You might be looking for a treadmill that can withstand your serious and heavy workouts, and/or long runs? Or you might want a high-quality treadmill for your family that can serve people of all different fitness levels?
So, while searching for a good-quality home treadmill, you’ll most likely come across Proform SMART Pro 9000 during your search on the web. And this is so true because this treadmill is one of the most advanced and best-quality treadmills by Proform.
This SMART model is the latest upgrade and is the top-tier model of the Pro series. It’s a perfect blend of performance, design, and technology.
But how is it gonna help you achieve your most desired fitness goals; whether it’s weight loss and getting into shape, or training yourself for the long runs, or practicing downhill conditioning or just keeping yourself fit for the years to come?
Well, for this you need to look deep into this treadmill. To help you know everything about this model and not miss anything we’ve compiled a deep, detailed, and unbiased review of this top-notch treadmill.
Without any delay, let’s dive straight into it.
Construction, Features & Benefits
Design and Appearance
The design of this new SMART model is simple, clean, yet aesthetically appealing. Measuring 70 inches long by 39.15 inches wide and 77.16 inches high, this treadmill has top-notch and professional-looking appearance colored in black and gray.
So, it takes a considerable amount of space. So it would be best suited in a dedicated workout space.
Powerful Motor
To give you consistent, robust, and sustain longer and intense training sessions, this model comes with an incredibly powerful and high-capacity commercial grade 4.0 continuous horsepower motor.
It’s designed to handle your long runs, interval training, and heavy use. It easily reaches and maintains high speeds and smoothly handles incline and decline. So, you can push the motor to its absolute limits without overheating it because it has a fan that keeps it cool and reduces noise level which makes the motor extremely quiet.
So, it’s a powerful, high-performance, and durable motor that should serve you and your family for years to come without making trouble.
12 Max Speed with Quick Control
The rugged motor powers the belt to run at a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour. You can walk and run anywhere up to 12 mph.
The best part is, you can easily and quickly switch between speeds with a single touch with the help of Touch Control buttons on the console. They allow you to jump at whole integers such as 5, 6 or 8 within seconds. This enables you to do a variety of workouts on your machine.
-3% to +15 Incline with Quick Control
For uphill and downhill conditioning, this treadmill elevates to an impressive 15% incline and declines to a negative 3%. That is usually only found on gym-quality treadmills, so having it on a home treadmill is really impressive.
This is a nice and big range to get fit faster, target your different muscles group, and train yourself for outdoor workouts such as hikes. Moreover, you burn more calories on an inclined surface by even just walking so you probably get into shape more quickly.
Just like speed, you can also change the incline/decline with just one finger and the deck will elevate or lower accordingly.
Large Running Track
The workout area on this machine measures 22 inches by 60 inches that is the largest available by Proform. This is spacious and enables you to walk, jog, or even run at your natural stride length and move your upper body freely. So, your posture and form don’t get hurt and you get a safe and comfortable working area even if you’re reasonably tall.
Proshox Cushioning
Like Proform’s most treadmills, this treadmill’s deck is also equipped with the Proshox Cushioning system – a shock-absorbing technology to help make your exercise safer and comfortable by providing softer landings on the deck than running on concrete or asphalt.
This reduces the impact on your joints that can help you run faster or exercise longer without any serious joint fatigues.
User Weight Capacity
Speaking of how heavy a user can work out on this treadmill, the Pro 9000 comes with a weight limit of 300 pounds (136 kg) that is pretty average for a home treadmill and most likely everyone in your family would be able to use this machine safely and comfortably if fall under this limit.
Preset Workout Programs
Having some preset or predefined workouts on your treadmill is always handy, especially if you’ve never been on a treadmill before. Proform SMART Pro 9000 has nearly 40 video-based workout programs that you can access through the screen.
These programs are usually categorized into speed, incline training, distance, intensity and calorie burn or weight loss workouts. The best part is, each program adjusts the speed and incline/decline level automatically for you. So, you don’t have to worry about setting them and waste your time on initial setup configuration or lose your concentration with adjustments throughout your exercise. But, you can override the settings anytime if you want.
They’ll help you train yourself wisely and effectively because they’re designed and led by certified personal trainers. So, when you select a program, you’re under the supervision of a trainer that removes the chances of going wrong. Instead, it makes your regime more fun, interesting, and effective for the best possible results.
One Year Free iFit Subscription
If you’re a pro, you will most likely want to create custom workouts programs for yourself. For this, the Pro 9000’s console screen is iFit enabled, which is an online workout training app. By which you can create custom programs for yourself or opt for a pre-designed exercise program from the workout library that is led by a personal trainer.
iFit also features GoogleMaps, which means you can draw a route anywhere in the world and run with a virtual view. And the treadmill’s incline/decline changes in-sync with the terrain. So you don’t need to figure it out and adjust.
The best part? It tracks your workout, daily activity, and some other aspects that help you analyze your progress and achieve your health goals easily and quickly.
iFit is a paid subscription service and requires a WiFi connection to run on your treadmill. But, the cool thing is you get a 1-year free subscription service with this machine.
After the subscription expires, you can renew it or cancel it if you’re not willing to pay. For more details and packages insights you can visit the iFit website.
Note: iFit is an optional feature which means your treadmill works perfectly without it and you still have your 40 workout programs on your machine.
Foldable
Although this machine is huge and takes a good amount of floor space, its deck is foldable. So, when you need your floor space back or want a clutter-free area, you can fold the deck in a vertical position. It has an easy lift assist mechanism that helps you fold the deck without having to worry about its weight.
Unfolding the deck is even easier. You don’t need to do it manually. You just have to unlock the deck, and it’ll automatically drop to the ground gently and safely. Moreover, it has wheels in case you want to move it around but maybe cumbersome because it’s a heavy machine.
Know More About Proform SMART Pro 9000
Rollers
To move the belt back and forth smoothly, the machine has 2.5 inch diameter rollers. They reduce wear and tear on the belt, and help reduce the noise level.
10” Wide HD TouchScreen
Proform Pro 9000 has a flashy 10 inch wide display screen that is colored and high-definition and touch enabled which means you can navigate with just your finger. It’s embedded in the center of the console for easy access and good viewing angle. It also does tilt, so you can adjust it further.
It displays all your essential workout stats including time, speed, calorie burn, distance, incline/decline level, and heart rate that are necessary to monitor your regime. Moreover, It gives you access to preset programs and an iFit workout app using your home’s WiFi connection, that add more reality feel to your exercise. All this contributes in achieving your fitness goals in a totally new and exciting way.
Additional Tablet Holder
In addition to the built-in screen, there is also an additional tablet holder above the console that can securely and safely hold your personal device. Which means you can browse the web or watch netflix or your favorite tv show or even connect with your friends whilst working out.
Heart Rate Monitoring
To keep track of your heart rate, this machine provides you two options. The in-handle EKG grips that you need to hold and wireless heart rate chest strap for wireless tracking that comes handy, especially when you’re at the highest of your speed or require continual feedback.
Most people prefer wireless monitoring because it’s comparatively more convenient, reliable and accurate. Both methods display your heart rate reading on the screen.
Speakers
The Pro 9000 also comes with an embedded sound system consisting of two 3 inch speakers located at the base of the console, an audio port that allows you to connect your iPod or mp3 device and volume controls keys. So, when you play an audio a good and crystal clear audio will be delivered through the speakers. It could be a great way to enjoy your regime.
Cooling Fan
To keep you sweat free during tough workouts, the Pro 9000 comes with an air fan that is mounted under the console in a fixed position and faces towards your core. The fan has a few speed settings (probably two) that allow you to increase or decrease the speed and you can turn on/off the fan. This is a nice feature to have.
Accessory Tray & Water Bottle Pockets
Proform has added an accessory bar underneath the console for your pocket accessories and other small things that you would like to keep with you such as a remote . It also plays a good role in supporting stability and adds sturdiness to the frame.
Moreover, the console has water bottle pockets. So you can place water to consume during your regime.
Safety Features
To ensure safety and decrease the chances of injury, this treadmill also comes with a safety key and a plastic clip that are connected with a lanyard. When you hop on the machine, you must connect the clip with your clothing before starting your workout because if you lose balance or fall, the safety key would detach from the console and the belt will stop immediately.
Taking the safety key out will also prevent unauthorized users such as young childs operating the machine.
Setting It Up
For setting the machine up, you get a user manual that explains everything from the parts identification to having it ready for use. The treadmill comes with all the essential parts that you’ll need during the assembly but you’ll also need one adjustable wrench and one phillips screwdriver separately.
The deck or base of the treadmill comes assembled out of the box. So you’ll need to connect the wires, attach the upright, handrails, console, accessory tray and tablet holder (if you want it). The user manual explains step-by-step assembly in written form with clear pictures with part reference explaining how each part fits, so if you’ve some DIY skills, you’ll be able to assemble it easily with the help of another person but you should expect a few hours assembling it because there are a lot of steps involved.
But, if you don’t want to handle it yourself, you can ask for expert assembly at the time of ordering this machine (if offered in your area) or can hire a local mechanic.
Things You Should Know
The treadmill itself is excellent exercise equipment but there are some points that are worth mentioning.
Not Web Enabled
This machine isn’t web enabled which means you can’t browse or access anything outside of the preprogrammed workout and iFit. For such an excellent treadmill this is a kind of limitation. However, you can always bring your device on the machine for your browsing needs.
Large and Heavy
Pro 9000 is a large and heavy machine. It takes a good amount of floor space even when folded and moving it isn’t easy because it is quite heavy. But that’s what you would expect from a rock-built treadmill.
Warranty
Proform offers a 10 year warranty on frame, 2 years on parts and only 1 year on labor which is quite short for such an investment. Proform should have offered lifetime warranty on frame and motor and a bit longer on parts and labor as well.
Service
Many buyers have reported service issues especially slow customer support saying it’s hard to get their response on time. Moreover, when you order replacement parts, it may take longer to arrive.
Proform SMART Pro 9000 Treadmill Video Review
Pros
- Powerful motor for intense and consistent workouts
- Spacious running area for comfortable running
- Proshox Cushioning for reducing the impact on joints
- Under-friendly and easy to operate
- Big responsive screen for navigation
- Quick Control button for instant adjustment
- Incline ability up to negative 3% for downhill training
- An array of workout programs
- iFit enabled with one-year free subscription
- Chest Strap included for wireless heart rate monitoring
- Entertainment features included; speakers, tablet holder
- Effortless folding
Cons
- Display screen not web enabled
- Heavy and big machine
- Warranty could have been longer
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for one high-quality and powerful treadmill for your light exercise to intense workouts, or want a treadmill for your whole family, that provides great value for money in professional class design with excellent performance, convenience, entertainment and all the essential functionality in a single complete package that is a perfect blend of a heavy-duty running machine with features then Proform SMART Pro 9000 is definitely a smart choice.
It worths every penny and you can achieve your fitness goals at the comfort of your home.
Buy Proform SMART Pro 9000 from Amazon Now
But if your workout demands don’t require that much motor power and you think you could be pretty happy with a slight decrease in motor power, then you can save some money by looking at the other models, SMART Pro 5000 (3.75 CHP) and SMART Pro 2000 (3.5 CHP). All these three models are almost identical, the major difference lies in motor power.