Everyone wants to get in better shape. So you have a choice. You can get a gym membership, struggle to find time to go, and exercise in the company of several total strangers. Or you can get the needed equipment and set it up at home, allowing you to exercise whenever you can find time in perfect privacy. The problem with the second choice is the expense of equipping a home gym. The answer is to equip it gradually, one piece at a time. And the perfect piece to start with is a treadmill. With that in mind, let’s look at the Proform 505 CST Treadmill.
The 505 is far from the most expensive treadmill available but includes many high end features. It is solidly built to allow users of up to 300 pounds. The incline is adjustable up to 10 degrees to fine tune you workout. The cushioned running platform makes walking or running very comfortable and its speed is adjustable from 1.0 MPH to 10.0 MPH in 0.1 MPH increments. Importantly for home use, it folds up for vertical storage to frees up your floor space for other activities.
The console features several outstanding options. You can connect you iPod to it and play your workout music through the built in Intermix Acoustics 2.0 sound system. There are 15 built in apps to help plan your workouts and track your progress. There is a six inch back lit screen that displays all the needed data including your heart rate as measured with sensors in the hand grips.
Features and Benefits
• The 300 pound weight capacity means that the treadmill is built to take a pounding and keep going.
• It features an adjustable incline from between 0 and 10 degrees and an adjustable speed of between 1.0 and 10.0 MPH in 0.1 MPH increments to allow your workout to be perfectly customized for your needs.
• Your iPod or other MP3 player plugs in to allow you to enjoy your workout music played through a first class built in sound system.
• A six inch display clearly shows you all the important information about your workout.
• There are fifteen built in workout apps built in to the console.
• Both handles have sensors built in to monitor your heart rate so with a touch you can know you are in the proper zone throughout your workout.
• The entire treadmill folds up vertically to minimize the amount of space needed for storage.
AMAZON DISCOUNT LINKCustomer Reviews
The Proform 505 has received many very good reviews. 48% rated it with five stars and 76% gave it at least four stars. Many reviewers were impressed with the overall build quality and the features included at this price level.
The treadmill is very comfortable to run on and the EKG means that you can easily stay in the optimum heart rate zone during your workout. The back lit display is easy to read and includes all the most important information you need including the speed, incline, your heart rate, the time and distance, and the amount of calories burned.
Pros
The reviewers were impressed with the large running surface. The combination of the size of the surface and the cushioning under the surface makes it very comfortable to use, even at running speeds. The adjustability of the incline and the speed make it easy to tune the treadmill to your specific needs.
The treadmill also comes with built in peace of mind. The warranty covers the frame for life and the motor for 25 years. This means that you can expect to get good use out of your treadmill for years to come.
Cons
Some reviewers complained that the treadmill was on the noisy side. This complaint seems to be common for many different models and others say the the noise level isn’t more than normal for a motorized treadmill.
While there are several built in apps to assist you in reaching your workout goals, some of them require separate payments of either one time or subscription payments to third parties to use. The built in calorie counter is generalized, only giving an estimate since there isn’t any way to input the personal information needed for personalized calculations. If you require exact calculations and aren’t willing to pay extra for the most useful apps, you will want to look elsewhere.
Another important thing to note is that you really need a second set of hands to assemble it. Since delivery is to your door, a second person will also be handy to help move it to the room where you want to set it up, especially if you want it on the second floor. Since its shipping weight is nearly two hundred pounds, do everything you can to get someone over to help you move it and get them to stay and help with the assembly, even if it costs you a beer or a pizza.
Something else to think about is that once assembled, it may not fit through interior doors. Since in a lot of houses, interior doors are 30 inches and the treadmill is 34 inches wide, you need to make sure you assemble it in the room you want it to stay in although it can be disassembled to move it if you absolutely have to.
Conclusion
When buying a treadmill, it is important that you pay for quality. A treadmill should be a one time purchase for most people so it is equally important to get the features you want and need on your first purchase. The Proform 505 CST Treadmill is a very good value that includes many features that are usually only seen on higher priced offerings. If your budget is limited, this is a great choice that should satisfy your walking and running needs for years and give you many of the bells and whistles you may want in the future so you don’t have to buy a replacement.
