for people in endurance sports like running and cycling and those in cross training. (Professional athletes and body builders may still get an overestimation of their body fat percentage even in Athlete mode.)  

You should chose 'athlete mode' if you're over the age of 18 and if:

  • you train or exercise for 10-12 hours or more a week and have been doing so for at least 6 months. 
  • you are a body builder, weightlifter, power lifter or strongman/strongwoman. 
  • you are professional athlete who wants to monitor their progress at home. 
  • you belong to a sports team or a sports organisation with the aim of participation in competition, etc.
  • you have a lifetime history of fitness and you are someone who used to do more than 12 hours a week of training or exercise but do less now.
  • you have a resting heartbeat of under 60bpm (Keep in mind, some people naturally have a low heart rate – only chose athlete mode if you are actively training at moderate or intense level.)