This Pro is a + in the field of Cybex Treadmills
Written: Apr 21 '04 (Updated May 12 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great features, long walkway, treads on the side, decline option.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: This is the best of the best. It is worth every penny if you have that many!
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| jo.com's Full Review: Cybex Pro Treadmill |
Thanks to openroad for quickly and efficiently adding fitness equipment I’ve wanted to review for months. The gym I go to, World Gym, got the Cybex Pro + months ago. Please note: the name of this machine and the picture on the page is of the Cybex Pro +. The database will not allow the + sign to be put in so it was added without it.
Features and How to Use It:
I will tell you the features by walking through how I use it. I’m going to start with the bottom line so you’ll know how I feel and then we’ll go from there. Without a doubt this is the best treadmill I have used. It is expensive. I know that. I would expect a gym owner to buy this. However, more and more singles and couples who are buying houses are putting in home gyms. My cousin has spent about $25,000 on his. If you are in the position to spend money on the best machine, this is it.
I’ll start with the tread- meaning the area on which you will walk, jog or run. It is different than any I’ve seen. You’ll find treads on each side of the machine on top of the metal. Why does this make a difference? One major reason is that many of us don’t wait until the machine stops to jump so my feet are on each side of the machine. With the treads there is little chance that I will slip as my feet hit the metal. The treads run almost the whole length of the base of the machine.
The floor of the treadmill is wide and long. It measures 60" x 20." This is a nice area on which to run. It has what is called Stableflex. What Stableflex does for this machine is absorb the impact of landing and give me a nice toe off area. What happens with other treadmills is my feet will hit the foot of the floor area as I walk. That doesn’t happen with the Cybex Pro + because of this feature. It offers an amazingly comfortable walk. I don’t run but I do walk fast when I can and I love hills. This machine offers a nice comfortable surface.
The Cybex Pro + has extra long arms with additional thickness at the ends you might be holding on to. The handles are comfortable though they aren’t made of foam. In addition to these handles which are the ones you would hold on to if you are unsteady of just want a bit of a rest, there are separate short handles conveniently placed by the console. These are where you can put your hands if you want your heartrate to show up on the console. I like the placement of these handles and the fact there are separate ones. Oftentimes I don’t want to know my heartrate but the feature is built into the handles. Cybex has taken care of that by giving me a separate set of handles.
There is a large pocket under the display where I usually put my cell phone, gloves, keys or notebook. The machine also has extra large water bottle holders on both sides of the console.
The console is large and very easy to read. On the left side you’ll read that you should clip the e-stop to your clothes. I don’t but if you are at all unsteady please do. What this does is act as an emergency pull. If you were to start to fall or if you did fall, this would pull on the machine and stop it. You’ll also read directions on how to quick start the machine just by pressing start and then you can adjust the speed and incline levels. On the right side of the machine is a heart rate zone chart. This is the first machine I’ve seen that actually tells users how they are supposed to figure out what their heart rate is. You take 220 and subtract your age. That is your maximum heart rate. Take 220 and subtract 40 and you get 180. Your heart rate shouldn’t go above that unless you are an elite performer. If you want to work at 50% of your heart rate then you’ll now know that when you put your hands on the bars and if it says 90 you are working at 50% of your maximum heart rate.
The Cybex Pro + has 6 programs. They are listed both manually and with pictures. The programs are: heartrate; 5K run; weight loss; cardio; 9 holes; and manual.
I’m going to stand on the machine and if I’m new at this hold on to the sides. I hit cardio, then enter. I then use the arrows, which go up and down because the next question will be to enter my weight. I do that and hit enter. I then use the arrows to tell the machine how long I want to be on the machine. It goes up to 60 minutes. The machine stops automatically when my time is up. After hitting enter I plug in whatever level I want to work at. This is a resistance level. I do that, hit enter and the machine counts down..3, 2, 1 and starts. If I’ve plugged in numbers that will start me at 4.0 miles an hour, I will slow it down for the first few minutes. At any time these levels can be changed. I can increase or decrease the speed I’m walking at, the resistance level and incline level.
The speed goes up to 12.4 miles per hour and the incline goes up to 15. These are high numbers. Perhaps the highest options I have seen. One of the best features of this machine that I have never seen anywhere is the option to decline it. Walking down hill uses different muscles than walking uphill and those are important to work. Many think walking downhill is harder than uphill so this is a great feature. It declines 2%- not a huge amount but enough to get a decent feeling.
As I move the machine up and down it moves slowly enough that I hardly feel it. If I am at 10% incline and go down to 2% it isn’t just going to fall. It is a gradual decline.
The display shows nice features. You’ll see scan so you can scan all the features during your entire workout or you can hit any one of them to just keep it on that one. So for example if you want to just see how far you are walking you’ll hit distance and it will just show me that. I can also see minutes per mile, calories, mets and heart rate.
The large digital display shows green dots that will rise vertically as you challenge yourself. The faster you go and the more you increase you incline level the higher the dots will rise.
Jo’s final thoughts:
Cybex Pro + is a fantastic treadmill for almost anyone. I would put no restrictions on it but before starting an exercise program please speak with your doctor. It is really user friendly. I used some machines in Las Vegas that I needed the manual for! This one speaks pretty much for itself but you will want someone to show you how to use it if you have never used a treadmill before or just be very careful and start out slowly. It has nice features and a wonderful surface.
I like the Cybex brand. I have found it to be consistently good pieces of equipment.
This is a large machine. It will not fit in the corner of your living room. If it does then your house is big enough to have a fitness room so go ahead and make one! Some specs: It is 32" long by 81" wide.
It has a covered drive belt with edges that offer safety and prevent fraying and wear. It weighs 380 lbs. The maximum user weight is 400 lbs. The motor is 3.0 HP DC Continuous Duty, with radial fan and ported flywheel, High Efficiency Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) Controller; and a 3 hp motor.
To clean down the non-metal areas wipe them down with a mild solution of 10% liquid dish soap and 90% water. For difficult stains use a solution of 10% bleach and 90% water. The frame should be wiped down with a mild solution of car wash soap and water and then dried well.
At $6500 this is a high-end piece of equipment. If you are looking to buy an excellent treadmill this is it. For now it is the best one on the market in my opinion.
Please feel free to ask me a question or leave a comment. I am a personal trainer so I’ve been around a lot of equipment.
Other reviews in which you might be interested are:
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Yukon Seated Calf Machine
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Cap Barbell Chromed Hollow 18-Inch Low Row T Bar
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World Gym
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Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Jo
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