If HR recovery is a good indicator of a person's risk of death (or fitness level), and <12 beats a minute is abnormal, what is a good number for an athlete to possess? Using the HR max as a general guideline, how can I combine that with HR recovery to accurately gauge an athlete's readiness for near-maximal conditioning? I mean, if I did a HR recovery test on someone, what are some good numbers that will determine whether or not a person should be doing intense anaerobic exercise (sprints, etc.)?