Proform 705 ZLT Treadmill Review

The Proform 705 ZLT folding treadmill is an exciting machine in Icon’s treadmill range for the UK. Icon are the world’s largest fitness equipment manufacturer, responsible for brands such as Nordic Track and Weslo as well as the ever popular Pro-From brand.

The Proform 705 ZLT is identical machine to the Nordic Track T7 treadmill, but adds a Polar compatible wireless heart rate receiver and a chest strap as standard and is branded as Proform.

In context of market positioning, the Nordic Track T7 treadmill is the replacement machine for the Nordic Track C2000. As such, the Proform 705 being reviewed here is picking up the mantle from the Nordic Track C2000, a big challenge given the C2000 has been one of the most popular mid-market treadmills of the last three years!

The big question is whether this treadmill can live up to the high expectations created by the hugely successful C2000. Well, in short, we were very pleasantly surprised.

So, let’s start with the basics! At the heart of the treadmill is a powerful 2.25 horsepower continous duty motor as well as a full sized 51cm by 140cm running belt.

This powerful motor means light work of powering the the belt right up to the maximum speed of 11.2 mph (18 kph). The speed can be controlled from using direct speed keys on the console. This proform treadmill has a power incline function up to 10%, which can either be controlled from the console by pressing the incline up and down buttons (0.5% increments) or using one of the 10 direct incline keys. The roomy running belt glides smoothly and quietly on top of a shock absorbing running deck.

The console is where this machine this machine really shines. It features several bright LED displays which show key metrics constantly. The console features Icon’s Ifit SD technology which take treadmill programmes to a whole new level. Simply insert an iFit SD card into the little slot on the console and the treadmill is taken over by a virtual personal trainer who starts to literally talk you through professionally designed work out programmes whilst automatically controlling both the speed and the incline of the machine.

Given the vast majority of people use treadmills for weight loss purposes, we really liked the way in which the built-in programmes are organised. They’re split into two groups: calorie goal and timed workouts. Each of these programmes can be access by pressing one button on the console and hitting the green start key. There are 8 calorie goal programmes that burn an estimated 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600 or 700 calories respectively in the session. The duration of these calorie goal programmes start at only 20 minutes and the maximum speed and incline during the programme is varied based on which programme is selected. Similarly, for those wishing to use the treadmill for general training can choose between the timed workouts (8 programmes) that vary in duration from 15 minutes to an hour.

Heart rate monitoring can be done by either grabbing the pulse sensors for a reading (which won’t be very accurate) or alternatively taking advantage of the Polar technology built into the treadmill. The treadmill ships with a Polar wireless chest belt as standard!

The console further boasts a high quality set of speakers (which are also used by the iFit personal trainer programmes) with a standard 3.5mm jack input cable that can by plugged into the headphone socket of an iPhone, iPod or any mp3 player to be able to listen to music whilst running.

Finally, we can confirm that the folding mechanism is very simple to use – simply lift up the running deck and hear the self locking latch securely lock the deck in a vertical position. A soft drop feature make the lower of the deck easy and safe.

The warranty is a solid 10 year frame warranty, 5 year motor warranty and one year parts and labour as standard, which is extended to 2 years once the purchase is registered with Icon. This must be done within 28 days of purchase to qualify for the additional cover.

IMPORTANT: Due to the weight of this product, Proform’s warranty is invalid if delivered by a one-man team without special lifting equipment. We can confirm that Sweatband (see below) complies with the terms of the warranty by including a pre-booked 2-man delivery service as standard.