As a personal trainer I have worked in two gyms. Personally I have been a member of over 6 gyms and have visited many while away from home. Recently my husband and I joined a new gym and I have had the pleasure of using the Cybex 900T treadmill. It is fantastic. Without a doubt the best treadmill I have used.

This is how the machine works. It can be done two ways. You can do a quick start, which means you just press quick start if you want to bypass entering in data. The machine counts down from 3, 2, and 1 and starts moving. This is a nice feature because it gives you a chance to get on it at a slow speed of 1.0, which is 1 mile per hour.

If you choose to adjust the settings and input data it has many options. You can set how long you want to walk/run; what your weight is; what your age is; and what level of intensity at which you want to walk/run.

There are various programs you can also set. You can set the machine at manual, which means you can adjust the height of the incline and speed as you go along or you can choose hills, endurance or sport. Any of these will give you a variety of ups and downs and speed. It won’t stay at a constant level but again you can adjust these levels at any time. If the incline is too much for you during a hill setting, you can lower it with the press of any arrow.

There is a separate setting for incline levels as there is for speed adjustments. As I said these can be changed during your workout no matter what program you choose. The incline level goes from 1-15%.

There are display options, which show how far you have gone, how many calories you have expended, watts and pace. The calories will only be accurate (and accurate has a 20% error rate according to many reports) if you input your weight and age.

There are a couple of fabulous features above and beyond the above. It has a built in heart rate monitor. All you have to do at any time is press the heart shape and hold on to the handlebars and your heart rate will show. Maximum heart rate is 220-your age. A 40 year old's maximum heart rate would be 180. If you wanted to walk at 50% of that you would watch to see that your heart rate doesn't go over 90 beats per minute.

This is not a machine you can get right on and learn yourself if you have never been on a treadmill. You must and should have a trainer show you how to work it, what all the bells and whistles mean and if you are just starting out, what your target heart rate range should be!

The other fabulous feature that I have never seen is the ability to see the display options – your calories, distance, etc, as mentioned above while looking at the time and speed you are going. This is unusual. They are usually combined in one display.

The machine itself is large. Larger than most I have been on which is good. The space to walk is bigger than others. You don’t have to worry about your foot hitting the front of the machine, which often happens with narrower and smaller treadmills.

The model I was on has a safety plug.This may be an option but it is a nice one. If you feel uncomfortable and unsteady you can clip a device onto your fingertip. At any time if you want to stop the machine immediately you just need to pull on the string which is attached to the device and the panel. In case you fall, this will stop the machine and you won’t hurt yourself any more than you would with a fall. In other words if you trip while the machine is going you can hurt yourself quite a bit just by virtue of the fact the machine is still moving! This eliminates that risk.

This particular Cybex model is not one that is necessary in your home unless you have the space and money for it. You can buy less expensive models that will be just as effective but not have all the programs and options. Certainly if you can afford this, if you have a gym in your home, go for it. It is fabulous. If you are lucky enough to have this machine in your gym and you haven’t tried it yet, please do. I think you will love it.

If you have any questions about the Cybex treadmill or workouts in general, feel free to e-mail me.

Other reviews you may be interested in:

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NordicTrack Classic Pro
Precor Stationary Bike
StairMaster
Precor Elliptical Machine

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Cybex Treadmill






Recommended: Yes